Remote X.org server as external display to the local server

nate56 · 11-10-2009, 07:10 AM

Hello reader.

Some time ago, I've bought a new laptop, since video chip on my previous one had burnt. But despite that, I decided to fix it, and now I have two working laptops. So, to make my money for the new laptop not wasted, I want to use the old laptop somehow to my advantage.

And one little idea that came in my mind - is it possible to connect a remote (on a different computer) X server as a second, external monitor to the local one (e.g. dual-head setup)?
If it is, then how?

Thanks in advance.

Mr-Bisquit · 11-10-2009, 10:43 AM

Yes, it is possible.
You need to look into remote X login.

nate56 · 11-10-2009, 11:44 AM

Correct me if I'm wrong, but it only allows to manually run applications on remote X server, doesn't it? What I need is to run only one desktop session (desktop environment) over two X servers, acting as two monitors.

EDIT after some "googling":
Most of info I found was about how to create setup, where several X servers act as clients to one XDMCP server in separate sessions (sorry if I'm saying smt weird, but I don't have much experience in this). My goal is to make two X servers work in one session to draw parts of one "workspace" on different computers' monitors.

Mr-Bisquit · 11-10-2009, 12:50 PM

You have to look also for multiple login sessions and allowing them.

tredegar · 11-10-2009, 02:07 PM

Quote:

is it possible to connect a remote (on a different computer) X server as a second, external monitor to the local one (e.g. dual-head setup)?

Your questions aren't quite clear to me.

But you might try running a vncserver on the remote, and using vncviewer on your reconditioned laptop to connect to it. It's fun. Favourite-search-engine it.

Otherwise you might like to search on / install krfb because that is fun too. F-S-E that too.

nx is reported to be much faster, but you may not need this : http://freshmeat.net/projects/nx

nate56 · 11-10-2009, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tredegar

But you might try running a vncserver on the remote, and using vncviewer on your reconditioned laptop to connect to it.

The thing is that I want to use both laptops simultaneously, and use the reconditioned one as a second monitor, being an extension to the monitor of the new one. Just like anyone would connect a monitor to laptop via DVI or VGA port (using Xinerama or smt like that), I want to connect old laptop's monitor in the same manner.
VNC will only get the same image on both laptops, which is not what I need.

The only thing that came in mind that seemed something like a solution is to configure second screen device in xorg.conf, but somehow tell X server that that device is located on remote computer. If that's possible, that would probably do the trick.

Mr-Bisquit · 11-11-2009, 08:59 PM

You set up X to have more than one screen and you setup remote login for the other.