In June Apple presented macOS 11 (Big Sur) to the public for the first time. Since then, it is possible for developers to prepare for the new version. Unfortunately, for Sophos this time was not quite enough.
We strongly recommend that customers do not upgrade any macOS clients running Endpoint Protection to macOS Big Sur at this time. The EAP for Sophos Central is targeted for the week of Nov. 23rd, 2020, pending final testing. The EAP will run through our Sophos Community with details to follow. Sophos has diligently worked with Apple since the first build of Big Sur, logging issues and preparing our products to support Big Sur. Our products need to work on macOS 10.x (where kernel access is allowed), macOS 11.x (where kernel access is no longer allowed) and at the quality that our customers expect. Sophos Enterprise Console Managed – Sophos Anti-Virus for Mac OS X, Central Device Encryption for Mac. Operating systems macOS 11 “Big Sur” Support for macOS 11. Apple macOS 11 will be released on the 12 th November, it is not supported for Endpoint Protection by Sophos yet. We plan to create an EAP in Central to test this release soon. Sophos Central: macOS 11 (Big Sur) Central Endpoint EAP is now live! Release Notification. Until Sophos and Fortinet produce versions that support it CSCS will be blocking the installation of Big Sur. This is likely to last until the end of March 2021 but will be regularly reviewed. If you try to install Big Sur on a computer with Sophos Central you will be able to download it, but when you try to run the installer you will see a.
Today, November 12, 2020, the new OS is available for no charge to all users. However, if you are using the Sophos Central Endpoint Client, you should not install the update yet, as Sophos’s endpoint protection will not work after that. 🤯
Sophos will soon be releasing a version that supports the new macOS through its Early Access Program (EAP). In December 2020 / January 2021 the final version should be released.
The Central Device Encryption version 1.5.3 already supports macOS 11, but since it is often installed with the endpoint protection, it is still necessary to wait.
Sophos and Apple Silicon
Also in June 2020 Apple talked about Apple Silicon for the first time. These are self-developed processors with the ARM architecture, which are already used in the iPhone or iPad, for example. These processors are now to be introduced in all Macs within the next 2 years. It was already known that the first hardware with the new chips will be available at the end of 2020.
Transition Kits were distributed in advance so that the developers could already test their software. On 10.11.2020 Apple already presented three new devices, which will arrive at the first customers at the end of November.
As Apple fanboys, we have of course also ordered a device.
Big Sur Camping
Spotify deezer youtube. Apple does not yet support ARM for Windows at this time. But we are working on it. I suspect that the ARM Macs will be supported sooner or later, but we don’t know anything about it at the moment.
Rosetta 2 (emulator)
Of course, depending on the software, 5 months is not enough time to rewrite the code for a new processor architecture. For this purpose, Apple has introduced Rosetta 2.
It is an emulator which is integrated in macOS Big Sur and enables ARM Macs to run Intel applications. Rosetta 2 essentially translates instructions written for Intel processors into instructions that Apple’s silicon chips understand. Developers do not have to make any changes to their old applications; they simply work.
We will certainly test for you whether this is true for Sophos products and whether the Central Endpoint Client can be easily emulated with Rosetta 2. 😇
Can users with macOS 11 and the new Apple M1 hardware run Sophos Mac Endpoint Protection with the Big Sur EAP?
Yes. M1 users with Big Sur need to follow three steps:
- Install Rosetta 2
- Join the Big Sur EAP
- Run Sophos using Rosetta 2
What is Rosetta 2?
Rosetta 2 is a commonly used tool that enables a Mac with Apple silicon to use apps built for a Mac with an Intel processor. For instructions on installation, please refer to https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT211861
Will there be a performance difference when using Rosetta 2?
Native support using the full power and performance of the Apple hardware will always be faster than using Rosetta 2. For normal business users there should not be any discernable difference. For heavy users of disk or CPU (for example: video editing, heavy photoshop usage, compiling) they will notice a difference in performance.
When is macOS 11 support coming?
The goal is to have macOS 11 support available to all customers by early March 2021. This includes support for both Sophos Central and Sophos Enterprise Console (SEC) managed devices. Brand new customers will have support from mid-February 2021. We will be upgrading all existing customers in stages, between mid-February and early March as per our normal release process.
Will Apple M1 Hardware be supported when we release Big Sur support?
Yes and this support will come in two stages. Stage 1 will be using Rosetta 2 and Stage 2 will be native support.
Sophos Central Big Sur Free
When will M1 processors be natively supported?
An early access program for native Apple M1 processor support will begin in early April. Planned GA is before the end of CYQ2. Native support means that Rosetta 2 is no longer required for emulation.
Will customers need to take any action when we support macOS 11 or the Apple M1 hardware?
When we release GA support for macOS 11 we will move all EAP devices to recommended. Customers do not need to take any action. The same will be true when we GA native support for the Apple M1 hardware. All devices that were running using Rosetta 2 will automatically use the native implementation.
Big Sur Google Maps
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