[itdiscuss] Mac Automations

Wed Oct 22 10:15:12 EDT 2008

The last time I used ARD was about four years ago.  At that time, you
basically performed remote tasks through the VNC protocol.  While it
worked well to remotely control a networked machine, I found it lacking
is a few areas.  First, you had to rely on the client's UI to perform
any management tasks.  This was problematic given that you still had to
have real-time access to the machine, and you had to take the user
off-task to perform the update.  I was also disappointed with its
responsiveness as I worked on remote systems.  The release I was using
was far more suited to remotely diagnosing and correcting a problem
rather than performing configuration changes and updates to the machine.
I understand that this has been improved in more recent editions, but
would love to hear your take on that.

Additionally, I am looking for tools that can integrate with Active
Directory for segmented configuration changes.  Like many of you are
likely doing, I have different resources that are available to different
groups of users.  For instance, each user has access to a private shared
folder, a shared folder that is specific to that user's team, as well as
a more public shared folder.  Should a resource change (i.e. perhaps I
upgrade my file server and the name of the server changes) or a user
changes team affiliation, implementing these type of changes on a
Windows workstation is as simple as changing a single line of VBS script
or dragging and dropping a user into a different OU (which will apply a
different set of group policy).

Going back to copiers and printers for a moment, I use VBS, group
policy, and AD OU's to automatically map workgroup printers to a user's
computer.  I don't even have to think about what printers a given user
may need access to because I set it up to all happen automatically.
When something changes, I make a change in one location, and the
workstations all update with the changes either during a GP update or at
the next logon.

Does ARD work as an effective tool for handling all of these scenarios
and more?  I have seen countless posts, both here and on other forums,
that tout the ease of administration as well as cheaper administration
costs related to Macs.  I definitely want access to that, but can't find
evidence of the tools necessary to granularly administer dozens of Mac
workstations with minimal effort.

Paul Phillips

IT Manager

(770) 458-9300 x305

pphillips at walkthru.org <mailto:pphillips at walkthru.org> 

From: discuss-bounces at itdiscuss.org
[mailto:discuss-bounces at itdiscuss.org] On Behalf Of Dan Barber
Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 9:00 AM
To: 'IT Discussion Forum'
Subject: Re: [itdiscuss] Mac Automations

Paul,

What you are describing can be accomplished via Apple's Remote Desktop,
especially batch operations like that. I have found it very easy to use,
compared to something like distributing software via Group Policy.

Dan

From: discuss-bounces at itdiscuss.org
[mailto:discuss-bounces at itdiscuss.org] On Behalf Of Phillips, Paul
Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 7:15 AM
To: IT Discussion Forum
Subject: [itdiscuss] Mac Automations

We all operate on ever-changing networks.  Printers may change or
drivers updated; new file shares may become available; new resources and
services are added or updated.  Microsoft makes the management of these
changes across a network fairly easy.  Through tools like Active
Directory, VBS, WMI, etc., a network administrator can control available
resources for a given Windows workstation.  Macs are seemingly not as
easy to manage on a large scale.

As an example, I recently upgraded all of our copiers.  Of course, the
drivers for these copiers had to be installed for each workstation.  On
my Windows workstations, this was easy.  I simply updated the drivers on
my print server, and the workstations all updated themselves.  On my
Macs, the story was not so painless.  I had to go to each workstation
individually and install the drivers manually.  Not that I have hundreds
of Mac workstations to update, but it was still a pain to coordinate
when I could access each workstation.

This is just one example of many changes that occur on any of our
networks over the course of a business year.  As more networks become
saturated with Macs, one of two things has to occur - either we find and
use tools that automate these kinds of changes on a Mac as easily as it
already is on a Windows workstation, or we increase our administrative
overhead by hiring more staff.  What tools do you use to push network
configuration changes out to your Mac users?  

Paul Phillips

IT Manager

(770) 458-9300 x305

pphillips at walkthru.org

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