Number after computer name

Question

Level 1

18 points

Number after computer name

I am using Apple Remote Desktop on a Mac Pro to administer a Macbook Air.

When the Air joins the network or wakes up from sleep, ARD sees it as a new machine with the same name, so it adds a serial number in parentheses to the name (e.g. MyMbAir becomes MyMbAir(1), then later MyMbAir(2), etc.).

What is causing this behavior and how can I solve it?

These may be related:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2438509?answerId=11560605022#11560605022

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2396328?threadID=2396328&tstart=0

Cheers,

MB

Mac Pro, Mac OS X (10.7.5)

Posted on Sep 30, 2012 12:10 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

slepping

Level 1

25 points

Oct 19, 2012 8:39 AM in response to shacho

In my experience, it seems to happen when a computer bounces back and forth between wired and wireless connections. For desktop systems that don't need wireless, I usually disable Airport on that computer. It doesn't seem to happen with recent versions of OS X. I see it happen more with computers running 10.5.x and sometimes 10.6.x. We have 500+ Macs on our network and it mostly happens with the 10.5.x systems. I can fix the name remotely via ARD, but it will happen again over time.

~Scott

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Answer 2

shacho Author

Level 1

18 points

Oct 24, 2012 12:55 AM in response to slepping

Thanks Scott. I did a clean install last week and so far the problem has not resurfaced.

Cheers,

MB

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Answer 3

Apr 2, 2014 9:54 PM in response to shacho

This is really annoying, as it not only "appears" in *my* copy of ARD as an admin, but it *LITERALLY* changes the machine name in the remote computer, such that I have to connect, go to ITS Sharing area in System Preferences and manally delete the stupid (#) entry after its name.

As more and more of my administered users move to laptops, this started, so the idea of going to/from wireless seems the best explanation, although so does the sleep idea in other threads.

I really wish ARD had better support (and an iOS version too!), b/c this is still relevant over a year later...

Thanks to you both for at least explaining why this keeps happening (and why I might as well forget about playing whack-a-mole with (#) entries on every managed system)!

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