Device Manager fails to start on a macOS Server 5.2 Replica

[ZippyDan]

#1
I have setup a working Open Directory Master on on Mac-Server-1 running macOS Sierra and macOS Server 5.2 (latest as of today). I have also successfully started the Device Manager and enrolled a client computer with no problem.

I have now also setup a working Open Directory Replica on Mac-Server-2 (at a different site) running MacOS Sierra and macOS Server 5.2. However, when I try to activate the Device Manager on the Replica, it stays Disabled.

Is this by design that Device Manager can only be active on the Master? Or is this a bug?

Steps:

1. In macOS Server -> Profile Manger -> Device Manager, status is Disabled
2. In macOS Server -> Profile Manger -> Device Manager, I click "Setup..." button
3. New window appears telling me I can manage devices. I click "Next"
4. The window now changes and asks me for a Name, E-mail, Telephone, and Address (presumably to generate a certificate?)
5. I enter the info, and click "Next"
6. The next window appears, telling me to click "Finish". I do.
7. The window disappears, returning me to the macOS Server -> Profile Manger window, where the status of Device Manager still shows as Disabled.

Ideas?

Note1 :I tried uninstalling Server.app and deleting /Library/Server/* and reinstalling the Replica from scratch. Same behavior.

Note2 : I tried reinstalling the entire server from scratch. Same behavior.

 

[ZippyDan]

Turns out that Profile Manager (and specifically Device Manager) can only run on the Master server.

This makes the entire system completely unsuitable to situations involving multiple sites, or indeed for anyone who cannot accept a single point of failure.

Also, the fact that Apple does not provide a help, informative error message when attempting to run Device Manager on a Replica server, is highly disappointing.