Setting Up My New MacBook M3 with Ansible: A Step-by-Step Guide

Setting Up My New MacBook M3 with Ansible: A Step-by-Step Guide

Upgrading to a new MacBook can be a tedious experience, especially when you have a lot of tools and configurations to setup. The first choice was to use Time Machine to clone my old Intel-powered Mac Book Pro, but I realized that I didn’t want to migrate all the old stuff and I wanted to start with a clean installation.

As a technology enthusiast, I wanted a seamless and efficient setup process for my new machine. Using Ansible for provisioning was the perfect solution. In this post, I’ll walk you through the steps I took to configure my MacBook M3 and introduce you to my open-source repository, ansible-mac-dev-playbook, which simplifies the process using Ansible.

Step 1: Update the Operating System

First things first, make sure your macOS is up to date. Head over to System Preferences > Software Update and install any available updates. Keeping your OS updated is crucial for security and performance.

Step 2: Set Up iCloud Account

Next, sign in with your iCloud account to sync your data. This ensures that all your contacts, calendars, and other important information are readily available on your new device.

Step 3: Enable FileVault

Security is a top priority. Enabling FileVault encrypts your startup disk, protecting your data. Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > FileVault and turn it on. This step ensures that your data remains secure, even if your MacBook is lost or stolen.

Step 4: Install Xcode

For development purposes, Xcode is essential. Download and install Xcode from the Mac App Store. This integrated development environment (IDE) is necessary for running various development tools on macOS.

Step 5: Run xcode-select —install

After installing Xcode, open terminal and run the following command:

xcode-select --install

This command installs the necessary command-line tools for Xcode.

Step 6: Install Homebrew

Homebrew is a must-have for managing software packages on macOS. Install Homebrew by running this command in terminal:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Homebrew simplifies the installation of software and libraries.

Step 7: Install Ansible

With Homebrew installed, you can now install Ansible. Run the following command in terminal:

brew install ansible

Ansible is a powerful open-source automation tool that simplifies the process of configuring and managing computers. It uses simple yaml configuration files to describe automation tasks. No more long hard-to-maintain bash scripts!

Step 8: Checkout the Repository

Now, it’s time to leverage my open-source repository. Clone the repository using the following command:

git clone https://github.com/TechIsFun/ansible-mac-dev-playbook

Step 9: Create your configuration

Navigate to the cloned directory and follow the instructions in the README file to create a configuration file. The repository contains detailed steps on how to use Ansible for provisioning your MacBook. The playbook automates the installation and configuration of essential software, making the setup process quick and hassle-free.

Conclusion

By following these steps, I was able to set up my new MacBook M3 efficiently. Using Ansible and my mac-provisioning.git repository, the process was streamlined and automated, saving me valuable time. I encourage you to check out the repository and try it for your own MacBook setup. Happy configuring!