Mapping to multiple contact ports...

Question

The last holdout feature that Timbuktu performs that ARD hasn't learned (that I know of) is connecting to multiple clients through a NAT'd firewall. In TB2 you assign a "tcp contact port", say in the 4000 range to each TB2 client machine. Then you setup the forwarding rules on your firewall/router and then from the outside you merely type the IP xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:4000 or 4001 or 4002..etc to connect to those Macs on the inside of the firewall. Anyone have thoughts on whether this can be hacked into function with ARD? From my current viewpoint, it's a no go, but then I'm always willing to be proven wrong.
Thanks.

Answer 1

You can select what port in the 5900 range the ARD administrator application uses to connect to a client, but you cannot set what ports the client agent uses (and there's no way to "hack" a change). So you can use ARD to observe and control systems behind an NAT router by mapping ports 5900, 5901 etc. (the VNC ports) to the various systems and then connecting as appropriate. You cannot, however, use the other functions behind an NAT router since they only use port 3283 which of course can only be mapped to a single system.
The other option is to have two copies of ARD, one behind the NAT to adminster all the systems on that side of the NAT router, and map the ports in the router to that system. Then you take control of that copy of ARD from the outside copy.
Remember that ARD is not just an observe/control system. It's much more a management system, so it's strengths play to being used for working with local systems. If all you need is observe/control, then Timbuktu, the new PC Anywhere 12, or the freeware VNC may be better choices.
Message was edited by: Dave Sawyer