Apple 3 manual Comparing Software, Generating a Software Version Report

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7Click Search.

The newly generated report window appears.

Comparing Software

Apple Remote Desktop has several specialized reports for comparing software on client computers with software on the administrator computer. These reports can’t be run comparing two client computers. One computer in the comparison must be the administrator computer.

Generating a Software Version Report

The Software Version report compares application versions on client computers with application versions on the administrator computer. You can select up to 10 applications to compare. Command-line tools and unbundled Java (.jar) applications do not report their version.

To generate a Software Version report:

1Select a computer list in the Remote Desktop window.

2Select one or more computers in the selected computer list.

3Choose Report > Software Version.

4Select the software you want to compare, from the application list. You can select up to 10 applications.

If the application you want doesn’t appear in the list, click the Add (+) button to browse for the application.

5To search using new data, check Rebuild Data For Report.

6Click Generate Report.

The newly generated report window appears.

Generating a Software Difference Report

The Software Difference report compares the applications, fonts, and installed packages of the selected client computers with those on the administrator computer. The resulting report lists the items compared, their version, location, and whether or not they were found on the selected client computers.

The Software Difference report can compare all executable Mac OS X and Classic applications. Unbundled Java (.jar) applications and command-line utilities are not included in the report. The report can compare all the fonts in the /System/Library/ Fonts/ and /Library/Fonts/, as well as the Fonts folder for the currently logged in user. Comparing installed packages returns a list of all package receipts in /Library/Receipts/.

You can use this report to find out if your clients have the applications or fonts they need. Comparing differences in installed packages can help you troubleshoot software conflicts, and keep your client computers up to date.

Chapter 8 Administering Client Computers