Apple ARD31 manual Asset Management, Remote Spotlight Search, Usage Reports, SQL database

Technology Overview 16

Apple Remote Desktop 3

Asset Management

SQL database

All of the data for hardware reports is stored in the included SQL database for fast and easy retrieval. System administrators can tap into this database using any number of third-party SQL-aware tools to generate custom reports.

As an administrator or support professional, you need to keep track of the configu- ration of Mac systems in your organization. Apple Remote Desktop 3 allows you to collect information on more than 200 hardware and software attributes, including memory, CPU, the version of the operating system, and hard disk size. This critical data can help you assess your organization’s readiness for operating system or application updates and determine whether any additional software or hardware is needed for the migration. It’s also valuable for help desk professionals to have configuration details on systems that are experiencing problems.

With the new Spotlight search capability, you can quickly search remote computers and copy the results back to the administrator computer—or delete them entirely. Also new are User History and Application Usage reports that provide specific infor- mation to help you monitor software compliance and the security of your systems.

Remote Spotlight Search

Apple Remote Desktop 3 extends the revolutionary Spotlight technology in Mac OS X Tiger, so administrators can perform comprehensive, lightning-fast searches not only on their own computer, but on any Mac on the network. Whether you’re looking for a file, application, or image, Spotlight can find it. Results are returned instantly—from the first letter you type—and updated continuously with no lag times or slowdowns. You can refine searches using different metadata types or additional qualifying filters. With Apple Remote Desktop 3, administrators can display the search results on remote systems, copy results back to their own computer, or simply delete them.

Usage Reports

The new User History report gives detailed information on who is using a computer, when they logged in and out, and how they accessed the computer. The Application Usage report details which applications have been used on remote systems, including the number of launches of an application, the duration of the launch, and who exe- cuted the launch. Administrators can use this report to ensure compliance with their software license agreements and to discover any unauthorized use of applications.