Apple Remote Desktop 3 Technology Overview November 2006
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 Contents Page 3 Introduction Desktop Management Made Easy What’s New in Apple Remote Desktop 3 Page 6 Setting Up Apple Remote Desktop 3 Getting Started Setting Up Client Computers Discovering and Organizing Computers Page 12 Software Distribution Network Copy Performance Installing Software Page 16 Asset Management Remote Spotlight Search Usage Reports Hardware Reports Reporting Using Task Server Software Reports Page 22 Remote Administration Remote Shel
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 3 Introduction Desktop Management Made Easy Managed Unmanaged $0 $1000 $2000 $3000 $4000 $5000 $6000 Hardware and software Operations Administration End-user IT costs Downtime Managed computers have 40 percent lower total cost of ownership. Source: Summary TCO Analysis for Windows XP. Table 1 and Table 3, “Use Best Practices to Reduce Desktop PC TCO, 2005–2006 Update,” 8 December 2005, Michael A. Silver, Federica Troni, Gartner, Inc.
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 4 What’s New in Apple Remote Desktop 3 Built to leverage the powerful capabilities in Mac OS X Tiger, the world’s most advanced operating system, Apple Remote Desktop 3 offers more than 50 new features for managing networked Mac OS X systems. These include: • Remote Spotlight search. With the revolutionary Spotlight technology in Mac OS X Tiger, you can perform lightning-fast searches on remote systems.
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 5 • Curtain Mode. When controlling a remote computer, administrators can now choose to block the remote user’s view of the desktop with a virtual “curtain.” • User History report. Administrators can find out which users have logged in to which computers on their network, making it easy to monitor networks for unauthorized computer use. • Application Usage report.
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 Setting Up Apple Remote Desktop 3 Apple Remote Desktop 3 gives you all of the tools you need to manage the Mac computers on your network—whether you’re distributing software, providing online assistance, or collecting information about hardware and software assets. You can manage computers individually or multiple computers at the same time.
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 Security Preference Pane 1 2 3 4 1 Security options for file copy and package installation. Specify whether network data should be encrypted when copying files or installing packages. 2 Security options for controlling computers. Specify whether all network data should be encrypted during a control session or just passwords and keystrokes. 3 Toggle user mode. Allow non-administrator users full or partial access to the feature set of Apple Remote Desktop 3.
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 8 Main Apple Remote Desktop Window with Scanner Selected 9 10 1 11 2 12 3 13 14 4 5 6 7 8 1 All Computers list. As you add computers to individual computer lists, the All Computers list is updated. 2 Group. Use groups to organize your computer lists and tasks. 3 Computer lists. To help you organize computers, you can create as many computer lists as you need.
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 9 Discovering and Organizing Computers Remote control of server systems Apple Remote Desktop 3 enables you to control Xserve systems as well as Mac computers from anywhere on your network— even from a virtual private network from home. Because servers are often “headless” and in remote locations, Setup Assistant in Mac OS X Server includes a one-click option to install and configure the Apple Remote Desktop client.
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 10 Task lists Apple Remote Desktop tasks can be executed immediately, scheduled to run at a specified date and time, or saved for future execution. To streamline the administration of Mac OS X systems, Apple Remote Desktop 3 allows you to view lists of running, queued, and completed tasks. You can also create new tasks by running saved tasks with different parameters. Task Progress with Software Installation 5 2 3 4 1 6 1 Active Tasks list.
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 11 Task History Apple Remote Desktop 3 allows you to view a list of your previously executed tasks, as far back as you choose. Past tasks are organized by day, so administrators can review them quickly. Administrators can also choose to reapply or reuse any of the tasks that they have previously executed. Task History Window 2 1 3 4 1 History. View a list of each day that tasks were executed, specifying how many days the list will display. 2 Summary.
