Manage computers with Remote Desktop
Remote Desktop provides several ways to manage client computers and perform housekeeping activities.
Schedule shutdown and restart
You can turn off all Mac computers during maintenance or a holiday shutdown, or have them all start up before school starts. See Sleep, shut down, log out, or restart a computer. You can also send a Remote Desktop message—for example, reminding users to shut down their computers at a particular time. For information, see Send messages.
Rename computers
You can rename each user’s Mac computer using the user’s name to make it easier to manage computers as users move from class to class with their Mac. For information, see Set preferences on client computers.
Send UNIX commands
Use Remote Desktop to distribute and run UNIX shell scripts on Mac computers. For example, use a script to turn the volume up or down, mount a share point, repair disk permissions, or set a web proxy. For information, see Execute commands remotely.
Set startup disks
Change the startup disk of a Mac to perform diagnostic or troubleshooting activities. For information, see Set preferences on client computers.
Manage computer lists
Use computer lists to manage software for groups of computers. You can create computer lists for different purposes. For example, you can create a computer list for Mac portables that 8th grade users carry from class to class and a different computer list for a science lab with Mac desktops. A computer can belong to more than one list. For information, see Manage computer lists.