Can ARD be used over the web?

It can, but there are sufficient issues with IP addresses and router ports that I usually recommend other solutions, such as LogMeIn (Free or Pro, depending on how much support you need to do), for support across the Internet. LogMeIn still supports Mac OS X 10.4.

Regards.

I just purchased ARD and was hoping to use it to hanlde 2 computers over the internet as well as 4 on my LAN. The 2 "remote" computers (meaning OFF-LAN) are iMacs and have Lion running on them. They are over 300 miles away from my office.

My questions are:

1 - I can get to these computers now using VNC but they DO NOT have static IP addresses. I have a script that runs when the users log in, that captures the IP address and forwards it to me. Is ARD scriptable to the extent that I can update the IP address of the "Managed" computer? If not I will have to get them a DDNS capability which I would like to avoid. Static IPs are very expensive.

2 - I am struggling to determine where to install ARD on the first machine. Can 2 machines share admin responiblities? ( I travel infrequently but when I do, I might need ARD). It would be nice to handle support if I am on the road with my Macbook Pro laptop and when not traveling, handle support from my iMac in my office. Any advice on this ?

Thanks in advance

1) The only practical way to do this is to use domain names with a service such as with DynDNS and a script that updates the IP address associated with that domain name. Then use the domain name in ARD rather than the IP address. I don't know of any way to easily update IP addresses in ARD itself in an automated way, though it might be possible with enough knowedge of Automator and AppleScripting.

2) Yes, you can have as many systems as you wish have the ARD administration application, something which the license from the Mac App Store allows without extra cost as long as the systems are all ones you own or control.

Regards.

Thanks Varjack - your comments are noted about the DDNS and Scripting which is probably the way I will manage my 2 remotes. If I go to my DDNS vendor they will want $56/year for each remote systemI have --- not a good solution.

BTW --

I did get ARD going with some help from Apple support BUT not in the way you'd might expect

I had purchased APPLE REMOTE DESKTOP 3.3 10 MNGD SYS-INT (10 managed systems version) for $300 USD from the Apple Store when I posted this message.

Later, I found ARD 3.5.1 in the App Store at considerably less price which was an unlimied client version.

I ended up sending back ARD 3.3 that I purchased in the Apple Store and downloaded ARD 3.5.1 from the online App Store.

ARD 3.5.1 was about $70 USD as I recall. This version fixed all my problems and questions.

As of this writing the Apple Store still may be selling the old, limited, and expensive ARD 3.3 in the Apple Store. If anyone sees this post and is looking to purchase the product then go to the downloadble Mac App Store.

Looks like the Mac Apple Store has not caught up with it's online cousin.

There are lots of great, easy to use options for supporting a family member over the internet. Forr instance logmein, iChat, TeamViewer.

iChat is great because you can request to control their screen, and while controlling their screen you can talk to them. iChat requires your computer the remote computer be a mac. Both computers need a recent vertion of the mac operating system.

iChat may not work with some internet connections.

LogMeIn can be used to connect to a computer remotely. LogMeIn lacks voice chat. LogMeIn can be used to connect to a mac or pc. You can connect to a remote computer using a mac, pc, or iPad. Ones LogMeIn is installed on a computer, you can connect to the computer even when some one is not there. If you want sound, you have to upgrade from the free vertion to pro vertion. free vertion is computer computer per email address.

TeamViewer like iChat, requires interaction with the remote user before connecting to the computer. Like LogMeIn it may work in siutations iChat will not. And it has the same adavanage of being able to be used to connect to mac or pc. And connect from mac, pc, or ipad.

Thanks Titan for weighing in on this issue ... All very true, I guess. Have not tried any of these solutions. I was not aware iChat could provide voice comm as well as screen sharing. I never liked logmein perhaps because when it first came out, I was working with Windows, and it was like a virus or AOL in that it was very difficult to get rid of it.

Any program that does not have a well behaved way of uninstalling has no place on my systems. I don't want to deal with files left behind after uninstall which screw up a fresh new install. But that was on the Windows platform or how the uninstall works on the MAC platform.

FYI I happen to like VNC and prior to my involvement with the Mac platform, it served me very well.

The advantage of ARD is having most mgt functions under one roof. I have not run into the problems that others have experienced with ARD yet - possibly because I have 100% of my clients on Lion with the latest updates. In addition, I am doing only very basic stuff with the product.

I am a developer and have experience with scripting which I hope to use to supplement ARD's capabilities.

The way I plan to overcome the issue of changing IPs of my off-LAN remotes is create a little system using one script to be installed on all the remotes and another script on my mgt computer. The remote script would capture the current IP every hour or so and then send an email to my mgt computer when the IP changed.

The mgt computer would use email rules and run a script to update the ARD database by parsing the new IP from the emails sent by the remotes. I just don't know the details of updating the ARD database yet and wheather or not ARD would accept data submitted this way instead of via the user interface.

We'll see.

KEN HIGGINS - THIS IS JIM DORF.. Would love to be in touch with you old friend - just google me.

xoxoxo