Exporting and deploying the Endpoint Protection Macintosh client with remote tools

Products

• Endpoint Protection

Issue/Introduction

This article applies to the on-premises Symantec Endpoint Protection Mac client;

For the cloud-managed Symantec Endpoint Security Mac client, please see How to combine SES UniversalESD_RI.pkg and fsdmanifest.js into one pkg file

Resolution

You can export and configure a Macintosh client installation package (SEPRemote.pkg) for deployment with third-party software distribution programs Apple Remote Desktop, Jamf, or other remote management tools. 

Note that the SEPRemote.pkg must usually be notarized to be used with such tools: Notarizing macOS Software Before Distribution. SEP installers include a Broadcom signature but they are not notarized because they usually contains elements that are unique to each customer's environment—SEP management server address(es), certificates, etc—and customer must obtain their own Apple Developer ID to sign and notarize pkg files. Consult Apple technical support for help with obtaining a developer identity and notarization.

Export the package

1. In the SEPM console, on the Admin > Install Packages section, select the desired SEP Mac version and Export a Client Install Package... and follow the prompts. NOTE: the instructions in this article also apply to unmanaged Mac client installer, exportable also from SEPM or downloadable as a zipped *.dmg file from the customer support portal.
2. After the package creation completes, browse to the location you previously specified and then copy the .zip file to the Mac on which your remote deployment program in installed. By default, the file name is Symantec Endpoint Protection.zip. (DO NOT unzip the package and copy the unzipped files to the Mac; copy the zipped file to Mac first).
3. Right-click on the .zip file and click Open With > Archive Utility to decompress the .zip file.
4. Double-click Symantec Endpoint Protection Installer to launch the application.
5. DO NOT click the Install button in dialog that appears. Instead, go to the menu bar and click Install Symantec Endpoint Protection > Create remote deployment package. Accept the default package name or type in a new name, select a folder where you want to save the file, and then click Save.
6. When the package creation completes successfully, click OK. The file name is SEPRemote.pkg.

Deploy using Apple Remote Desktop, Jamf, et al

For more detailed instruction or technical assistance using your software distribution solution, consult the documentation that comes with it.

If you need a .dmg package follow the steps:

Steps to Convert PKG to DMG:

• Extract PKG: Open Terminal and use the following command to expand the package:

pkgutil --expand-full /path/to/your.pkg /path/to/output_folder.

• Locate Contents: Open the output_folder. Inside, you will find a folder (often named Payload or similar) containing the .app file or files.
• Create DMG via Disk Utility:
• Open Disk Utility.
• Go to File > New Image > Image from Folder.
• Select the folder containing your extracted .app file.
• Choose a name, size, and location for the DMG, then click Save