Re: [SLUG] VNC to remote machine

From: Chuck Hast (wchast@gmail.com)
Date: Fri Dec 17 2004 - 21:53:56 EST


On Fri, 17 Dec 2004 18:29:08 -0500, Mike Branda <mike@wackyworld.tv> wrote:
> 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.

Mine did but I went in and made it go to a CLI, from there I then log in and
do a startx. Find that if I walk away when it is booting the CLI is much less
atractive than the KDM login screen, no one seems to want to try it.

I guess in order to try this I will have to go in and set it up to run KDM again
rather than go to a CLI.

>
> 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. :^)

I am glad to see this. I will try it, I would like to see if I can get
the VNC thing
working so I can get that up and operational. I like fluxbox, it is a nice light
wm which seems to do everything I want for that particular machine.

On this machine I am using I have KDE on it, it is really a company machine
and I do not want to get them too excited about me running a non-windows
system on this thing. So far no problems.

>
>
> > 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:~>
>

Thank you for all the good info, I have got a good collection of data here
to work with.

-- 
Chuck Hast 
To paraphrase my flight instructor;
"the only dumb question is the one you DID NOT ask resulting in my going
out and having to identify your bits and pieces in the midst of torn
and twisted metal."
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