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 Software Distribution Apple Remote Desktop 3 is an ideal solution for installing or upgrading software across multiple Mac systems. Whether it’s a new version of Mac OS X or a suite of applications, it’s easy to keep all of your computers up to date—without interrupting your users or requiring any user interaction. Users don’t even need to be logged in.
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 13 Installing Software Use the Install Packages task pane to choose the software you wish to distribute. If you have more than one package to install, you don’t have to wait for one installation to finish before starting the next one: Apple Remote Desktop 3 allows you to specify multiple applications for successive installation.
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 14 Install Packages Task Pane 9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 10 8 1 List of packages. View list of packages (Apple .pkg or .mpkg format) to be copied and installed on target computers. 6 2 Add or remove packages. Add or remove packages, or drag packages from the Finder onto the task window. 7 Target computer list. Select the computers and computer lists where you will install packages.
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 15 For applications that require only drag-and-drop installation, you can use the File Copy feature for software distribution. File Copy is also useful for distributing files and folders, such as fonts and configuration files, to an exact location in the client’s hard drive. Copy Items Task Pane 11 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 12 10 1 Items to copy. View a list of files, folders, and applications to be copied to target computers. 7 Encryption option.
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 16 Asset Management As an administrator or support professional, you need to keep track of the configuration of Mac systems in your organization. Apple Remote Desktop 3 allows you to collect information on more than 200 hardware and software attributes, including memory, CPU, the version of the operating system, and hard disk size.
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 17 Remote Spotlight Search 8 9 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 Search field. Enter search words in the Spotlight-powered search field. 2 Filter locations. Filter locations to be searched on remote computers. 3 Refine search options. Add one or more rules to narrow search results. 4 5 Target computer list. Select computers to be searched. For each computer, the total number of search results is displayed. Search results view.
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 18 Hardware Reports Computer information fields Administrators can view up to four organization-specific computer information fields, such as asset tags or AppleCare contract details. You can set these fields centrally from your computer and include them in your System Overview report or computer lists, along with other system attributes. Hardware reports cover details on hard drives, network interfaces, memory, USB and FireWire devices, and PCI cards.
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 System Overview Report with System Overview Result 8 6 10 7 1 2 9 3 5 4 1 System attribute selection. Collect and view information on more than 100 system attributes, organized by categories. Choose all the attributes of a category, or specify individual attributes within each category. 2 Cached report settings. Specify whether to generate a report from the SQL database based on fresh data or existing data. 3 Target computer list.
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 20 Reporting Using Task Server You can use a computer other than the administrator computer to collect reporting data on an automated basis. By using a computer as a Task Server, you can always be ready for client computers to send their reporting information—while freeing up the administrator computer for other management tasks.
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 21 File Search with File Search Result 11 12 13 14 10 2 9 1 4 5 3 6 15 8 7 1 Attribute selector. Choose from 16 file system search attributes: name, parent path, full path, extension, date modified, date created, actual size, size on disk, kind, visibility, version number, version string, owner, group, permissions, and lock status. 2 Attribute qualifier.
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 22 Remote Administration New in Apple Remote Desktop 3, you can save task settings as templates in the Task Template menu, making it easy to apply them at a later time. For the Send UNIX task, the Task Template menu comes populated with more than 30 sample scripts—just add your favorites to the list for convenient access.
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 23 Remote Shell Scripts Thanks to the UNIX-based foundation of Mac OS X and a rich set of command-line tools, Apple Remote Desktop enables you to execute UNIX shell scripts and commands on multiple remote client systems and get feedback on their success or failure. This powerful capability gives you unlimited flexibility to accomplish system maintenance tasks—even if there is no explicit Apple Remote Desktop command for the task.
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 NetBoot and Network Install services Mac OS X Server includes system imaging tools that streamline the support of Mac clients and reduce system administration costs. Administrators can use NetBoot to host a single operating system and application configuration on all desktop systems. Network Install is an ideal solution for installing and upgrading software on Mac OS X desktop and portable systems.
