Apple posts Remote Desktop, Xsan updates

Apple on Thursday posted updates for its application for controlling remote desktop computers. According to the company, the Apple Remote Desktop 3.2 update (ARD 3.2) can be installed on computers that have Mac OS X 10.3.9 or later; it is a Universal Binary updater application that will upgrade Apple Remote Desktop v3.0 or v3.1 installations on an Intel- or PowerPC-based Macs. Apple Remote Desktop Admin 3.2 allows you to control or observe Apple Remote Desktop version 2.0 or later and 3.0 and 3.1 clients, while the client is necessary for all (remote) client desktops.

The update improves reliability of copy Item tasks; now changes relative dates in the reporting windows to exact dates; fixes the Application task function to launch applications on Intel-based clients; and addresses remote assistance issues such as accented European characters and remote window resizing. The company said it also now uses Adaptive Quality CODEC to improve screen sharing performance when using slower network connections such as DSL.

It also provides improved reliability with slow responding DNS servers, adds support for Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard's Remote Management settings in Create Client Installer and Change Client Settings tasks, offers better performance with large numbers of client computers, and adds support for Leopard's Remote Management settings in kickstart.

Apple Remote Desktop 3.2 Admin brings compatibility with Mac OS X Leopard and includes specific fixes for getting the status of and connecting to computers on slow networks; typing accented characters on European language keyboards; using Open Application tasks on Intel-based Macs; accurately reporting operating system version numbers; and compatibility with third party VNC viewers and servers.

Xsan Updates

Apple also posted new Xsan 1.4.2 updates that address numerous issues related to overall reliability, usability and compatibility, including the Xsan 1.4.2 Filesystem Update (and corresponding Xsan Admin 1.4.2 update) for its high-performance enterprise-class storage area nework (SAN) system. Areas of enhancements include: