Apple Remote Desktop 3 Unlimited Managed Systems edition

Apple Remote Desktop is the best way to manage the Mac computers on your network. Distribute software, provide real-time online help to end users, create detailed software and hardware reports, and automate routine management tasks — all without leaving your desk. Featuring Automator actions, Remote Spotlight search, and a new Dashboard widget, Apple Remote Desktop 3 makes your job easier than ever.

Apple Remote Desktop 3, the award-winning desktop management system for Mac OS X has more than 50 new features that deliver improvements in software distribution, asset management, and remote assistance. Apple Remote Desktop 3 offers a wide range of high performance features, including lightning-fast Spotlight searches across multiple systems; more than 40 Automator actions for easy automation of repetitive tasks; a Dashboard widget that provides quick and convenient observation of remote systems; and AutoInstall for automatically updating software on mobile systems once they return to the network.

First-class upgrades
Installing software or updates to your network has never been this easy. Take an existing package, either from Apple or a third party, and simply use the Install Package to copy and install on your client computers. And it works with custom install packages as well. Apple Remote Desktop will alert your system’s users to upgrades and even restart machines remotely.

AutoInstall allows you to stage software on a Task Server, which then takes care of distributing the packages for installation on client computers. You can even set a schedule for installation to occur at a time that is most convenient for your organization. And if a computer is not on the network, the Task Server will keep track and automatically install the package once the system is online.

Automation for your Macs
Those time-consuming administrative tasks will become a thing of the past, thanks to the addition of Automator actions in Apple Remote Desktop 3. To use Automator actions, all you need to do is drag and drop the actions to construct a workflow.

More than 40 Automator actions are included with Apple Remote Desktop 3, which you can apply to set desktop pictures, Finder preferences, Energy Saver preferences, default time zones, and more.

No need to make house calls
The screen-sharing features of Apple Remote Desktop allow you to provide immediate help to remote users, saving time for both of you. Don’t want your admin tasks to be seen? No problem. Turn on the new Curtain Mode to block the local user’s view of their desktop. This is perfect when you’re updating a public display. You’ll have full control of the system, but your work will be hidden from view.

Administrators can also use the Remote Desktop widget to observe and obtain access to the computers under their control. And if you need to move files or folders to a single computer, the new, easy-to-use Remote Drag-and-Drop copy function makes the job a snap. You can also copy and paste between local and remote systems — no extra steps necessary.

Reporting for duty
The new Remote Spotlight search takes advantage of one of the most powerful features of Mac OS X. Now you can perform lightning-fast, user-specified searches on remote client systems. Files from the results can be copied to the administrator system for reporting.

Apple Remote Desktop also makes it easy to compile reports on application usage, history, inventory, and more. Hardware reports gather more than 200 attributes about networked Mac OS X systems, while software reports collect information on 16 file system attributes. Inventory reports can be gathered even from mobile systems not connected to the network, and results are stored in the included SQL database for fast access.

No Per-Client Tax
Apple Remote Desktop 3 is incredibly affordable. With the Unlimited Managed Systems edition, you can manage any number of client computers — there is no per-client charge.

New Features:

The award-winning Apple Remote Desktop has always had the power to simplify administrative tasks and make managing networked Mac OS X systems easy and efficient. With the release of Apple Remote Desktop 3, there are even more options for distributing software, automating common tasks, and providing remote assistance to your organization.

Remote Spotlight search
Leveraging the revolutionary Spotlight technology in Mac OS X, the new Remote Spotlight capability in Apple Remote Desktop 3 can perform lightning fast searches on remote client systems. Summary results for each client are updated instantly as results are returned. View details on results, or refine searches even further using additional qualifiers. Results can be viewed on remote client systems, copied back to your administrator system, or deleted.

Dashboard widget
Apple Remote Desktop 3 provides you with a new Dashboard widget that gives you an instant, at-a-glance view of the remote computers in your network. It’s fully integrated with the Apple Remote Desktop administrative application, so a click on a particular computer will allow you to select and start working with any computer in the system.

Automator actions
You can automate Apple Remote Desktop 3 by using Apple or third-party actions to create your own custom workflows, which you can then save and reuse as needed. To help get you started, more than 40 Automator actions have been included. You can use them individually or combine them to streamline your frequent tasks.

AutoInstall
Tired of having to manually track when systems come back online so that you can update their software? Thanks to the AutoInstall feature of Apple Remote Desktop 3 you can stage software to install on remote, mobile, or offline systems. Just stage the software and, when the computer is back on the network, Apple Remote Desktop will automatically update the system.

Curtain Mode
For those times when you want your actions to be hidden from the end user, there’s Curtain Mode. This allows you to block the view behind a virtual curtain, while retaining full control of the screen. It’s perfect for those working on public-facing systems.

