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Ten Alfred workflows for IT (plus one) | Macminicolo Blog - Tips, tutorials and reviews on running a Mac mini server

Ten Alfred workflows for IT (plus one)

imageA little while ago, we wrote a post about Ten iPhone apps for IT and it's been quite popular. The iPhone it a great tool for IT admins so we tend to look for ways to put it to use. 


Alfred is another great tool to use on a Mac. It does all sorts of things. In Alfred, workflows let you add to the capability of the application. (You need to have the Powerpack to use workflows.) Here are some workflows that are quite useful for IT admins, and just about anyone else:


We use Remote Desktop here quite a bit. With this workflow you can just type "rd" and the name or ip of the machine you want to control. Hit return and the ARD sessions starts right up. So great. 


iMessage workflow will let you start a chat from Alfred. Just type "im" and the username. It also works with GTalk. We use iMessage a lot at Macminicolo. (You can chat us straight from our contact page.) 


VPN Services workflow will show you a  list of available VPN services and  allows you to connect or disconnect via Alfred. 


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AlfredDig will let you look up DNS quickly. You can also specify by type of record. (i.e., A, MX, etc)


Top processes workflow lets you quickly see and/or kill the apps that are using the most CPU or memory on your Mac. It's much quicker than digging into Activity Monitor.


If you like to keep Safari without Flash, but keep Chrome around for when flash is needed, this workflow will open the current Safari tab in Chrome.  


Jenkins is a very popular use for Mac minis here. Developers will run the CI server on a Mac mini to build out their iPhone and Mac apps. Here is a Jenkins workflow that will let you check on status of the Jenkins builds. Starting builds will be feature soon.


For general interaction with your Mac, here are some great workflows. You can do Fast User Switching, show hidden files and folders in Finder, toggle wifi, and change your Network location. That last one is great if your laptop is being used between home and work. 


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There is one more that doesn't have much to do with IT, but people tend to listen to music while they work. This workflow will let you rate the currently playing iTunes track by typing "rate" and the number of stars. (1,2,etc) I use it to rate one star on the songs I want to delete the next time I'm in iTunes. Very useful. 


Update: Here are a couple more workflows for working on the local network. With automatic discovery you can mount network shares or use Screen Sharing.


If you have more workflows we should include on the list, send them @macminicolo on twitter. 


About Macminicolo.net


Macminicolo, a Las Vegas colocation company, has been hosting Mac minis since their introduction in January 2005. Low cost. High performance. They are the leaders in this niche market and are known for their personal service. They currently host hundreds of Mac minis for satisfied customers located in 47 different countries around the world. Get more info on our frequently asked questions page.


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