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Mosyle - macOS Configuration Guide

The following contains procedures for deploying Blocksi URL Filtering OSX using Mosyle. The solution consists of two components:

  • Proxy - A system-level service that intercepts and filters web traffic.

  • Agent - A menu bar application that communicates with Blocksi servers to enforce filtering policies.

Prerequisites

Ensure the following prerequisites are in place before proceeding with deployment:

  • Administrator access to Mosyle.

  • Your Blocksi Super-Admin account email address.

  • Devices are enrolled in Mosyle and their local account name matches the part of their Blocksi licensed email address before the @ - for example, for student123@blocksi.net the local account name is student123.

  • Download the following files provided by Blocksi:

    • Blocksi_Filter.pkg - Installer that installs the proxy and agent.

    • Blocksi_Settings.mobileconfig

    • Blocksi_Proxy.mobileconfig

    • blocksi_uninstall.sh - (Optional) Uninstaller script for the Blocksi Filter agent. Click here to download.

Downloads

Download the Blocksi Filter agent and configuration files from the Admin Dashboard.

  1. Click on your profile icon in the top right of the dashboard.

  2. Click Downloads.

  3. Select the Apple tab and download the appropriate package for your MDM.

Note

You can download the files for Mosyle deployment from either the Configuring MDM Using Jamf School - Url Filtering OSX or Configuring MDM Using Intune - Url Filtering OSX sections of the Admin Dashboard Downloads page.

Warning

After completing each step, wait a few minutes for the configuration to be pushed to the target devices before proceeding to the next step.

Note

If you are currently using the Blocksi For OSX filtering solution for macOS, remove all DNS proxy configuration profiles and filtering agent deployment assignments from your MDM before proceeding. Refer to the final section of this guide for more details.

Configuring and Uploading the Blocksi Settings Configuration Profile
Configuring the Blocksi Settings Configuration Profile
To configure the Blocksi Settings file:

  1. Download the provided Blocksi_Settings.mobileconfig file.

  2. Open the downloaded .mobileconfig file using any text or code editor.

  3. Search for the organizationId key and replace admin@blocksi.net with your Blocksi Super Admin account (CompanyId) within the <string></string> fields.

  4. The bundle_id key is used to configure which apps are filtered by the Blocksi agent. The provided .mobileconfig file is configured to filter the most commonly used web browsers: Chrome, Safari, Edge, Brave, Firefox, and Opera. You can filter additional apps by adding <string>package_name</string> lines to the file.

    Blocksi Settings

  5. Click the .mobileconfig filename in the top bar, select File, then click Save.

Uploading the Blocksi Settings Configuration Profile
To upload the Blocksi Settings Configuration Profile:

  1. In Mosyle, navigate to Management > macOS, then select Certificates/Custom Profiles from the Management Profiles menu on the left.

    Certificates/Custom Profiles Section

  2. Click New.

    Create New Profile Section

  3. Configure the following:

    • Name - Enter Blocksi Settings Profile.

    • File - Click Select File and choose Blocksi_Settings.mobileconfig.

    • Profile Settings - Select Enable Variables for this profile.

    • Profile Assignment - Assign the profile to target devices.

  4. Click Save. The custom profile appears in the Certificates/Custom Profiles section.

    Newly Created Custom Profile

Note

If you do not see Certificates/Custom Profiles, click Activate New Profile Type, and activate it.

Configuring the Application Package Deployment

Upload the installer package to the CDN, add it as an enterprise app, and create a profile to distribute it to the target computers.

