Setting Up Apple Remote Desktop
Pages: 1, 2
Administrator Installation
Once the administrator package is installed, you can find the Remote Desktop icon in the Applications folder (see Figure 6).
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Double-click on the Remote Desktop to launch Apple Remote Desktop. If you're using the application for the first time, you'll see the following prompt, as shown in Figure 7. Click on the Add Computers Now button to search for all of the Macs that you want to remotely administer.
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You can click on the Search... button to find Macs to administer. You can search all computers on the local network, or search using a range of IP addresses. To add a Mac, click on the Add >> button and you will be prompted for a user name and password. This username is what you have configured earlier on the client to allow for administration (see Figure 8).
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Once the computers are added, you should see the Computer Status window as shown in Figure 9.
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You can observe what the remote computer is doing by clicking on the Observe button. In my case, the screen of the remote computer is displayed in a window (currently surfing web sites using Safari) (see Figure 10). This feature is useful if you want to monitor the kind of activity taking place on the user's computer, such as in a classroom environment:
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If you want to remotely control the Mac, you should click on the Control button. Once you do that, you will be able to use your mouse to control the Mac remotely. This feature is useful when you need to remotely administer multiple Macs, such as when installing new applications or updates.
In some cases, you may want to show the remote user how to perform a certain action. To do so, you may want to broadcast your own screen to the remote user. In this case, you click the Share Screen button to show the remote user your own screen.
You can also lock the screen of the remote computer by clicking the Lock Screen button (see Figure 11). The remote Mac's screen will then be locked, displaying the locked screen message.
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To chat with the remote user, click on the Text Chat button (see Figure 12).
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The Sleep and Wake Up buttons force the remote computer to sleep and wake up, respectively. You can also copy files between the client and the remote computer using the Copy Items button.
Under the Report item in the main menu, you can perform a software search on the remote computer using the Software Search... menu item (see Figure 13).
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You can also gather detailed information about the remote computer using the System Information... menu item (see Figure 14).
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The information gathered will then be displayed in the System Information Report window (see Figure 15).
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Final Thoughts
Apple Remote Desktop is a really cool addition to your admin toolbox if you need to maintain a large number of Macs. However, my own gripe is that it is not included in Panther itself; instead you need to pay quite a tidy sum ($499) for an unlimited license. But budget concerns aside, I am definitely impressed with how well it works!
Wei-Meng Lee (Microsoft MVP) http://weimenglee.blogspot.com is a technologist and founder of Developer Learning Solutions http://www.developerlearningsolutions.com, a technology company specializing in hands-on training on the latest Microsoft technologies.
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Showing messages 1 through 8 of 8.
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Firewall / Nat settings?
2004-04-02 14:09:02 djdavetrouble [Reply | View]
I tried to configure my home nat / router / firewall to work with ÅRD and it wouldn't. Had to use TB2 instead which works like a c harm through my cablemodem router/nat/firewall. TB2 is a better program imho. -
Firewall / Nat settings?
2004-04-19 18:50:33 csoto [Reply | View]
I have used ARD since 1.0 and have never had trouble accessing clients at work from my desktop or laptop at home. I use an AirPort Base Station Extreme, in NAT mode. -
Firewall / Nat settings?
2004-04-14 02:58:40 Creative [Reply | View]
Check with Apple before you go further.
When Apple first came out with Remote Desktop, I tried to get it working between my home and our corporate network, which is behind a firewall and uses network address translation (NAT).
Only after a great many hours of Apple tech support did they admit that Remote Desktop had problems with our type of setup, and that others had reported similar problems.
Apple also told me that if you get a connection working across the Internet , you can still access only one Mac behind a firewall (after setting up a dedicated connection in the router). Getting these simple facts cost us way too much -- a marketing failure on Apple's part.
I hope that's all been fixed by now. Meanwhile our nonprofit organization has totally lost interest in using Remote Desktop.
Now I've got Netopia's Timbuktu working great. It's a long-standing Mac product, with features and pricing comparable to Remote Desktop. Timbuktu does what Netopia says it does, it works for our needs (including the occasional glitch), and the telephone support has been great.
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Apple Remote Desktop is a cool app
2004-03-27 11:05:25 cesrivas [Reply | View]
ARD is a cool app, but it would be cool cross-plataform support: observe, control, share, manage Macs, Linux, Unix and windows boxes from a Mac!! that would be really cool!
There are rumors of version 2 comming soon!
I think iChat should add some ARD feature or M$ netmeeting feature, like sharing and controling the desktop or apps from others, while in a multi-user video-chat. That will be true collaboration!!! -
Apple Remote Desktop is a cool app
2004-03-31 20:40:34 mclaincausey [Reply | View]
Actually, version 2 is going to use VNC, so it will be compatible with properly configured Unices and Windows machines running VNC servers. There's already free software to allow Macs to use RDC on Windows machines, also.
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my issue is . . .
2004-03-27 07:35:45 bob_c [Reply | View]
Installing on a group of machines is a package only sort of operation. If you want to put a *.dmg file out and install it, you have to unpack it and then send it over to the destination group. What I find it really useful for is the profiling ability for inventory purposes. Now that's cool.
Is there a discussion on using Radmind anywhere? What about stopping the stupid zero config broadcasting on port 80?? It drives us nuts. Imaging 75 student webservers popping up on Rendezvous. Grrrrr.
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Installing client
2004-03-26 19:23:10 matx [Reply | View]
It was true before 10.3 that you had to "install" the client software, but not anymore. In 10.3 all the clients have the ARD client, it is just not configured (i.e. turned on). It's a big difference. With remote login and an admin account you can ssh in and enable ARD for any user, or configure ARD on the client in your "build" before you image all the clients and all is ready for you. At least now if someone has 10.3 installed they could call and ask for help and you could tell then to enable the ARD remote control, where before you'd actually have to install it.
It's a great piece of software. ARD + OSX Server and Bombich.com you have a winning management solution.
:)
I've tried a couple free software packages for remote desktop work. There was WinVNC, Chicken of the VNC, and OSX VNC. All of this was painfully, unacceptably, slow when we tried to run it from outside the office.
So if need be, I'm sure the company money men would be willing to cough up money for a commercial solution. Can Apple Remote Desktop software run reasonably fast from a remote location? We have a fractional T3 line in the office, and I believe the remote user has cable internet.