Apple Remote Desktop Help
Index

# Using kickstart

The kickstart command-line utility is embedded within the Apple Remote Desktop client software. It allows you to install, uninstall, activate, configure, and restart components of Apple Remote Desktop without restarting the computer. You can configure all the features found in the Remote Desktop section of the Sharing System Preferences. The kickstart utility can be used via SSH to configure remote computers, including Xserves. The kickstart utility is located at:/System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/Resources/kickstart.

The syntax and list of actions possible with kickstart are available by running kickstart as follows:

$sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/Resources/kickstart -help

If you are running the kickstart utility through Apple Remote Desktop'sSend UNIX Command function, you don't need the full path, just the name kickstart and root as the command's user.

You can use the sudo command with an administrator account to use the kickstart utility, or you can use the root user via Send UNIX Command. All commands presented in this section should be typed as one line of text. It's OK if the text wraps as you enter it; just be sure not to enter return characters.

The following are some examples of actions possible with kickstart:

- Activate Remote Desktop sharing, enable access privileges for all users, and restart the Apple Remote Desktop Agent:
  $ sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/Resources/kickstart -activate -configure -access -on -restart -agent -privs -all
- Activate Remote Desktop sharing, enable access privileges for the users "admin", grant full privileges for the users "admin," and restart the Apple Remote Desktop Agent and Menu item:
  $ sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/Resources/kickstart -activate -configure -access -on -users admin -privs -all -restart -agent -menu
- Activate Remote Desktop sharing, and disable access privileges for all users:
  $ sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/Resources/kickstart -activate -configure -access -off
- Shut down the Apple Remote Desktop Agent process:
  $ sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/Resources/kickstart -agent -stop
- Deactivate Remote Desktop access for a computer:
  $ sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/Resources/kickstart -deactivate -configure -access -off