---
title: 'Apple Remote Desktop: Creating Installers'
hero: https://source.unsplash.com/_NGCma7mAw4/1270x952
hero credit: https://unsplash.com/photos/_NGCma7mAw4
hero credit text: reza shayestehpour

hero-align: center 65%
classes:
  header: header-no-gradient
# hero credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pslee999/15589950511/
date: 2016-02-15
layout: Post
tags:
  - university tech
---

As a followup to my previous post, I was trying to create an Apple Remote Desktop installer. This is usually something that's fairly trivial:

---

1. Open Apple Remote Desktop
2. Open `File` > `Create Client Installer...`
3. Answer wizard questions
4. Profit!

However, on trying this on my 10.11 Server install, I was instead presented with this:

![Apple Remote Desktop error](ard-error.png)

In theory, ARD is supposed to automatically download components (like the client) which it doesn't have, and I actually managed to coax my local install of ARD, which had previously been giving the same error message, to do so.

In any event, if this happens, you can actually cheat and grab the client yourself from Apple's servers:

[http://swcdn.apple.com/content/downloads/59/10/031-23124/x0sj4t1vbimv6h3ejhjzf3nwa6vt9ekxgd/RemoteDesktopClientShell.pkg](http://swcdn.apple.com/content/downloads/59/10/031-23124/x0sj4t1vbimv6h3ejhjzf3nwa6vt9ekxgd/RemoteDesktopClientShell.pkg)

Not really sure if this is a good idea or not, but it fixed the problem for me!