Questions about Remote Desktop?

Question

I didnt see a link to a "Remote Desktop" forum, so I posted here hoping to get a couple of questions answered.
Im going to sweeping and installing the new OS to 12+ 3yo Macbooks, and have a barrage of software that needs to be installed on all the machines. To include: Snow Leopard, iWork 09, iLife 09, Remote Desktop, Deep Freeze, and CS3. All the software was purchased thru the Education site, for the use on multiple Macs on the same network.
Essentially we're trying to optimize the process of loading software individually on each machine, and want to possibly make a CLONE of 1 Macbook that we will install all software, set System Preferences with Guest Accounts and Parental Controls, for our Mac Computer Lab, that we run at our Carrer/Technical School.
We want to make it seemless with Remote Desktop, Account Privleges, and parental controls to be able to not only monitor but to make the computers SUPER STABLE to handle the students and their sometimes improper use of the computers
QUESTION: After reading up on the new Remote Desktop and its Auto Install features....is this a tool that would help obtain our goals quicker that installing all the software on each computer indivudually.
Right now, we were going to sweep, install new OS, and software on one machine. Using SuperDuper or something comprable to make a cloned copy of the HD, and using the clone to boot and run each computer with the exact settings, software and preferences that we intially set on the first computer
DOES ANY OF THIS SOUND DOABLE THRU REMOTE DESKTOP AUTO INSTALL?
DOES THE ROUTE WE PLAN ON TAKING SOUND LIKE A SOLID PLAN TO ACCOMPLISH OUR GOAL?
If you answered yes to anyone of those, if you can give any insight on what you know or have done in the past that might help would be GREATLY APPRECIATED
Thanks for your time
Drew

Answer 1

Drew
The specific link for Apple Remote Desktop is here:
http://discussions.apple.com/forum.jspa?forumID=1007
This is the link for all the Forums. Apple Remote Desktop is in the Server Section at the bottom of the 2nd Column:
http://discussions.apple.com/index.jspa
You can't install Snow Leopard Remotely. Think about it.
What you could do - and assuming you have OSX Server - is install 10.6 on one mac, get it fully up to date, install the remaining applications - assuming site licenses - use the System Image Utility on the Server (or a Client with the application installed) to create a NetBoot Image of that built workstation. Image the rest using OSX Server's NetBoot Service. I've done numerous site installations using OSX Server and NetBoot (60 and more individual workstations) in a day or two depending on the Software installed.
Not surprisingly there is a dedicated forum for this also:
http://discussions.apple.com/category.jspa?categoryID=96
+" . . . is this a tool that would help obtain our goals quicker that installing all the software on each computer individually."+
Apart from the initial OS install - Yes. You can install incremental OS Updates using ARD easily and quickly. Again if you have OSX Server you can utilise it's Software Update Service to achieve the same thing quickly and easily.
If you don't have OSX Server you can by all means do this the way you're saying. You don't even need to use SuperDuper - why pay for something that can be done for free with what's already supplied? All you need is a firewire cable, target disk mode and the Restore option in Disk Utility. The more firewire cables you have the sooner you'll get it done.
It does not really matter what you're using for your Network although a Time Machine Capsule is adequate enough.
Tony