WMD to WMS migration questions

Sorry if this is a silly question (actually 2 questions).  I have searched this topic and am not having luck finding the specific answer I am looking for.

Some background:

I have about 100 wyse terminals, ThinOS 8.5, and we manage them using FTP and INI files.  The WDM server and the FTP server are the same system .. and WDM was never really used for anything other than being able to remotely reboot them, and see what is online, track what network they are on etc.  We did not use DHCP to configure them or anything.  We have always simply configured the terminals by pointing them to the FTP server, reboot, and they are good to go.

We also used $mac files for setting the time zone and name of the device, which also comes in handy because I can make configuration changes in specific $mac files so I can target devices for testing things.  I really liked the INI method for managing these devices.

Of course we do not technically need WDM or WMS using this version of ThinOS but my understanding is if we go to 9, we must.  So that is why I am trying to get WMS in now instead of just “kicking the can down the road” and going all FTP without either WDM or WMS.

I have 2 questions, ‘A’ and ‘B’ .. and most of ‘A’ is just me complaining I suppose but ‘B’ is something I am hoping has an easy answer:

A. First is the migration.  It seems I can still manage devices with FTP and INI files, and throw in WMS to replace WDM.  I found the recommendations regarding using ‘advanced’ policy ..  I defined the FTP setup in the ‘central configuration’ and left the check box blank but in ‘advanced’ area “no global ini”, because we do have a global ini (if I understand this setting correctly).  It appears as soon as a machine registered with WMS it starts looking at the new FTP path, which is what I wanted.  And so far that seems to be working.

I assumed that I would go into each test units $mac file and add either (1) a new FTP path Fileserver and/or (2) WMSEnable.. and when we are ready for the big bang change that I would edit the WNOS.INI on the old FTP server with the same line, then reboot all the machines.  They then check into the old FTP server, see the new setting, register with WMS, and reboot again now talking to WMS and the new FTP server.  And this seems to work if I get the change ‘just right’.

But what I find extra frustrating is I assumed in the new FTP WNOS.INI file that I would also include either/or the WMSEnable line or the Fileserver line.  But if I do that, my test units end up in a reboot loop.  This does not make much sense to me given how we have managed the Wyse terminals all these years.  Can anyone comment on this?  I mean, I just find this frustrating and strange.  The old WNOS.INI had both Rapportserver and WDMServer lines defined and that did not cause me any problems.  I find comfort in this setting because the devices always look to the FTP server as the “source of truth” .. so maybe this is just growing pains on my part.

B. Second question is about the $mac files.. if I convert all my WNOS.INI settings into all the lines in the ‘ADVANCED’ button (where that ‘no global ini’ box is) then where or how do I define the individual $mac settings?    if I could do that then maybe I could just dump using FTP all together going forward.

Thank you