Hello.

Question: I have a PC running Ubuntu that I would like to use without monitor, keyboard, mouse (so basically, just the tower). I would like to use vncviewer to graphically access it from my other PC. (Running FC4 or XP).

Problem: vnc-server does not start unless a user has logged in to Ubuntu (which requires keyboard and monitor, at least).

I am able to log into it using ssh x.x.x.x (from FC4) or puTTy (from xp) before actually logging into Ubuntu. Is there a way I can run vnc-server remotely?

If i use ssh, and run

vnc-server -depth 16 -geometry 1024x768

(or something like that) I get an error that says

"gtk-warning, cannot open display"


Thanks to all.

(I apologize if this question is answered somewhere else, I'm new here [and new to linux])

looged in to your remote machine using your id run vncserver it will gives u the inforamtion about on which display that VNC server get started
now used your vnc viewer to connect to you remote machine and used the disaplay specified when u runned the vncserver on remote mavhine.

Thanks sats, but when I log in remotely (using ssh) and then try to run the server, i get:


"gtk-warning, cannot open display"


I dont think you can start vnc-server remotely.
Does someone maybe know of a way to change the startup sequence so that vnc-server is run BEFORE the login screen, instead of just after?

Thanks again.

You'll need to start an X server, remotely. Send "xinit", "X", "startx", see whatever works, and send it in background (ctrl+z, type bg) or open another parallel session.

With an X server running, set your display variable to it.
export DISPLAY="localhost:0"

And then run the vnc server, and perhaps an xterm/gnome-session/whatever too, to put on it.

Works.

Here's a detail breakdown of how it happened (for the next guy)

When Ubuntu loads, it's waiting for a user and password. No keyboard is connected. I connect remotely using SSH as user bulls.
(bulls has root privileges from sudo).

first, i deleted the file /tmp/.X0-lock (that needs to be done before you can startx)
then i said startx (in the ubuntu monitor, we get bulls' desktop)

then i exit ssh and say

vncviewer x.x.x.x


(This assumes that bulls already has vnc-server enabled)

If bulls doesnt have vnc-server enabled, you must enable it first from ssh, before exiting, by saying

vnc-server

(in ubuntu, for some reason, this is /usr/lib/vino/vino-server)

Then, like before, exit ssh and say vncviewer x.x.x.x.


Thanks alot Andrei and sats!!!