Uploading the Package to the CDN
To upload the package to the CDN:

  1. In Mosyle, navigate to Management > macOS, then select Install PKG from the Management Profiles menu on the left.

    Install PKG Section

  2. Navigate to the CDN tab, then click Upload.

    Upload CDN Section

  3. Click Choose a file... and select Blocksi_Filter.pkg.

  4. Click Confirm on the Attention pop-ups that follow.

    Confirmation Prompt
    Uploaded Blocksi CDN Package
Adding the Package
To add the package:

  1. In Mosyle, navigate to Management > macOS, then select Install PKG from the Management Profiles menu on the left.

    Install PKG Section

  2. Navigate to the PKGs tab, then click Add new package. The Add PKG window opens.

    Add New Package Section

  3. Select Already Have a .PKG, then select Automatically set App Info from the drop-down menu and click Next.

    Host Your .PKG File

  4. Click Upload or Select File from CDN, then select the previously uploaded Blocksi_Filter.pkg.

    Upload or Select File from CDN

  5. Click Add Enterprise App.

    Add Enterprise App
    Uploaded Blocksi PKG
Creating a Profile to Distribute the Package
To create a profile to distribute the package:

  1. In Mosyle, navigate to Management > macOS, then select Install PKG from the Management Profiles menu on the left.

    Install PKG Section

  2. Navigate to the Profiles tab, then click Add new profile. The Install Apps window opens.

  3. Configure the following:

    • Profile Name - Enter Blocksi Filter Application.

      Add New Profile

    • Installation source - Click Click to add an app and select the Blocksi Filter application, then click the Checkmark Icon button in the top right.

      Adding the Blocksi Filter App

    • Profile Assignment - Assign the profile to target devices.

  4. Click Save.

    Configured Install Apps Section
Uploading the Blocksi Proxy Configuration Profile
To upload the Proxy Configuration Profile:

  1. In Mosyle, navigate to Management > macOS, then select Certificates/Custom Profiles from the Management Profiles menu on the left.

    Certificates/Custom Profiles Section

  2. Click New. The configuration window opens.

  3. Configure the following:

    • Name - Enter Blocksi Proxy Profile.

    • Configuration File - Click Select file and choose Blocksi_Proxy.mobileconfig.

    • Profile Settings - Select Enable Variables for this profile.

    • Profile Assignment - Assign the profile to target devices.

    Create New Profile Section

  4. Click Save. The custom profile appears in the Certificates/Custom Profiles section.

    Created Custom Profile
Validating the Deployment

To validate the deployment, verify that the profiles, services, and filtering agent are installed on the target device correctly.

To check whether the Blocksi services are running:

  • Open Terminal on the target Mac and run the following command:

    launchctl list | grep blocksi

The output should include com.blocksi.proxy.

To check whether the system extension is installed:

  • Open Terminal on the target Mac and run the following command:

    systemextensionsctl list

The output should include FNVRG3YPHU com.blocksi.filter.proxy (1.0/1) com.blocksi.filter.proxy [activated enabled].

To check whether the proxy is active:

  1. Navigate to System Settings.

  2. Click Network in the sidebar, then click Filters.

    The Blocksi Filter should show with a status of Enabled.

    Blocksi Filter Enabled
To check whether the agent is running:

  1. After login, verify that the Blocksi Filter icon appears in the menu bar.

  2. Click the icon. The status should show Connected.

    Blocksi Filter Connected
To check whether filtering is working:

  1. Log in to the Mac device with a licensed user that has a policy assigned.

  2. Navigate to some sites that should be blocked by your policy.

  3. Verify that the Blocksi Access Denied page appears:

    Blocksi Access Denied Page

  4. On the Blocksi Admin Dashboard, navigate to Insights from the Main Menu, click Web Analytics from its sub-menu, then switch to Logs.

  5. Verify that the browsing activity from the device appears in the logs.

Updating Blocksi Filter

Updating Blocksi Filter replaces the installed application package with a newer version. You can update Blocksi Filter on managed devices without re-enrolling them or re-creating the Blocksi Settings and Blocksi Proxy configuration profiles.

Note

Do not unassign the Blocksi Settings or Blocksi Proxy configuration profiles during an update. These profiles are not replaced by the new package, and removing them requires re-deploying them before filtering resumes.

To update Blocksi Filter:

  1. In your MDM, remove the target device groups from the scope of the Blocksi Filter application package so the package is not redeployed while the update is in progress.

  2. Deploy the uninstall script to the same device groups. The deployment procedure is the same one described in Uninstalling Blocksi Filter in this guide.

    Important

    Download the uninstall script using this direct link.

  3. Wait for the script to run on the target devices, then confirm that the Blocksi Filter icon no longer appears in the menu bar.

  4. Upload the new version of the Blocksi Filter package to your MDM, replacing the existing package. Refer to Configuring the Application Package Deployment in this guide.

    Note

    Download the Blocksi Filter agent package from the Admin Dashboard.

    1. Click on your profile icon in the top right of the dashboard.

    2. Click Downloads.

    3. Select the Apple tab and download the appropriate package for your MDM.

  5. Add the target device groups back to the scope of the Blocksi Filter package.

  6. Confirm that the new version is installed and filtering is active. Refer to Validating the Deployment in this guide.

Uninstalling the OSX Filtering Solution

Follow the procedures below to uninstall Blocksi from OSX devices using Mosyle. Refer to Uninstalling Blocksi Filter to uninstall the Blocksi Filter (full URL filtering) solution. If you are migrating from Blocksi for OSX (legacy DNS filtering) to Blocksi Filter (full URL filtering), refer to Uninstalling Blocksi For OSX before proceeding with deploying Blocksi Filter.

Important

Unassign the Blocksi Filter Application profile and the Blocksi configuration profiles from the target devices before deploying the uninstall script.

Uninstalling Blocksi Filter
To deploy the uninstall script using a Custom Command:

  1. In Mosyle, navigate to Management > macOS, then select Custom Commands from the Management Profiles menu on the left.

    Custom Commands Section

  2. Click Add new profile. The Custom Commands window opens.

  3. In the Profile Name field, enter Blocksi Uninstall.

    Create a New Custom Command

  4. Click the text field in the Code tab to open the Code Edit window, then paste the contents of the downloaded blocksi_uninstall.sh file. The script is available for download here.

    After pasting, click the Checkmark Icon button in the upper-right corner of the code editor to confirm the script.

  5. Click the Execution Settings tab, then select the Immediately when saving the profile, upon assignment, or based on schedule or events option from the drop-down list under Execute command, and configure the following:

    • Event - Select Every startup of the Mac.

    • Schedule - Select Only once (Event Required).

    Execution Settings for Custom Commands

  6. Under Profile Assignment, assign the profile to the devices or locations you want to remove Blocksi from.

  7. Click Save. The custom command is added to the list and is enabled by default.

    Created Blocksi Uninstall Custom Command
Migrating from Blocksi For OSX to Blocksi Filter

In order to migrate to the Blocksi Filter (full URL filtering) solution, Blocksi For OSX (legacy DNS filtering) needs to be uninstalled first.

To deploy the uninstall script:

  1. In Mosyle, navigate to Management > macOS, then select Custom Commands from the Management Profiles menu on the left.

    Custom Commands Section

  2. Click Add new profile. The Custom Commands window opens.

  3. In the Profile Name field, enter Blocksi Uninstall.

    Create a New Custom Command

  4. Click the text field in the Code tab to open the Code Edit window, then paste the contents of the script below.

    #!/bin/bash
launchctl unload /Library/LaunchAgents/com.blocksi.filtering.agent.plist
 
 
sudo killall 'Blocksi for OSX'
sudo killall BlocksiXPCservice
 
sudo rm -f ~/Library/Preferences/com.blocksi.filtering.agent.plist
 
sudo rm -rf /Applications/Blocksi\ for\ OSX.app
    Code Edit for Custom Commands

    After pasting, click the Checkmark Icon button in the upper-right corner of the code editor to confirm the script.

  5. Click the Execution Settings tab, then select the Immediately when saving the profile, upon assignment, or based on schedule or events option from the drop-down list under Execute command, and configure the following:

    • Event - Select Every startup of the Mac.

    • Schedule - Select Only once (Event Required).

    Execution Settings for Custom Commands

  6. Under Profile Assignment, assign the profile to the devices or locations you want to remove Blocksi from.

  7. Click Save. The custom command is added to the list and is enabled by default.

    Created Blocksi Uninstall Custom Command