Manage multiple NATted Macs with Apple Remote Desktop
Feb 19, '08 07:30:04AM
Contributed by: bagelturf
I manage my parents' Macs, thousands of miles away with Apple Remote Desktop (ARD). Since they have a router with NAT, it is a challenge to manage more than one machine because I can only forward incoming connections to a one of them. Here is how I do it:
- Set up each machine to use DHCP and call the location "No ARD."
- Duplicate the configuration, select static IP addressing, and use the same IP address for all the Macs. Call that location "ARD."
- Set up the router to forward TCP and UDP packets to the static IP address above for ports 3283 and 5900.
- Turn on ARD in sharing (Remote Management in Leopard) for each machine and set up an account, permissions etc.
- Set all machines to the "No ARD" location.
To manage any one machine, I just request that my parents select the "ARD" location from the Apple menu. After I am done, I make the change back to the "No ARD" location myself. While there are other ways to do this, this method is simple enough for them to remember, doesn't involve any changes to the router, entering passwords or changing System Preference panes, and can be easily checked for errors.
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