Using WinXP to remotely control Linux box... RDP? VNC?
 

I would like to be able to use WinXP boxes elsewhere on the same LAN to access the desktop of my main Linux box. I have used Cygwin + Xfree86 with some success, but I would like to resume the same session that is already open on the linux box (one reason being that I could check any instant messages left on that desktop in my absence).

Using VNC viewers over a 10mbps LAN to connect to KDE's built-in "Remote Desktop Sharing" server is incredibly slow and results in typing errors (letters are often doubled due to typematic + lag)

WinXP RDP connections (Remote Desktop aka Terminal Services) over the same network are almost real-time. I would like (ideally) the same performance with my Linux box.

Has anyone used a VNC server that is 1) secure and 2) fast enough for accessing a KDE desktop? How did you make it default over the KDE built-in server?

Ideally, I would like something like 'rdesktop', except the reverse: A terminal services server that runs on the linux box and accepts incoming RDP connections.

Please share your experiences/knowledge!

Thanks,

Fisslefink

I use RealVNC over a 10mbps wireless connection and it's decent. I hear that TightVNC is faster though. I have also found that using X's built-in capabilities to share the display work pretty well too.

You can set KDM up so that it allows remote logins. Using Cygwin you could do something like `X -query 192.168.1.157` to get that screen on your own. Also you could run an actual linux distro from within

I recommend that you google LTSP (to learn about setting up xdm / gdm / kdm to accept remote connections) and Cygwin (to get X on Windows) or CoLinux. (to run linux from within windows).

TightVNC connections to "KDE Desktop Sharing" are SLOOOOW
 

Thanks for the reply, CoolAJ86. I have tried Cygwin - it works and it is fast, but requires too much overhead to get away with installing it on a public computer. Also, it wants to start its own X session - I want to interact with my current open X session.

Ideally, I'm looking for something that could emulate Micro$oft's RDP protocol to share a KDE desktop to an RDP client (a WinXP box). Maybe such a project exists and is in its infancy, so I just have not been able to find it.

Much googling has told me that other people get very fast response with straight-up VNC -- even VNC over SSH -- but I am pretty sure that VNC alone cannot share my current desktop ... KDE Desktop Sharing must be used instead. Unfortunately, KDE Desktop Sharing is SLOOOOOW.

If anyone knows a way to speed it up, please share!

- Fisslefink

some success
 

Some experimentation with TightVNC has given me good results with the following configuration:

(using TightVNC current version on WinXP Professional over 10mbps network)
Encoding: Hextile
Custom compression: no
Jpeg compression: 6
Emulate mouse: yes
Force 8-bit pixels: no
Disable clipboard: no
[all other settings default]

(on KDE Desktop Sharing settings page of the Control Center)
"Network" tab -> Assign port automatically: no
Port: 5900 (is a standard choice and TightVNC assumes this as the default)

This eliminated the keyboard errors, but window movements are still choppy. Not even close the the performance I was getting with WinXP Remote Desktop Connection (between 2 WinXP boxes), but it is enough to check Gaim ;-)

Let me know how it works for you.

ES

hello,
anything with Gnome???
i tried cygwin i can't run any X server,
and too bad the colinux always he same error, Monitor detached (i'm using a laptop)
here's colinux output:
and everything on the above part disappear
any suggestion??? i want to share my X session (Gnome on debian sarge)
thanks