Apple Remote Desktop Directions By Jeff Althoff

ARD Apple Remote Desktop

Watertown High School August 20, 2009



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What is it?

Apple Remote Desktop (ARD) is a program that allows for the remote management of client computers. Some of the tools that ARD brings to the classroom include the ability to visually monitor client machines, take control of a remote computer to assist a user, share screens among users, and transfer files to client machines. This guide is a work in progress and will be updated as time goes on. In its current state it is not 100% complete and does not cover Everything, but provides a basic overview that can be built upon over time. If you have questions beyond the scope of this guide, please see your integrationist or the tech office for assistance.



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Getting Started and we’re off... To open ARD you can either click on the icon located on your dock, or click on the GO menu, Applications folder, and select Remote Desktop

The first time that you open ARD you will see the following screen asking for a password. This password is a password of your choosing and is used only by ARD on your machine. It is recommended you use your login password. After you have added your password click Continue.

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After selecting Continue you will be taken to the Report Collection screen. Uncheck ALL boxes and click Done. The main Remote Desktop screen will now be visible and ready to be customized for your needs.



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Customizing painfully important... When using ARD for the first time, many of the necessary settings will not be easily accessible. Before digging into the program it is recommended that time is taken and the settings be customized to improve the usability. Customizing the Toolbar

To change the Toolbar right click in an empty area of the tool bar and select Customize Toolbar. Yo u c a n a d d a n d s u b t r a c t fe a t u r e s t o y o u r m e n u b y dragging the features onto or off of the Menubar. When you are finished adding and subtracting the commands that you need click Done. Suggested features to have on your menu bar include the following: •Observe •Control •Curtain •Share Screen •Lock Screen

•Send Message •Chat •Open Items •Shut Down

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Customizing the Categories By default ARD shows categories of information that are not needed by all users. To customize the categories that are shown to those that are most pertinent open the Edit menu and select View Options...

It is recommended that the following columns of data be shown: •Current Application •Current Status •Current User •Name



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Customizing the Control When clicking on a computer, by default it will open a dialog box that gives information about the selected computer.

It is recommended to change the setting so that when a computer is double clicked, control of the computer occurs. To change the doubleclick setting, open the Remote Desktop menu and select Preferences. From the Preferences dialog box, use the dropdown box to change the Double-clicking... setting to Control.



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Setting Up Groups

Groups are used like folders to organize lists of computers that will need to be accessed.

To create a list, open the File menu and select New Group. The group will appear in the ARD list where it can be renamed.

It is recommended that a group be created for each class in each term.



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Setting Up Lists The list feature aids the groups in organizing computers that are frequently accessed. To create a group computers will be found through the scanner and selecting by using the command click method. Before looking for computers, confirm that the Scanner is set to Bonjour. This should be the default, however if it is changed it can be easily changed back by clicking the drop-down b ox a n d c l i c k i n g o n Bonjour. If the scanner is n o t s e t c o r r e c t l y, computers that are on the network will not be seen. When using the scanner to find users/computers to control, click one time on the listed computer while holding down the command key. After selecting the computers to put in a list, open the File menu and select New List from Selection. This will create a new group in the ARD list.



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After the list has been created, it can be renamed. It is recommended that the lists be named by the class that it will include. After creating a list it can be moved into a group for organizational purposes. If it is necessary to add a computer to a list after the list has been created, just drag the computer from the scanner window onto the list icon. To remove a computer from a list, click one time on the computer in the list view and press delete.



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The Tools time to mess with someone... To activate the following actions on a remote computer, double-click the target computer within ARD.

Controlling a Computer By controlling the computer the remote user will see what is happening and and will still be able to control the computer.

Observing a Computer To observe a computer click one time on the computer you wish to observe and click on the Observe button on the toolbar. This will allow the remote user to continue using their computer without any interference.

Curtain Control The curtain option allows ARD to lock the screen of the remote computer while the ARD user is able to control the computer.



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Observing Multiple Computers ARD allows for the observing of multiple computers at one time. To observe multiple computers at once highlight the target computers and press the Observe button on the toolbar.

While observing the computer name and current user are shown below the screen. The number of screens shown at one time can be changed by clicking on View Options on the toolbar.

The View Options dialog box will allow adjustment of computers per page up to nine at a time.



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Sharing a Screen ARD allows the sharing of a screen with client machines. To share a screen open the group of computers with which the screen will be shared and click once within the list, type command+A (this will select all members of the group), and press the Share Screen button on the t o o l b a r. The Share S c r e e n dialog box will appear. Press, Share Screen and all selected targeted computers will have the same view. Locking a Screen In order to stop wandering eyes and fingers, ARD allows for the locking of remote computers. When a screen is locked, the remote computer will see a picture of a lock, who has applied the lock, and a message that can be set through ARD. To lock a computer or group of computers, select the target unit(s) and press Lock Screen on the toolbar. If it is desired to have a message displayed on the screen, type it in the Lock Message text box. Any message is able to be saved as a template by scrolling down the template drop-down box and selecting save template, and can be accessed through the same dropdown box. To apply the lock, press Lock Screen.



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Sending Items When sending items to remote computers, it is necessary to select the remote computers from within a list using the command click method or command+A (select all) shortcut. After selecting the target computers, drag the desired file that is to be shared on-top of the target computers. When the mouse button is released, the Copy Items dialog box will appear. From within the Copy Items dialog box preferences on where the file will be saved to and what will happen once the transfer is complete are available. After desired settings are set press copy to complete the copy of files. Tip: If multiple files are to be sent it is suggested that the files be put into a folder and compressed as a .Zip file as opposed to adding multiple files to be sent. Errors can occur when trying to send to many individual files or too large of files over the network. Compressing the folder can be done by right-clicking on a folder and selecting Compress.



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Opening an Application ARD allows for the opening of a specified application on all targeted computers as long as it is installed on the remote computer. To send the command to open a specified application begin by selecting target computers. After selecting targeted computers, click on Open Items. When the Open Items dialog box opens, press the + sign to open the finder window where the applications to open on the remote machines can be selected.

After selecting the applications press Open.

Chat with a Student Within ARD it is possible to have a private chat with a user. When using the chat feature, ARD cannot be observing the computer with which the chat will be with. To chat, select the computer and click Chat on the toolbar and the chat dialog box will appear.



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Sending a Message ARD allows the sending of a message to multiple users at one time. Sending a message differs from chatting in that the remote user is not able to reply. As with the chat feature, the target computers cannot be actively controlled. To send the message, select the computer(s) by using the Command+click method, or select all by using the Command+a. After selecting the target computers, click on the Send Message button on the toolbar. Once the Send Message dialog box has appeared, type the desired message to appear on the target computers and press send. ARD i s a b l e t o s ave messages that are frequently used as a template that can be recalled by scrolling through the Template scroll box.



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