I LOVE Apple Remote Desktop today.

I just got done making sure that some software needing for a training class tomorrow was pushed out to 50-odd PowerBooks. It took three hours to run the job. I was able to start the job from a PowerBook running Apple Remote Desktop remote administration software (ARD), then leave. Three hours later, I connected from home using my laptop’s ARD software to the ARD PowerBook via work’s VPN, took control of the ARD PowerBook and double-checked the training laptops to make sure they all had both the software installed and the training files. In between setting up the job and checking on its completion, I’d driven home, gotten some dinner, chatted with my future mother-in-law about a plumber visit tomorrow and talked to my best friend on the phone. Without ARD, I could have been in that training room all that time installing that software on those 50-odd machines. No thanks! Thanks to ARD, I didn’t have to. That’s why I love ARD today. 

Script-only installer packages for download.

I had a request from Michael Augustson on the Apple Remote Desktop mailing list if I can post a link to a collection of the script-only installer packages that I’ve used with Apple Remote Desktop 1.x and 2.x. Since I’m a nice person, I’m doing just that. For all those who are interested, I’ve saved a disk image with a number of script-only installer packages, with some other additions that I’ve found useful, up to my .Mac account at http://homepage.mac.com/flounder/packages.dmg. 
 
Here’s what’s on the disk image: 
 
Script-only Installer packages for use with Apple Remote Desktop 
 
Clear Caches.pkg – Clears the following files from the target Mac’s boot disk, then restarts the Mac: 
 
All files in /Library/Caches/ 
All files in /System/Library/Caches/ 
All files in ~/Library/Caches/ 
/var/vm/swapfile0 
 
Software Update.pkg – Runs the following commands on the target Mac: 
 
Repairs permissions on the target Mac’s boot disk 
Runs the softwareupdate command with the -q, -i, and -a flags to quietly install all available software updates from the Software Update server. 
Repairs permissions on the target Mac’s boot disk again 
Restarts the Mac 
 
Software Update – No permissions repair.pkg – Same functions as Software Update.pkg, but without the permissions repair (Useful if dealing with Macs with iTunes 6.0.3, which hangs up permissions repair.) 
 
Software Update with cache clean.pkg – Runs the following commands on the target Mac: 
 
Repairs permissions on the target Mac’s boot disk 
Runs the softwareupdate command with the -q, -i, and -a flags to quietly install all available software updates from the Software Update server. 
Repairs permissions on the target Mac’s boot disk again 
Clears the following files from the target Mac’s boot disk: 
 
All files in /Library/Caches/ 
All files in /System/Library/Caches/ 
All files in ~/Library/Caches/ 
/var/vm/swapfile0 
 
Restarts the Mac 
 
SSH_start.pkg – Starts the SSH service on the target Mac 
 
SSH_stop.pkg – Stops the SSH service on the target Mac 
 
Other Installer packages 
 
Repair Permission script install.pkg – installs a script into the /etc/periodic/daily, to repair permissions on the target Mac’s boot drive as part of the Mac’s daily maintenance tasks that are run at 3:30AM. 
 
 
Virex Script Installer packages 
 
Virex 7.2 Scripts folder – contains installer packages for Bruno Corbage’s Virex 7.2 scripts (more information available at http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/17452 ) 
 
Virex 7.7 Scripts folder – same scripts, updated for use with Virex 7.7 and 10.3.x/10.4.x 
 
 
Other Applications 
 
Slipy – Application to use with making custom 10.3.x installer DVDs (no longer available from author.) More information available from http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/15568. 
 
 
 
Use them in good health!