deploying ARD Admin

[tlarkin]

We have had our fair share of problems with ARD admin. I have written a script that completely removes all components of ARD admin. I also find a nice little app that will copy all your saved files and preferences of ARD admin. So you can set up ARD admin exactly how you want to, then use this little app to capture your scanners, custom saved scripts, send unix commands, smart lists, etc. So you can create a nice deployment package and a reinstall package via Casper

Here goes the app to create the back ups, and it is 100% free

http://jenniferandjon.com/software/index.php?main_page=document_product_info&cPath=65&products_id=185 ( http://jenniferandjon.com/software/index.php?main_page=document_product_info&cPath=65&products_id=185 )

It is called seize ARD, dumps all your preferences into a plist file you can copy to multiple machines.

Here goes the uninstaller script I wrote:

http://tlarkin.com/tech/uninstalling-ard-admin

So, if you are like us, or many others who I have talked to and your ARD crashes and gets the pinwheel of death. Here is a nice way to back up everything you need, and a script that wipes it out. Furthermore you can drop the ARD installer pkg file into casper admin and deploy it that way as well. We have some Mac Minis out in remote locations that run ARD admin.

With all of these tools combined, along with Casper we can now back up how we want ARD admin to be configured, completely wipe it out, reinstall it, and lastly import back in all of our preferred settings.

FYI

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Thomas Larkin
TIS Department
KCKPS USD500
tlarki at kckps.org
blackberry: 913-449-7589
office: 913-627-0351

[#2]

good find....didn't think about the mini's out in the Middle Schools...

Mark Hughes, Apple Technician
TIS Department, KCKPS USD500
Cell 913-449-7791
mahughe at kckps.org

[t_bissinger]

Hi there,

unfortunately both links above are dead. Does anybody have a hint howto deploy ARD Admin?

Regards

[nessts]

its now an App Store App, so if you have VPP you can manage it with that or per user via App Store. 6 years ago it was a stand alone app you could download and package.

[t_bissinger]

Thanks for your quick response.
I wasn't precise enough. We do have an ARD Package to deploy. And it works.
We have a school environment with 600+ clients and I'd like to deploy ARD for teaching purposes about 50 times (uh doesn't sound like correct english. Sorry).
What I'm searching for is a way to deploy the settings like computerlists, serialization, user restrictions etc.
I failed using composer so the way mentioned above seems to be a good one.

[RobertHammen]

Do you have multiple licenses for Apple Remote Desktop? This used to be sold as a standalone, serialized application but has been available from the App Store for awhile. If you have the serialized version installed under 10.10.1 or later, and you open up App Store, it should offer to "convert" your ARD install into the App Store one, version 3.8 (which can also be installed on 10.9.5, but you aren't offered the upgrade from your serialized app unless you are running at least 10.10.1)

You can use this trick, documented by @rtrouton to download the actual installer from the App Store (and yes, this link references Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection, I know you're talking about Apple Remote Desktop):

https://derflounder.wordpress.com/2013/10/19/downloading-microsofts-remote-desktop-installer-package-from-the-app-store/

The main preference file for ARD lives in the users ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.RemoteDesktop/com.apple.RemoteDesktop.plist - your computers, computer lists, etc. are stored here.

Haven't tried deploying that plist (or anything in ~/Library/Containers) via FEU (or FUT)...