Smart Groups
Jamf Pro allows you to create smart groups for managed computers, mobile devices, or users. You can create smart groups based on one or more inventory attributes.
For more information about inventory attributes that you can base smart groups on, see the following sections:
After creating a smart group, you can view its memberships.
General Requirements
You can enable email notifications to be sent to Jamf Pro users each time a group membership changes. To enable email notifications, you need:
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An SMTP server set up in Jamf Pro (For more information, see Integrating with an SMTP Server.)
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Email notifications enabled in Jamf Pro (For more information, see Email Notifications.)
Criteria Operators
The following table lists operators and examples of how they might be used to qualify values:
Operator |
Definition |
Example |
is |
Matches the specified string exactly |
The criteria "'Computer Name' is 'Test Computer 6'" includes computers with the name "Test Computer 6". By contrast, a computer with the name "Test Computer 7" is not included. |
is not |
Matches values that do not match the specified string exactly |
The criteria "'Display Name' is not 'CEO iPad'" includes all devices except those with the exact display name "CEO iPad". By contrast, a device with the display name "'CEO iPad Old'" is not included. |
like |
Matches value that contain the specified string |
The criteria "'Computer Name' like 'AP Science Mac'" includes computers with names such as "AP Science Mac 1", "AP Science Mac 2", and "AP Science Mac 3". |
not like |
Matches values that do not contain the specified string |
The criteria "'Display Name' not like 'Staff'" includes devices with display names such as "Student A", "Student B", and "Smith Personal iPhone". |
matches regex |
Matches values that match the specified regular expression (regex). For more information on regex, see the Using Regex with Smart Groups and Advanced Searches article. |
The criteria "'Computer Name' matches regex '^LAB-.*$s'" includes computers with names such as "LAB-ART-101", "LAB-CS-101", and "LAB-CS-102". |
does not match regex |
Matches values that do not match the specified regular expression (regex). For more information on regex, see the Using Regex with Smart Groups and Advanced Searches article. |
The criteria "'Display Name' does not match regex '^HS'" includes devices with display names such as "iPad HS loaner" and " 11 HS iPad". |
And/Or Groupings
If you have multiple criteria, you can use "and/or" groupings to define the relationships between them and create logic that includes the devices you want in your smart group. The following groupings are available when multiple criteria are used:
-
and—Only devices that fulfill all related criteria will be included in membership.
-
or—Devices that fulfill any of the related criteria will be included in membership.
If more complex logic is necessary to define the relationships between your criteria, you can use the parenthesis pop-ups to group criteria together.
Creating a Smart Group
-
Log in to Jamf Pro.
-
Click Computers, Devices, or Users at the top of the page.
-
Click Smart Computer Groups, Smart Device Groups, or Smart User Groups.
-
Click New
and configure basic settings for the group.
-
To enable email notifications, select the Send email notification on membership change checkbox.
-
Click the Criteria tab and add criteria to the group:
-
Click Add
.
-
Click Choose for the criteria you want to add.
Note: Only your 30 most frequently used criteria are listed. To display additional criteria, click Show Advanced Criteria.
-
Choose an operator from the Operator pop-up menu.
-
Enter a value in the Value field or browse for a value by clicking Browse
.
-
Repeat steps a through d to add criteria as needed.
Note: Creating a smart group with no criteria will cause all managed computers, mobile devices, or users to be included in the group's membership.
-
-
Choose an operator from the And/Or pop-up menus to specify the relationship between criteria.
-
To group criteria and join multiple operations, choose parentheses from the pop-up menus around the criteria you want to group.
-
(Optional) If you are creating a smart device group, you can configure the group to send remote commands to mobiles devices when the devices become members of that group. For example, the Set Wallpaper remote command can be configured to automatically set the wallpaper on devices when they become members of the smart group. Click the Automated Management tab and configure remote commands to send to devices that are members of the group.
-
Click Save
, and then click View
.
Operations in the group take place in the order they are listed (top to bottom).
Group memberships are updated each time the following happens:
-
Computers submit inventory to Jamf Pro and meet or fail to meet the specified criteria.
Note: Some inventory attributes are updated when computers check in rather than when they submit inventory (e.g., Last Check-in). Smart groups containing criteria based on these attributes update memberships each time computers check in.
-
Mobile devices contact Jamf Pro and meet or fail to meet the specified criteria.
-
User information is edited.
Viewing Smart Group Memberships
-
Log in to Jamf Pro.
-
Click Computers, Devices, or Users at the top of the page.
-
Click Smart Computer Groups, Smart Device Groups, or Smart User Groups.
-
Click the smart group you want to view memberships for.
-
Click View
.
A list of group memberships is displayed.
Related Information
For related information, see the following sections in this guide:
-
Computer Reports
Find out how to export the data in group membership lists to different file formats. -
Mass Actions for Computers
Find out how to perform mass actions on group memberships. -
Mobile Device Reports
Find out how to export the data in group membership lists to different file formats. -
Mass Actions for Mobile Devices
Find out how to perform mass actions on group memberships. -
Scope
Learn how to configure scope based on computer, mobile device, or user groups.