$ sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/Resources/kickstart -activate -configure -access -on -restart -agent -privs -all
kickstart -- Quickly uninstall, install, activate, configure, and/or restart components of Apple Remote Desktop without a reboot. kickstart -uninstall -files -settings -prefs -install -package <path> -deactivate -activate -configure -users <user1,user2...> -access -on -off -privs -all -none -DeleteFiles -ControlObserve -TextMessages -ShowObserve -OpenQuitApps -GenerateReports -RestartShutDown -SendFiles -ChangeSettings -ObserveOnly -mask <mask> -computerinfo -set1 -1 <text> -set2 -2 <text> -set3 -3 <text> -set4 -4 <text> -clientopts -setmenuextra -menuextra yes -setdirlogins -dirlogins yes -setdirgroups -dirgroups ardadmin,ardinfo -setreqperm -reqperm no -setvnclegacy -vnclegacy yes -setvncpw -vncpw FB842344CE89E9E9AA99889233864DDA -setwbem -wbem no -stop -restart -agent -console -menu -targetdisk <mountpoint> -verbose -quiet -help ## Show verbose documentation Examples: kickstart -uninstall -files -install -package RD_Admin_Install.pkg -restart -console kickstart -uninstall -files -install -package RD_Admin_Install.pkg -restart -console kickstart -install -package RD_Client_Install.pkg -restart -agent kickstart -stop kickstart -deactivate -stop kickstart -restart -agent -console kickstart -activate -restart -agent -console kickstart -activate -configure -access -on -restart -agent kickstart -configure -access -off kickstart -configure -access -on -privs -all -users admin,bob kickstart -configure -clientopts -setdirlogins -dirlogins yes -setdirgroups -dirgroups ardadmin,ardcontrol kickstart -configure -clientopts -setmenuextra -menuextra no Version 0.8 RUNNING FROM THE COMMAND LINE This script can be run like any UNIX tool from the command line or called from another script. Before starting: - Use this script at your own risk. Read it first and understand it. - Log in as an administrator (you must have sudo privileges) - Copy this script to any location you like (such as /usr/bin/local/) - Ensure this file has Unix line endings, or it won't run. Running: - Run the script using "sudo" (enter your password if prompted) sudo ./kickstart -restart -agent Command-line switches: The optional "parent" switches activate the top level kickstart features: -uninstall -install -deactivate -activate -configure -stop -restart These features can be selected independently, but will always be done in the order shown above. For anything interesting to happen, you *must* specify one or more of the parent options, plus one or more child options for those that require them. Child options will be ignored unless their parent option is also supplied. All options are switches (they take no arguments), except for -package <path> -users <userlist> and -mask <number>, as noted below. -uninstall ## Enable the "uninstall" options: -files ## Uninstall all ARD-related files -settings ## Remove access privileges in System Preferences -prefs ## Remove Remote Desktop administrator preferences -install ## Enable the "install" options: -package path ## Specify the path to an installer package to run -configure ## Enable the "configure" options: -users john,admin ## Specify users to set privs or access (default is all users) -activate ## Activate ARD agent in Sys Prefs to run at startup -deactivate ## Deactivate ARD agent in Sys Prefs to run at startup -access ## Set access for users: -on ## Grant access -off ## Deny access -privs ## Set the user's access privileges: -none ## Disable all privileges for specified user -all ## Grant all privileges (default)... ## ... or grant any these privileges... -DeleteFiles ## -ControlObserve ## Control AND observe (unless ObserveOnly is also specified) -TextMessages ## Send a text message -ShowObserve ## Show client when being observed or controlled -OpenQuitApps ## Open and quit aplicationns -GenerateReports ## Generate reports (and search hard drive) -RestartShutDown ## -SendFiles ## Send *and/or* retrieve files -ChangeSettings ## Change system settings -ObserveOnly ## Modify ControlObserve option to allow Observe mode only -mask number ## Specify "naprivs" mask numerically instead (advanced) -computerinfo ## Specify all four computer info fields (default for each is empty) -set1 -1 <text> -set2 -2 <text> -set3 -3 <text> -set4 -4 <text> -clientopts ## Allow