Renew Afaria Custom APP

[Former Member]

Hello Guy's,

I hope somebody can help me,

We have a afaria custom app created for TEM data and iOS Enterprise apps. Becouse the afaria appstore app can't see iOS Enterprise apps and have disabled the TEM data.

We have published the app over a Website and the customer installed the app and enrolled their devices with our app.

I see in the apple developer programm that the distribution certificate will expire in 2 Month's.

So how can i renew the certificate without the users have any troubles?

PLEASE HELP ME i need the info really urgently.

Thanks and best regards.

[Former Member]

I believe once you deploy the custom built app, regardless of how you deploy it, the certificate will come with the app. Once the certificate expires, from what I have seen, the app will stop working once the iPad is restarted.

You will then have to delete the existing app, this does not remove the expired certificate, install the new app (with the renewed cert), it will then work.

[Former Member]

If the app is deployed as a "managed app" you can update the app with no end-user interaction as long as you add a new application policy in Afaria and assign that policy to the same users (and run "Appply Policy" to all devices).. That's by far the easiest way to update enterprise applications before certificates expires.

BR

Peter

[Former Member]

Maybe there is a possibility to simulate an expiring certificate?

[D_Olderdissen]

Umm, not sure if that makes sense. But you could try to mess with the device clock and set the date one year ahead. You may want to keep the device offline for your test, as I expect it will otherwise pick up the correct time and date from the network pretty quickly.

Make sure you to be prepared in case you totally mess up your device doing this (BACKUP).

[Former Member]

Hy,

I have now an Update:

I have made another Custom app and deployed this app also on a webpage,installed it and enrolled my iPAD with the new APP.

Now i wanted to renew the certificate from the new app. First i revoked the certificate in the enterprise developer Page. But the App is running normal.

Another download from the webpage works and also the enrollment could be made.

Is the App now working until the certificate really expires?

Best Regards

[D_Olderdissen]

The iOS is checking the certificate on the app (the provisioning profile). That information is offline and is not getting updated and I doubt that iOS is checking a cert revocation list. If you really care, you could check the iOS dev pages, that process should be documented some where.

So I do expect the app to work until the cert will expire.

[D_Olderdissen]

I assume you are talking about a custom Afaria client that you have had signed via the frontline.sybase.com "custom signed app" process.

If you check out the "Custom-Signed Afaria Application Instructions.pdf" (first link on the Custom-Signed App page on frontline), you will find instructions on page 16:

"

Yearly iOS Application Re-Signing

Apple will force the provisioning profile to expire one year from time of creation.  To ensure uninterrupted use of the

enterprise application, upon expiration or soon before, you will be required to perform the following steps:

1. Log into the iOS Developer Provisioning Portal and re-create the provisioning profile
2. Log into the Afaria support website and re-sign the Afaria application with the updated provisioning portal and your existing private key
3. Re-run the EUSSP setup for all End-User Self Service portals that use the custom Afaria app and specify the new custom application during the installation setup to update EUSSP for future enrollments.
4. Update the Afaria application on existing user devices. 

"

[Former Member]

Hy Dirk,

Thank you very much, i haven't see this before

If i re create the provisioning profile, does it have any impacts on the existing device's? (Must they also re enroll?)

How i could update the afaria version on the existing devices ? is there a normal update notification?

Sorry, I'am very afraid about this renew becouse this is the first time i do this.

Best regards

[D_Olderdissen]

The provisioning profile is first off only in your dev environment, right? Only when you use it for deploying an app, then the iOS device sees it but is only using it with that particular app you are deploying it with.

As you got a  custom app (custom Afaria client) you should be able deploy it via the enterprise application portal. Not sure if it will work when you have the portal inside your Afaria client on the device. You can try to find some information on frontline.

And: if you do not already have one, I would recommend to get your self a little Afaria-Testenvironment. Some thing small in VMware where you can test your steps and procedures.