Remote Drag and Drop
Now there’s an easy and intuitive way to transfer files and folders between computers. The Remote Drag and Drop capability of Apple Remote Desktop 3 gives you pinpoint accuracy when moving items between your computers and a remote computer. You can also copy and paste information between systems.

Power Copy
The new file copy engine in Apple Remote Desktop 3 supports 64-bit file sizes, network bandwidth limits, and optional encryption of data streams. Power Copy gives you network copy performance up to 11 times faster compared with previous versions of Apple Remote Desktop.

System status indicators
When you want to keep on eye on the computers in your network, there’s no easier way than system status indicators. These indicators give you the name of the computer, the name of the current user, and their account picture. Colored indicators show the status of each computer, or you can choose shapes to indicate each state. One click gives you details on startup disk usage, memory utilization, and CPU utilization.

Application Usage reports
It is crucial that you ensure compliance with all your software license agreements. But it’s also a task that can take up a lot of your time. Not anymore. The new Application Usage report details which applications have been used on remote systems — including the number of launches, the duration of launches, and who executed the launch.

User History reports
Do you know who’s been using your network? Apple Remote Desktop does, and can track it for you with new User History reports. These reports give you detailed information on who is using a computer, when they logged in and out, and how they accessed the computer.

Smart Computer Lists
Smart Computer Lists track computers in a way that makes the most sense for you. It lets you specify a set of rules, based on 11 attributes — any computer that matches the rules you set automatically gets added to the list. For example, you can create a Smart Computer List to track all your Mac OS X v10.4 computers, or all your Mac mini computers that have 512 MB of memory.

Task Templates
Apple Remote Desktop 3 lets you save frequently used tasks as Task Templates that you can reuse whenever you need them. To help get you started, more than 30 sample UNIX scripts are included to help you with a range of tasks including setting desktop pictures, time zone settings, Energy Saving settings, and more.

Software Distribution

Your “to do” list just got simpler, with help from Apple Remote Desktop 3. Whether ensuring your client Macs are running the latest version of Mac OS X or coordinating a company-wide software upgrade, you’re just a few mouse-clicks away from “finished.”

Apple Remote Desktop 3 lets you install software programs and applications, and perform updates on an unlimited number of Macs in your network simultaneously. The only computer you actually have to touch is yours.

It gives you the freedom to schedule tasks without interrupting the user or requiring any interaction. Just initiate the process — Apple Remote Desktop does the rest, including restarting systems when required. Using Apple or third-party tools, you can create custom install packages that Apple Remote Deskop can copy and install onto your remote systems. You can even specify successive installations for multiple software packages — no waiting.
AutoInstall

If your client Macs include more than a few laptops that spend a lot of time on the road, no problem. The new AutoInstall feature lets you stage software for systems that are offline. Once the system is back on the network, the software is automatically copied and installed.
PowerCopy

In Apple Remote Desktop 3, the Copy Items task is powered by a new file copy engine that supports 64-bit file sizes. PowerCopy lets you set the amount of network bandwidth the task may consume. It will also let you define user and group membership and permissions of the files on the remote computer. There is even an option to encrypt the data stream. And if PowerCopy finds a duplicate copy of a file already on a system, it will alert you and give a variety of options.

Asset Management

It’s your job to know exactly what is on all your client systems — and sometimes it seems like an impossible task. Not anymore. Apple Remote Desktop 3 has been designed to make it easy to find, track, and report all the information you need to stay on top of things.

Remote Spotlight search
Harnessing the power of the revolutionary Spotlight technology of Mac OS X, the new Remote Spotlight feature performs lightning-fast, user-specified searches on remote client systems. It’s the easiest way ever to find specific files or folders. And adding additional qualifiers with different metadata can further refine your searches. Once you find what you’re looking for, copy the files from the search results back to your own system or delete where appropriate.

When you need to supply system information to the big boss, Apple Remote Desktop 3 can help by collecting data on more than 200 hardware and software attributes on each of your network Macs. The data is stored in a SQL database, and you can choose from 12 report types. Or you can use third-party reporting tools to connect to the database and generate custom reports. Apple Remote Desktop can also be integrated with other data sources, such as help desk trouble ticketing systems.

Application Usage and User History reports
Collect information on everything from what applications are being used in your network to who is using which systems, what version of the OS is running, and exactly what is installed on every one of your Mac systems. New reports in Apple Remote Desktop 3 include the user history report, which tracks who has logged onto a computer, when they logged in and out, and if the computer was accessed via the console or remotely using SSH. The new application usage report details which applications have been used on report systems. This information can be used to ensure compliance with your software licenses and identify any unauthorized use of applications in your organization.

Advanced reporting
You can set Mac OS X computers to rebuild and send data on their hardware and software settings on a regular schedule, or only as needed. And it’s no problem to keep track of system profiles even when your Macs aren’t connected to the network. Just specify how often these systems should update their information in the database. When they do reconnect, system data will be automatically recorded and sent to you.