specification of several opts. -setmenuextra -menuextra yes|no ## Set whether menu extra appears in menu bar -setdirlogins -dirlogins yes|no ## Set whether directory logins are allowed -setdirgroups -dirgroups grp1,grp2 ## Set directory groups allowed -setreqperm -reqperm yes|no ## Allow VNC guests to request permission -setvnclegacy -vnclegacy yes|no ## Allow VNC Legacy password mode -setvncpw -vncpw abc ## Set VNC Legacy PW (private feature) -setwbem -wbem yes|no ## Allow incoming WBEM requests over IP -stop ## Stop the agent and/or console program (N/A if targetdisk is not /) -restart ## Enable the "restart" options: (N/A if targetdisk is not /) -agent ## Restart the ARD Agent and helper -console ## Restart the console application -menu ## Restart the menu extra -targetdisk ## Disk on which to operate, specified as a mountpoint in ## the current filesystem. Defaults to the current boot volume: "/". ## NOTE: Disables the -restart options (does not affect currently ## running processes). -verbose ## Print (non-localizable) output from installer tool (if used) -quiet ## No feedback; just run. -help ## Print this extended help message ARD has four main components: 1) ARD Helper 2) ARD Agent & associated daemons 3) ARD Menu Extra (controlled by the SystemUIServer) 4) ARD Admin Console (if you have an Administrator license) What this script does: 1) Any running ARD components will be stopped as needed. For example, they'll be stopped before an uninstall, reinstall, or restart request. They will not be restarted unless you specify the -restart options. 2) Components will be restarted as required. For example, restarting the administrator console forces a restart of the agent. Restarting the agent, in turn, forces a restart of the helper. 3) If you -uninstall but don't specify a new installer to run, then the -restart family of switches will be ignored. 4) Options can be specified in any order, but remember that the options are ignored unless their parent options are specified. For example, -package is ignored unless -install is specified. RUNNING THIS SCRIPT FROM A GUI You can make yourself a GUI-based kickstarter program to run this script if you like. The options, set in the console, can be conveyed via environment variables to this script, per a spec shown in the source code for this script (or the traditional way using command-line switches). Be sure the console application runs this script with sudo privileges. The console should also specify its own location in the APP environment variable, and may specify the location of a STRINGS_FILE to use to load string definitions for any localizable messages produced by this script. A GUI console could stay up & running between runs of the script but should avoid running multiple instances of this script at the same time. WARNING This script can be used to grant very permissive incoming access permissions. Do not use the -activate and -configure features unless you know exactly what you're doing.
Found somewhere else on the net (good for when you don't want or need full ard client)
What about VNC connections to ARD? sudo ./kickstart -configure -users admin -clientopts -setvnclegacy -vnclegacy yes -setvncpw -vncpw password Will configure vnc access for user admin with password password. As pointed out by Ben Low, the password you give here has to be 'encrypted' by truncation and XORing with a fixed key (1734516E8BA8C5E2FF1C39567390ADCA). This can be generated with the following: perl -nwe 'BEGIN { @k = unpack "C*", pack "H*", "1734516E8BA8C5E2FF1C39567390ADCA"}; \ chomp; s/^(.{8}).*/$1/; @p = unpack "C*", $_; foreach (@k) { printf "%02X", $_ ^ (shift @p || 0) }; print "\n"' -------------this one actually works--- dont need the encrypted password junk--------------------- sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/Resources/kickstart -activate -configure -access -on -restart -agent -privs -all -clientopts -setvnclegacy -vnclegacy -yes -setvncpw -vncpw somesecretpassword Found that sweet one here: http://www.librador.com/2009/06/14/How-to-enable-remote-desktop-on-headless-Mac/ Later versions of OS X have this command: systemsetup -setremotelogin on
Here is a silly one for finding last login for a user (Open Directory based logins):
grep username /Library/Logs/PasswordService/ApplePasswordServer.Server.log* | cut -d"." -f4 | cut -d":" -f2,3,4,5 | sort