Importing a list from another source?

I'm managing a network of about 1000 Apple Laptops (G4 iBooks). These come and go from the network, and at any given time there's probably only 100-200 on the network.
Previously, to get all computers into an ARD list I've had to add them one by one when I see them online, and keep track of which ones I've added. There's no way to add a computer if you can't see it on the network at that moment.

I was excited when I found out that ARD 3 allowed users to "Import Lists" but now that I've just bought a copy, I'm disappointed to find that it can only import lists from... other lists.

I have a database (Filemaker, but that's irrelevent since it can export to csv easily) with all our laptops, serial numbers, MAC addresses, etc in them. Is there anyway I can generate an ARD list from this information, without the laptop needing to be online at the time?

eMac 1.25 GHz, Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Posted on Jul 19, 2006 10:41 PM

Oct 26, 2006 11:25 AM in response to Joe Boyer

The fact that ARD3 can only import a list of IPs, and not a list that an ARD task results (such as, say, a Software Version check) has exported, is a huge limitation.

I need to check to see how many of my workstations have been updated to Office 11.3.0. Create a Software Version check task, save it, run it as needed. Take that results window and export it.

Wouldn't it be nice if I could then distribute those results to other ARD admins of mine and assign them which machines to cover, to run that update?

Instead, I have to create a new list from the selected results of the task, then export that list to a new .plist, THEN I can have those results imported elsewhere. Not too painful, but two extra steps than should be necessary..

(For that matter, why can't multiple copies of Remote Desktop share results and task data over Bonjour etc? Now that would be nice. Here, I run this audit, I push a list of target machines over to you with a note saying please do X Y and Z etc.)