ARD set-up Questions

Question

Hi, I just bought ARD so that I could copy files from my work computers while working at home. Here is what I've done so far: 1) installed original CD (3.2.2) to my Mac Mini at home--this is the remote admin computer, 2) created the installer package at home from within ARD and put it on a usb flash drive and then installed the package successfully on the 3 computers at work (two more Mac Minis, and one iMac), 3) went into each computer's sys prefs and turned on remote management and remote login, 4) wrote down the ip addresses of each computer and the remote login for each (ssh ****@*.*.*.), 5) added the computer's one at a time using ARD to the admin computer at home.
Here are my questions that I can't find answers to: 1) the work computers are on a wireless network via an airport express that is hooked up to a DSL modem--do I need to configure the airport express via the airport utility (e.g. change port settings) in order to access the work computers from home?? Some of the forums I've read suggest that by checking 'remote management' in the system prefs, this is unnecessary, while others say it is?? What about the need to enter a password to access the work network as I would if I had a laptop at work, for instance?? 2) When I try and control the computers at work from home, the connection fails. Why? Does it have to do with Q #1 just asked, or something else? 3) assuming I need to change the port settings in the airport utility at work, do I also need to configure my Verizon Fios router at home? If so,How? 4) FYI after running the installer package on the client computers at work (and getting an "installation successful" message), I never actually ran the application on those computers--I just changed the sys prefs with regards to remote login/mngt.--is there a need to run the application?? If so, why?? 5) If I right click on one of the IP addresses listed in ARD at home and choose get info, the address and DNS name are the same (the IP address), the ethernet ID is nothing but zeros. Should the login and password info be filled in as the admin name and admin password of the particular remote computer that is tied to the IP address? Or should it be something else?
Sorry if this all seems newbie, but I've read for an hour on various forum topics and still can't seem to get these basic questions answered. (P.S. There is a popular link circulating around this forum for "easy set-up" directions, but they aren't specific as to how to actually use ARD to copy files from work to home)
Thanks for any help/feedback you can provide.

Answer 1

To be able to connect to a workstation from outside it's network, the ports that ARD uses must be open on both ends of the connection. ARD uses ports 3283 and 5900 so those must be open.
If your workstations get their addresses from an NAT device rather than being "real", the ports also need to be forwarded in the router to the workstation's internal IP address. ARD uses port 3283 for the reporting and updating function, so if your Macs are getting their IP addresses through NAT, since you can only forward a port to a single workstation, you can only get reports, push package/files to etc. for a single workstation.
ARD uses the VNC protocol for observation and control, though, and there are a range of IP addresses for that protocol, starting with 5900. ARD uses 5900 by default, so that port would be forwarded to the first workstation. You would, I believe, need to install VNC servers on the systems (since the ARD client cannot listen on any port other than 5900 while VNC servers can be set for other ports such as 5901, 5902, etc. You would then forward 5901 to the second workstation (and on to 5902, 5903, etc.). You can then use the following information:
Remote Desktop 2: How to specify a port number for a VNC client
to connect.
The only other options are: 1) to run the ARD administrator on a workstation on the network, and then take control of that system from outside, either via VNC or another copy of ARD, or 2) set up a virtual private network (VPN) so that when you connect from outside, your admin system is officially part of the local network.
Hope this helps.