Remotely Accessing a Mac
Lets see few different ways to remotely restart or shut down a Mac, but the methods mentioned below assume that all the computers are connected on the same local network at home or business and is not situated in some far-away location .
2 Methods to Remotely Access a Mac are as below:
We’re going to focus on using a Mac to restart or shut down another Mac .If you’re wondering whether you can restart or shut down a Mac using a PC running Linux or Windows, the answer is yes, but unlike the Mac, you may need to install an additional app on the PC in order to make the connection.
• The first method makes use of Mac’s built-in VNC (Virtual Network Computing) server, which on the Mac is commonly called screen sharing.
• The second method makes use of Terminal and its support for SSH (Secure Shell), a network protocol that supports secure encrypted remote login to a device, in this case, the Mac you need to restart or shut down.
1. Using Screen Sharing to Remotely Shut Down or Restart a Mac
Although the Mac has native support for screen sharing, this feature is disabled by default. It needs to be enabled using the Sharing preference pane.
Instructions to Enable Mac Screen Sharing:
1. Open Sharing preferences
choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Sharing
2. Select the Screen Sharing checkbox.
3. To specify who can share your screen, select one of the following:
oAll users:
oOnly these users: Screen sharing is restricted to specific users.
4. If you selected “Only these users,” click the Add button at the bottom of the users list, then do one of the following:
o Select a user from Users & Groups, which includes all the users of your Mac except sharing-only users and guest users.
o Select a user from Network Users or Network Groups, which includes users and groups with network server accounts. Network users and members of network groups can use their network name and password to connect to your Mac for screen sharing.
5. To set additional options for screen sharing, click Computer Settings, then select one or both of the following:
oAnyone may request permission to control screen
oVNC viewers may control screen with password
Once you have Mac’s screen sharing server up and running, you can use the procedure outlined in the following article to take control of the Mac:
Instructions to Connect to Another Mac’s Desktop:
Before you start, make sure the Mac whose screen you want to control has screen sharing turned on.
1. Open a Finder window. If no shared computers appear in the Shared section of the sidebar, put the pointer on the word Shared, then click Show.
2. Click All to see all available computers, then double-click the one whose screen you want to share.
3. Click Share Screen.
If both computers are logged in using the same Apple ID, the screen sharing session starts. If they’re not, you’re prompted to enter the user name and password of a user who is allowed screen sharing access on that computer, or you can request permission to share the screen if the computer allows it.
4. If someone else is already connected to the Mac as a remote user, a dialog asks if you want to share the display with the other remote user (Share Display) or log in concurrently using a different user name and screen (Log In).
Once you have made the connection, the Mac you’re accessing will display its desktop on the Mac you are using. You can use the remote Mac just as if you were sitting in front of it, including selecting the ShutDown or Restart command from the Apple menu.
2. Using Remote Login (SSH) to Shut Down or Restart a Mac
The second option for taking control of the Mac is to use the Remote Login capabilities. Just as with Screen Sharing, this feature is disabled and must be turned on before you can make use of it.
1. Launch System Preferences, either by clicking the System Preferences icon in the Dock, or selecting System Preferences from the Apple menu.
2. In the System Preferences window, select the Sharing preference pane.
3. In the list of services, place a check mark in the Remote Login box.
4. This will enable remote login and display options for who is allowed to connect to the Mac. We highly recommend limiting the ability to connect to your Mac to yourself and any Administrator account you have created on your Mac.
5. Select the option to Allow access for: Only these users.
6. You should see your user account listed, as well as the Administrators group. This default list of who is allowed to connect should be enough; if you do wish to add someone else, you can click on the plus (+) sign at the bottom of the list to add more user accounts.
7. Before you leave the Sharing preference pane, be sure to write down the IP address of the Mac. You’ll find the IP address in the text shown above the list of users allowed to log in. The text will say:
To log into this computer remotely, type ssh username@IPaddress
8. The number sequence is the IP address of the Mac in question. Remember, your IP will be different .
How to Remotely Log Into the Mac
You can log into your Mac from any Mac that is on the same local network. Go to another Mac and do the following:
1. Launch Terminal, located in /Applications/Utilities.
2. Enter the following at the Terminal prompt:
ssh username@IPaddress
3. Be sure to replace “username” with the username you specified in step X above, and replace IPaddress with the IP address of the Mac you wish to connect to.
4. Press enter or return.
5. The terminal will likely display a warning that the host at the IP address you entered can’t be authenticated, and ask if you wish to continue.
6. Enter yes at the Terminal prompt.
7. The host at the IP address will then be added to a list of known hosts.
8. Enter the password for the username you used in the ssh command, and then press enter or return.
9. The terminal will display a new prompt that usually will say localhost: ~ username, where username is the username from the ssh command you gave above.
Now that you’re remotely logged into your Mac, you can issue either a restart or shutdown command.
