For the first time in a while, I have a Mac machine (a spare Macbook Pro) at home that isn't my primary laptop. I'd like to connect to it with a graphical login, but without disturbing the primary display. This would be trivial using X11 by specifying a specific display number to connect to, but I have no idea how to do it on OS X (Yosemite.)

I've tried enabling both Screen Sharing and Remote Management (though it looks like the latter turns off the former since it includes VNC functionality) and I can connect over VNC, but the behavior isn't what I'm looking for. In particular, if I'm not logged in and I connect, it logs me in on the primary display, and if I am logged in, it connects me to that session. What I want is independent sessions. Is this not a thing that can be done, even with Apple's supposedly fully multi-user remote desktop functionality?

http://appleinsider.com/articles/11/03/31/mac_os_x_10_7_lion_to_introduce_multi_user_screen_sharing seems like it should be what you're after. i suppose i should try it.

This may help:
http://apple.stackexchange.com/questions...om-a-windows-pc

The key here is that each session has to be tied to a different user. There isn't a way to have the same user have multiple GUI sessions.

For us that's fine. There's one for me, one for Gwen, and then one joint account which is basically the unprivileged console user.

Yeah, I really want multiple sessions for one user, or, failing that, a background session for a single user with no session in the foreground (on the main display.) Neither of these appears to be an option.

Er, I guess I can create a dummy user for the foreground session (to do HTPC type stuff with a TV connected to the main display) and then login as my normal user, which should go to the background?

I'll try that. Will be annoying dealing with two accounts, but whatever.

Yep, that should work. That's basically my setup with a Mini attached to the TV. One media user that auto logs in, and a second set up for running background tasks without disturbing the TV.

apparently you have to use VNC and not the official ARD client for it to work.