Remote Assistance

Provide complete technical assistance to all the computers on your network without ever leaving your desk. Apple Remote Desktop 3 gives you screen-sharing and text-messaging capabilities, plus a wide range of powerful remote assistance tools.

Thanks to screen sharing, you can observe one, 10, even 50 screens in action simultaneously, allowing you to closely monitor your network. And that’s your entire network — not just Macs — you can also view and control the screens of any Virtual Network Computing (VNC)-enabled computer, including Windows, Linux, and UNIX. When a user needs assistance, you take control of any individual screen and view the remote desktop in full-screen mode.

Remote Desktop widget
If you just want a quick look at one screen, launch the Remote Desktop widget from Dashboard. The widget is fully-integrated with the administrative application and will allow you to select a specific system from the list of computers under your control.

Of course, screen sharing works both ways. If you want to demonstrate something to one user or an entire group, you can do so by sharing your own screen. Show them exactly how to accomplish a task by walking through the steps yourself.

Remote Drag and Drop
If the situation requires more than just a demonstration, you can easily transfer files and folders between your computer and a user's computer by a simple drag-and-drop (or copy-and-paste). With pinpoint accuracy, you can graphically copy files to a particular location in the Finder, or directly into any application or document window on the remote computer.

System status indicators
System status indicators are perfect for a quick check on all your systems. A summary view gives you insight into the overall health of a system. Detailed views give color-coded status of CPU, disk, and memory usage. Color indicators change from green to yellow to red when usage levels reach a defined threshold.

Curtain Mode
What if you’re doing some fine-tuning but would prefer to keep the work hidden from the outside world? Turn on Curtain Mode and the local user’s view of the desktop is hidden. You can still view and have full control of the remote system’s desktop, but no one else will be able to see what’s happening. This feature is perfect for those managing systems that have public displays, such as in museums or kiosks.

Apple Remote Desktop 3 also lets you send text messages to an individual or to all your clients. So those “mandatory upgrade” announcements will always be seen. And if your clients ever need your attention, they can do the same. For more detailed messages, initiate a private real-time, one-to-one text chat. You can be sure your clients will always get your message.

Remote Administration

Apple Remote Desktop 3 gives you the complete tools you need to control all the Macs in your network right from your own computer. You can even save task settings as templates and apply them in the future, or use one of more than 30 included sample scripts.

Save yourself the legwork. Apple Remote Desktop gives you more than a dozen commands you can use to control your remote systems easily. You can shut down all systems simultaneously, put to sleep, wake up, or restart any or all computers — all without leaving your desk.

You also have the ability to remotely designate the startup disk for your client Macs. Set any number of Macs to start up from a NetBoot image or their local hard drives. You’ll find this to be an indispensable feature if you are in charge of a computer lab or cluster-computing environment where startup disks are often changed.

And for minimum disruption, you have the ability to schedule any of your admin tasks. All you have to do is save the settings for future deployment and Apple Remote Desktop will initiate the process at the scheduled time.

Apple Remote Desktop 3 also gives you the power to execute UNIX shell scripts or commands on your remote client systems. You can either view a summary or the complete results of the command’s output. This lets you script many standard functions built into UNIX systems or into third-party tools. You can also take advantage of the command-line interfaces included in Mac OS X.

These pre-populated UNIX commands are available via the Send UNIX Task

Template:

Automation

With Automator actions and support for AppleScript commands, Apple Remote Desktop 3 gives you the ability to create custom workflows designed to make your life easier.

Apple Remote Desktop 3 takes advantage of the Automator, with more than 40 sample Automator actions that help you accomplish time-consuming, repetitive tasks quickly and easily.

You can also create your own custom workflows by linking together individual actions. Save these workflows as self-running applications — or as plug-ins that can be used whenever you need them.

For example, you might find that you regularly need to configure a group of systems all at once: setting a corporate desktop, setting Finder preferences, changing the time zone, etc. By creating and saving a plug-in that accomplishes all those tasks exactly the same way each time, you can be ready whenever you need to configure a new system.

The Automator actions in Apple Remote Desktop 3 provide you with a basic toolkit you can customize to your needs. They make it a snap to accomplish tasks such as ejecting all disks, emptying the Trash, restarting computers, enabling or disabling Dashboard, hiding other applications, and executing AppleScripts.

And these time-saving actions aren’t limited to just administrators. These workflows can be shared with anyone in your organization with an Apple Remote Desktop license. In schools, for instance, teachers can use Automator actions to lock screens or set the desktop picture, without needing to know anything about Apple Remote Desktop. This helps ensure consistent system administration standards across your organization.

System Requirements:

• Mac OS X v10.3.9 or later; some features require Mac OS X v10.4
• Ethernet (recommended),
• Airport (802.11b/g), or IP over FireWire network connection