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Using Remote Desktop With Mac OS X Server
Apple Remote Desktop makes an excellent productivity partner for Mac OS X Server users.
You can control a server interactively via the desktop, and when used in conjunction with
server features such as NetBoot and Network Install, you can make the tasks of installing
operating systems and applications or performing system upgrades on one or more clients
more convenient.
It’s simple to change startup settings for multiple computers. From one administrator
computer in a computer lab, for example, you can use the Set Network Startup command in
the Manage menu to set up any number of Mac OS X clients to start up from a NetBoot disk
image, saving you the time and effort of configuring each client computer manually. For
instructions on setting a network startup disk, see Apple Remote Desktop Help.
Keeping Administration Computers More Secure
Remote Desktop can be quite a powerful tool for teaching, demonstrating, and performing
maintenance tasks. For security, the administrator name and password used to access
Remote Desktop cannot be stored in a keychain and must be typed each time you open the
application. However, the login name and password for each client computer is always stored
in the administrator’s keychain, providing strongly encrypted storage for this sensitive data.
If you wish to further limit access to the administration application:
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Never give the administrator name or password to anyone.
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Quit the Remote Desktop application when you have finished using it. When you open it
again, it will prompt you to enter the administrator name and password.
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If you want to leave the Remote Desktop application open, but need to be away from the
computer, use Screen Effects settings in System Preferences to set up a password-
protected screen saver and select a Hot Corner for instant activation.
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To disable or limit an administrator’s access to a client, open System Preferences on the
client computer and make changes to settings in the Remote Access preference pane.
Using the Set Scheduled Copy Command
The Set Scheduled Copy command in Apple Remote Desktop lets you automate the task of
copying files to a computer. For example, you can make sure a particular application or a
specific set of fonts is always available on a client computer. The computer can check the
server regularly (every night, for example) to make sure certain items on the computer’s
hard disk match items on the server. Then, the computer can download a new copy of the
application if needed or remove extraneous fonts and download any fonts that are missing.