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 25 Remote Assistance With powerful screen-sharing and text-messaging capabilities, Apple Remote Desktop 3 makes it easy to provide thorough technical assistance to the computer users in your organization. Observe and control one or many remote Mac OS X systems. Apple Remote Desktop 3 uses the Virtual Network Computing (VNC) standard—which means it’s also possible to observe and control VNC-enabled Windows, Linux, and UNIX systems.
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 26 Remote Control 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 2 1 1 Remote computer. Control any Mac OS X screen or any VNC-enabled computer. 2 Toggle control mode. Toggle between control mode and observe mode. 3 Toggle keyboard and mouse control. Toggle between sharing the keyboard and mouse with a remote user and taking absolute control. 4 Fit-in-window toggle. Toggle between fit-in-window mode and full-screen mode.
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 27 New in Apple Remote Desktop 3 are system status indicators (SSIs) that provide at-a-glance information about the computers in your network. Under each screen, you’ll see the name of the computer, the name of the current user, and the user’s account picture. Red, yellow, and green indicators show the status of the computer. (Users who are color-blind can choose shapes to indicate status.
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 28 Automation Apple Remote Desktop 3 includes more than 30 Automator actions, making it quick and easy to accomplish time-consuming, repetitive manual tasks.
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 29 Product Details Package Contents Apple Remote Desktop 3 includes the following: • Apple Remote Desktop 3 CD • Getting started guide • Electronic documentation Licensing Options Apple Remote Desktop 3 is licensed per administrator and is available in two versions: a 10 Managed Systems edition and an Unlimited Managed Systems edition. The 10 Managed Systems edition permits one administrator to manage up to 10 computers.
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 30 Technical Specifications Software Distribution Package installation • Install single or multiple packages remotely on a group of Mac OS X systems • Install packages in .pkg and .
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 31 Asset Management Spotlight search • Search a remote computer, its startup disk, or a specific folder, qualified using one or more of these metadata keywords: Kind, Last Opened, Last Modified, Created, Keywords, Color, Label, Name, Contents, and Size—and filtered for specific text. Results can be copied back to the administrator computer, opened on remote computers, or deleted.
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 32 • Storage: – Hardware: Drive Manufacturer, Drive Model, Drive Revision, Drive Protocol, Removable, Serial Number, Logical Unit Number, Detachable – Volume: Creation Date, Disk Name, File Count, Folder Count, Total Disk Space, Free Space, Startup Disk, UNIX Mount Point – File system: Disk Format, Owner, Group, Permission Modes, Permissions, Write Access, Modification Date, Case Sensitive, Preserves Case – Backup: Journaling Capable, Journaled, Last Backup Date,
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 33 Remote Administration Manage systems remotely • Sleep and wake one or more Mac OS X systems • Restart and shut down one or more Mac OS X systems; perform restart and shutdown immediately or allow users to save work • Power on one or more Mac OS X systems that feature Lights Out Management • Open files and applications on one or more Mac OS X systems • Empty Trash for all users on one or more Mac OS X systems • Log out current user for one or more Mac OS X syst
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 34 Observe and control multiple screens of remote Mac or VNC-enabled computers simultaneously • View up to 50 screens in a single window • Adjust the number of screens visible on each page • Adjust color depth to one of four modes: black and white, grayscale, thousands of colors, millions of colors • Rotate through the list of observed computers manually or automatically • View at-a-glance information about network computers using system status indicators Screen
Technology Overview Apple Remote Desktop 3 35 For More Information For more information about Apple Remote Desktop 3, visit www.apple.com/ remotedesktop. For more information on Automator, visit www.apple.com/macosx/features/automator. For technical articles about product issues, usage, and implementation, visit www.apple.com/support/remotedesktop. 1Each Task Server requires its own copy of Apple Remote Desktop 3. 2Apple Remote Desktop Client software version 1.
