This could be used for so many different applications - to kick off a Radmind install or run cleanup scripts, for instance. The application also properly recognizes vendor applications, making for more accurate license reporting.Īnother incredible feature is the ability to run Unix line commands to be executed on each machine directly from ARD 2.
The search options are much clearer in this version, allowing the report to be confined to the Applications folder, for example.
(Isn't that what Apple is all about?) Using ARD 2, you can schedule when to report on things such as licenses and usages and store that information in a SQL database. The status window has been enhanced with easy-to-read, clear, brightly colored icons that tell you everything you need to know at a glance.Ĭlient reporting has been enhanced and yet simplified. This eliminates the process of keeping track of which package you need to install next, and which machine has which package. Package installs have been upgraded to allow for multiple package delivery from one install command. Now you can scan a computer, install packages, reboot and then produce a report without having to manage the process. The ability to queue commands is another welcome change in ARD 2. Note: You can also put IP/hostnames in a text file and use the new file import network scanner to discover your computers. The advantage of TCP versus UDP is a much faster response and fewer failures when delivering data. If your network blocks this across subnets (as many organizations do to prevent DOS attacks), you have to manually enter the IP addresses of the machines you wish to manage on other subnets or put in place a router rule allowing TCP ping from your master control workstation. The most important change at this level from Version 1 is that the application now uses TCP ping to locate computers on the network. ARD 2 also allows VNC devices to be controlled from the ARD interface (or for Apple desktops to connect to a VNC server). ARD 2 can use that same port but also operates using transmission control protocol on the standard VNC port 5900. In Version 1, the product used User Datagram Protocol and operated on Port 3283. The basis for ARD 2's system control has changed since ARD first came out. On the left is an option to have multiple lists, which is very handy for those who want to keep their physical locations grouped. It was also oriented toward doing multiple commands in sequence, so there is a command progress window at the bottom. The first thing I noticed was that the user interface is much more elegant than previous versions.
So, I got a copy of the software recently, and put it to the test.
I was able to push out a system update to all my boxes over the network quickly and relatively painlessly - usually in the early morning hours before classes started.ĪRD 1.2 had a few quirks, and I was looking forward to ARD 2 for the fixes. This greatly simplified the process of patching systems and installing applications. After an incremental update, ARD 1.2 allowed the administrator to distribute Apple (or third-party) packages (.pkg and. ARD 1 allowed an administrator to remote-control a machine and provide user support.
When Apple released Apple Remote Desktop 1.0, I was in the process of building several student labs using Mac OS X and thought this would be a good support tool. It keeps us from spending long hours in a refrigerated server room, and saves company money because we don't need to travel as often to client sites. These programs are indispensable for system administrators who need access to their servers and desktops without having to be physically near them. I've been using remote access programs for years: PC Anywhere, NetOctopus, Virtual Network Computing (VNC) and the venerable Timbuktu.