LiveDesktop provides an unrivaled experience for remotely controlling macOS devices. Unlike third-party tools that install a separate application to control the device, LiveDesktop uses the Remote Management framework built into macOS. Then, LiveDesktop securely tunnels traffic from that service to a unique URL which you can access from Addigy.
LiveDesktop requires no additional software installations, no additional local user creations, and no Privacy Preferences to connect to macOS devices.
Enabling LiveDesktop
To begin using Addigy LiveDesktop, head over to the Account -> Integrations page. Select the Addigy LiveDesktop tile and enable the integration using the toggle in the top right. LiveDesktop does not install any software on devices enrolled in your Addigy account.
Connecting to a LiveDesktop Session
Once LiveDesktop has been enabled, new sessions can be started from both the Devices page and from within a GoLive session with a specific device.
- On the Devices page, you should see LiveDesktop appear as a Remote Control Option for a device.
- Within a GoLive session, you should see the LiveDesktop icon appear in the top-right corner.
- Clicking either of these icons will send commands to the macOS device to initiate a session and display a modal window with information for connecting to the device.
When choosing a method of connecting to a LiveDesktop session, there are a few considerations to make.
Connecting from a macOS Device
If you are connecting from a macOS device, we recommend clicking the provided link to open the session in ScreenSharing. The ScreenSharing app is included in macOS, and provides an excellent interface for connecting to devices with features such as copy-paste and passing keyboard shortcuts.
Connecting from a Windows Device
When connecting from a Windows device, you will need to use a third-party VNC client to connect to the session.
While there are many great VNC clients available today, we recommend the Remote Desktop Manager app for macOS, Windows, and Linux published by Devolutions as a great way to get started. You can download the app for free here: http://remotedesktopmanager.com/home/download.
For a complete walkthrough on connecting using Remote Desktop Manager and other Windows-related help, please see our article Connecting to LiveDesktop from a Windows Device.
Authenticating to a LiveDesktop Session
When connecting to LiveDesktop from macOS Screen sharing or Remote Desktop (ARD), there are a few options for authenticating to the device. (Note that LiveDesktop Sessions will time out after 2 hours and the address will no longer be valid.)
- If you are connecting from Screen Sharing or Remote Desktop on a Mac and someone is already logged into the device, you may request permission to share their desktop session.
Please note: Due to Apple's Screen sharing functionality, when requesting permission using LiveDesktop there is a timeout of 10 minutes. Apples security measure will require this in intervals of 10 minutes with no activity.
- You may always authenticate with a local username and password for the target macOS device, even if no one is logged into the device. If you provide the same username and password as someone logged into the device, the session will be shared. Otherwise, a new desktop session will be created.
Please note: This method will negate the 10 minute interval prompt when requesting permission.
- If using a third-party VNC client, it may require the VNC password when connecting.
Enabling Remote Management
LiveDesktop automatically enables Remote Management for devices when starting a new session for the first time. For devices running macOS 10.13 and older, LiveDesktop needs no additional settings to enable Remote Management. For devices running macOS 10.14 Mojave and newer, LiveDesktop requires MDM to function properly. For full details on how to enable Remote Management for LiveDesktop, see our article Enabling Remote Management for LiveDesktop.
Configuring LiveDesktop Privileges
When LiveDesktop has been enabled, all Addigy users with the owner, admin, or user role will be able to start sessions with macOS devices they can access.
To enable LiveDesktop access for custom roles, go to the Account >> Users page. Navigate to the Roles table and select Edit Permissions next to the desired custom role.
Add the Run LiveDesktop privilege to the role and click Save.
Connecting to an Offline Device
While it is unlikely that you will be able to connect to a device which Addigy sees as offline, you may still attempt to start a LiveDesktop session. This is particularly useful when wanting to connect to a device immediately as it is turning on or coming online.
Before initiating the session, you may see hover-text above the LiveDesktop icon indicating the offline status of the device.
When initiating a session for an offline device, a message will be presented to remind you that the connection may not be successful. However, LiveDesktop will still queue the necessary commands to initiate the session.
If the device receives the commands, then LiveDesktop should continue to work normally as it would for a device detected as online.