Apple has many useful Technical documents and downloads available to help explain their operating system, file system and applications. Listed here are some of the more noteworthy documents we have come across during digital analysis and investigation:
Apple Technical Documents
- Startup Manager: How to Select a Startup Volume (HT1310)
- Startup key combinations for Intel-based Macs (HT1533)
- Mac OS X: Creating a login hook (HT2420)
- Mac OS X: How to rebuild a software RAID mirror (HT3305)
- Mac OS X: How to start up in single-user or verbose mode (HT1492)
- “Well known” TCP and UDP ports used by Apple software products (TS1629)
- Setting up firmware password protection in Mac OS X (HT1352)
- How to use FireWire target disk mode (HT1661)
- PowerPC-based Macintosh: How to eject a disc when other options don’t work (HT2179)
- About the Guest network feature of Airport Extreme (Early 2009) and Time Capsule (Early 2009) (HT3477)
- Macbook Air External Ports (HT2728)
- iPhone: Unauthorized modification of iPhone OS has been a major source of instability, disruption of services, and other issues (HT3743)
- Time Utilities Reference: Absolute Time
- How to Capture a Packet Trace (HT3994)
- Switch 101, Apple - Windows equivalents (HT2514)
Apple Downloads
- Open Firmware Password 1.0.2 (download)
- Mac OS X: How to Download Developer Tools (TA26436)
- Server Admin Tools 10.5.7 (download)
- Airport Utility 5.4.2 for Mac (download)
- Airport Utility 5.4.2 for Windows (download)
Apple Server Documentation
- Mac OS X Server Resources (Link)
- Remote Desktop 3 Resources (Link)
- Apple Security Configuration Guides (Link)
Developer Tech Notes
- Technical Note TN1150: HFS Plus Volume Format
- Technical Note TN2166: Secrets of the GPT
- otool: man page
Apple Hardware