VNC with screen lock?

[hotmonkeyac]

Hey everyone,

I recently got rid of my Windows machine and have a new Mac. I was wondering if there's a way to setup a remote desktop session (to connect from a Windows machine at work) similar to that of XP's. I know the Mac has VNC servers but the problem I'm running into is that once you connect, the screen is left unlocked so anyone can see what you're doing. Is there a way around this? Is there an actual "Remote Desktop" for Leopard? Please help!

 

[giulio]

You can use Apple Remote Desktop, which allows locking of the screen. It's referred to as "Curtain"...
http://www.apple.com/remotedesktop/newfeatures.html#curtainmode

Curtain Mode

For those times when you want your actions to be hidden from the end user, there’s Curtain Mode. This allows you to block the view behind a virtual curtain, while retaining full control of the screen. It’s perfect for those working on public-facing systems.

For personal use, ARD is quite expensive.

The alternative is to SSH into the remote mac and do all your work from the command line. Since no gui is involved, your actions would not be seen. And better than curtain mode - the end user doesn't even know it's happening.

 

[hotmonkeyac]

Awesome, thanks a lot! I guess I know what I'll be spending my $100 iPhone credit on.

Oh, and just to confirm, I will be able to connect to it from a Windows machine... right?

 

[giulio]

Curtain mode is only available if you remote pilot with the ARD admin software. Which is Mac only.

VNC does not have a curtain mode... that I know of.
But yes, you can remote pilot a mac from a PC using regular VNC software on the PC.