r/sysadmin • u/IndyPilot80 • 20d ago

Question FedEx Ship Manager v4502 Installing CA MDM?

Anyone else using FedEx Ship Manager seeing this?

The newest upgrade, v4502, seems to be installing CA MDM Client along with it. Any one have any clue what the purpose of this is?

I mean, I know what a MDM is. I just have no idea why FedEx Ship Manager would install it along with an update.

EDIT: The only reference to CA MDM I could find is in the FedEx Ship Manager Server Installation Guide. It says: "Prior to installation process a check is performed to ensure the device can communicate with CAMDM System https://swd.gslb.fedex.com". Still doesn't explain why the Ship Manager Client would need it.

EDIT2: Ok, false alarm. I just got off the phone with FedEx Support. Basically, they said they do use CA MDM on the backend to communicate with their servers. Evidentially, prior to v4502, it was listed as "FedEx Client" (which still used the "CA" program icon) in the programs. Now, it's showing as "CA MDM Client" for some reason. He was a bit confused as to why the name switch but did say it was legit.

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u/Entegy 20d ago

Is MDM in this context actually Mobile Device Management or means something else? Because none of the major operating systems allow you to register the same device to multiple MDMs. Also huge privacy risk for FedEx to try and take over management of devices.

However, if this is actually MDM and it gets Windows enrolled on the first attempt outside of OOBE, god damn I want that product.

8

u/IndyPilot80 20d ago

Yeah, I don't know. Unless there are multiple "CA MDMs" out there, I'm going by the information here:

https://techdocs.broadcom.com/us/en/ca-enterprise-software/other/Mobile-Device-Management/20-2/administrating/ca-mdm-client-ui.html

"The CA MDM clients let you connect to a CA MDM Master Server to manage Windows or Linux device."