Re: [SLUG] VNC to remote machine

From: Mike Branda (mike@wackyworld.tv)
Date: Fri Dec 17 2004 - 18:29:08 EST


On Fri, 2004-12-17 at 16:52, Chuck Hast wrote:
> On Fri, 17 Dec 2004 09:58:19 -0500, Mike Branda <mike@wackyworld.tv> wrote:

> > Adding to Logan's butting..... ;^) You are aware that ssh has an X
> > forwarding option right (big -X)?? If an X server is running on the
> > remote box, ssh me@remotebox -X, enter password, type startkde, mozilla,
> > or whatever the command is for fluxbox. Be careful with starting the
> > Desktop environments. If you have an X server running locally and no
> > Desktop environment (ie an X failsafe terminal) you're o.k. but if you
> > try to start a remote kde inside of a logged in local kde session it
> > does strange things. Programs themselves are fine in any way you invoke
> > them. I ssh -X into work from home and run evolution on my work machine
> > to check the calendar and such. It's really fast. You can do it on a
> > localnet too. The only difference is that you don't control someone
> > else's Desktop session, you have your own with ssh.
>
>
> OK, do I need to do this from a CLI, or do I do it from a Xterm while the
> xclient is running on the end I am viewing from?

Chuck, my machine starts in init 5. At the SuSE 9.1 login manager (KDM)
If I'm going to remote ssh a KDE or other "complete" desktop like Gnome,
I select from the pull down "Menu" "Session Type" "Failsafe" and then
enter your username and password as usual. When you click login, it
will give you 1 Xterm in the upper left hand corner. This is
essentially the same as starting the base X server with an Xterm....it's
just the GUI way of handling it.

Once you have the Xterm, you can type ssh me@remotebox -X, enter your
password, and type the command to start fluxbox (for KDE it's
startkde). Make sure that after you logoff the Desktop, that you logout
of the box and then type exit from the Xterm. This brings you back to
the KDM. you can init 3 or whatever from there. Keep in mind also that
the KDM "remembers" your last session type. If you don't go to the pull
down menu and change the local session type back to fluxbox, it will
give you and Xterm again the next time you go to log in.

If you are only logging in to the remote box for a program, you can just
bring up an xterm or konsole in your normal Desktop session and do the
ssh me@remotebox -X. once you have the ssh session, you can type kmail,
or kdirstat or whatever. It's a much lighter way of handling a single
program. The only thing you can't do is start a remote Desktop/Window
Manager from within your local Desktop/Window Manager. X gets confused
it seems.

I was real excited when I found out I could do this a long time ago. It
allowed me to use a real secure ssh session across the internet to do
GUI stuff. Sorry if this is long and you didn't need all the
verbosity. I just wanted it to be as clear as possible. :^)

> This machine is running SuSE 9.1 and KDE. I wonder if the KDE remote
> interface is actually telling the far end to bring up a VNC session under
> KDE?

my 9.1 install has these three and indeed I have the xstartup file that
others were telling you of. Again, I'm not the VNC expert so I don't
know if that file is supposed to be on the client or the server. That's
for somebody else to answer.

mike@SuSE9_1:~> rpm -qa | grep vnc
XFree86-Xvnc-4.3.99.902-43.28
tightvnc-1.2.9-177
kdenetwork3-vnc-3.2.1-45
mike@SuSE9_1:~>

mike@SuSE9_1:~> ls -la ~/.vnc/
total 24
drwx------ 2 mike users 160 2004-10-01 14:47 .
drwxr--r-- 56 mike users 3824 2004-12-17 17:49 ..
-rw------- 1 mike users 8 2004-10-01 14:47 passwd
-rw-r--r-- 1 mike users 4710 2004-10-01 14:54 SuSE9_1:1.log
-rw-r--r-- 1 mike users 5 2004-10-01 14:47 SuSE9_1:1.pid
-rwxr-xr-x 1 mike users 124 2004-10-01 14:47 xstartup
mike@SuSE9_1:~>

HTH

Mike Branda Jr.

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