Wednesday 15 September 2010

Apple Remote Desktop Task Server setup

Well, it's been 6 years since I've started using ARD and to think how much easier it would of been if I'd have only looked into using a Task Server. Doh!

Basically, if the client is offline then just send the job to the task server and when it's back online again it'll do the job.

So here's the basic principals of setting it up


  1. You install the ARD on both server and admin machines, but you'll need two separate unlimited licenses!
  2. on the server you go to the preferences, and under task server you say "Use Task Server on this computer" and "allow incoming connections"
  3. On the admin machine you say "Use task server ...." and you put the address of the task server in there.
  4. On the admin machine you add the machines to whatever lists you want, you don't need to add them at all to the task server.
  5. When you want to install a pkg file, you set it all up; add the package, sort out which computers to do it on, and then just click install. It'll zip the pkg file up and send it to the task server (might take some time) and the task server will sort the rest out.
Sorted. I shall update this post with more info if it doesn't work so well!!!!