Client computers that boot from a NetBoot image get a fresh system environment every time they start up. For this reason, using NetBoot images is useful when a particular computer is shared by several users who require different work environments or refreshed work environments, or when you want to start a new experiment or use a different computing environment in a cluster node.
You can use Apple Remote Desktop to set the startup disks of client systems to point to the NetBoot image, and then restart the systems remotely using Apple Remote Desktop. Users can also choose a NetBoot image for startup by using the Startup Disk pane of System Preferences. With just a few clicks you can reconfigure all the computers in a lab or cluster without having to manually restart and configure each computer individually.
Distributing Preference Files
Managed computers often require a standard set of preferences for each instance of an application. Use Apple Remote Desktop to distribute preference files when you need to replace or update a application preferences. For example, you can copy a standardized preference file to the currently logged in user’s Library/Preferences folder.
Using UNIX Shell Scripts
You can use Apple Remote Desktop to distribute and run UNIX shell scripts on client computers.
For example, a script can mount an AFP server volume, from which it downloads a disk image to client computers. The script might also download an installer package and then perform a
On an Xserve in a cluster node, you could also run a script that mounts an Xserve RAID disk designed for high throughput and then downloads large data sets for processing.
You can also use Apple Remote Desktop to distribute AppleScript files that automate PDF workflows, or job instructions for computational clusters.
Distributing Drag-and-Drop Applications
You can distribute and install
Verifying Installations
To check whether an installation has been completed successfully, use Apple Remote Desktop’s remote control capabilities.
For example, you can start an application remotely, or search for particular files. You can also use the File Search report to verify that all files for an application are installed correctly.
Chapter 1 Using Apple Remote Desktop
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