AssetCacheLocatorUtil(8)

NAME
AssetCacheLocatorUtil - Utility for reporting information about macOS Content Caches

SYNOPSIS
AssetCacheLocatorUtil [-j|--json]

DESCRIPTION
AssetCacheLocatorUtil reports information related to macOS Content Caches running on the computer or on the local network.

Some of the information that AssetCacheLocatorUtil reports depends on the current network configuration, and on the user running it. It might produce different results for different users, on different client devices, or on different networks. Applications that use content caches might choose ones other than the ones AssetCacheLocatorUtil reports due to factors beyond its knowledge, such as iCloud affinity.

AssetCacheLocatorUtil reports the following information separately for system daemons and for the current user:

Availability hint
    The system can temporarily save a hint about whether or not there might be content caches on the computer or on the local network. AssetCacheLocatorUtil prints that saved hint if it is available.

Saved content caches
    The system can temporarily save information about content caches it has previously found on the computer or on the local network. AssetCacheLocatorUtil prints that saved information if it is available.

Refreshed content caches
    AssetCacheLocatorUtil forces the system to search for content caches on the computer and on the local network and to refresh the saved information above. It then prints the results.

Public IP address ranges
    If your network administrator has configured public IP address ranges in DNS, which the system uses when looking up content caches, AssetCacheLocatorUtil prints those ranges.

AssetCacheLocatorUtil then reports the reachability status of all of the content caches it found. If the computer cannot communicate with a content cache over the local network then it cannot request files from that content cache. However, just because the computer can "ping" a content cache does not imply that that content cache will serve requests sent from this computer.

The --json option prints the results in machine-parseable JSON format to stdout.

WARNINGS
AssetCacheLocatorUtil also reports warnings about potential issues it discovers.

The Apple cloud service with which content caches register limits the number of content caches on a network. This limit can change at any time. If a larger number of content caches are available on a network than the cloud allows, client devices might not always choose the "best" content cache. AssetCacheLocatorUtil warns when it detects this possibility. The number of content caches available on a network can be reduced by changing the settings of some of the content caches, using System Preferences > Sharing > Content Caching > press the option key > Advanced Options... > Clients > Cache content for:.

AssetCacheLocatorUtil warns when it detects content caches with different ranks. The exact value and meaning of each rank is defined by the Apple cloud service with which content caches register, and can change at any time, but client devices use only the content caches with the lowest-numbered rank available to them. A content cache's rank can be changed by adjusting its settings, using System Preferences > Sharing > Content Caching > press the option key > Advanced Options... > Clients > Cache content for:. A content cache on the same computer as the client always has the lowest-numbered rank.

Having content caches in different ranks can be intentional or accidental, depending on your organization. AssetCacheLocatorUtil warns about mixed ranks in case it is accidental. An example of an intentional use of mixed ranks is when a school has a content cache that caches content for devices using the same local networks and the school's district office has another content cache that caches content for devices using the same public IP address. Client devices in the school use the school's content cache. Client devices in a different school in the same district use the district's content cache.

Every content cache must have a unique GUID. AssetCacheLocatorUtil warns when it finds content caches in your organization with duplicate GUIDs. A content cache's GUID can be changed by stopping the content cache, running the following command in Terminal as an admin user, and then restarting it: sudo -u _assetcache defaults write /Library/Preferences/com.apple.AssetCache.plist ServerGUID = `uuidgen`

When public IP address ranges are configured but the client device's public IP address is not in the configured ranges, this could prevent the device from using your organization's content caches. AssetCacheLocatorUtil warns about this condition. To configure custom public IP address ranges use System Preferences > Sharing > Content Caching > press the option key > Advanced Options... > Clients > My local networks: and set DNS TXT records appropriately.

Your network administrator can designate some content caches as "favored." AssetCacheLocatorUtil warns when it finds content caches that are not favored, with the exception of a content cache on the same computer as the client. Client devices use only favored content caches when any are available.

The system can temporarily mark content caches as "unhealthy" after attempts to use a content cache fail due to either HTTP error responses or network errors. Each client device maintains its own health records for each content cache. Client devices use only healthy content caches. AssetCacheLocatorUtil warns when any of the content caches it finds are unhealthy. Note that when AssetCacheLocatorUtil refreshes the list of content caches, it also resets the health of every content cache it finds to "healthy."

SEE ALSO
System Preferences > Sharing > Content Caching, AssetCacheManagerUtil(8)