More Windows to Linux Remoting

meping · 09-24-2005, 09:12 PM

I had created a thread about how to remote from my xp laptop to my fedora core server
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/showthread.php

I got a reponse w/ a link to a good tutorial

http://www.notgotaclue.co.uk/art-winandlin.htm

but on the 2nd page of the tutorial I'm told to type the command vi /**username**/.vnc/xstartup

when I typed this my connect was basically blank well it had some squiggly lines on the left side but no info. Where is the screengrab had whole bunch of content.

I was hoping someone might be able explain why mine screen is empty and what I can do to make it match the example so I can finish the tutorial.

PLEASE HELP!!! THanks oh I should saw I'm a

Would like to really get into linux if I can make this work.

Simon Bridge · 09-24-2005, 09:22 PM

There is no thread in your link (below).

Quote:

I had created a thread about how to remote from my xp laptop to my fedora core server
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/showthread.php?

Fedora comes with VNC - you don't need to use vi at all.
You install the VNC server and start it through gnome or kde.
You set up the wireless network normally.

On the win box, you install the VNC client and run it. Tell it which computer you want to connect with and it just goes.

I've been doing this the other way round (Fedora client, win server) for over a year now.

meping · 09-24-2005, 09:37 PM

the problem I'm having is, VNC just loads up a text based application. I'm trying to get to the gui.

Simon Bridge · 09-24-2005, 10:39 PM

This is vncserver on Fedora?

There isn't a gui, that's why you cannot find it.

vncserver is a perl script for starting the Xvnc server. (see man page for vncserver and read the related pages as well).

You won't be able to see the x display right there - it is in Xvnc and can only be viewed by a vnc client.

So start the script and use the vnc client in windows to connect.

meping · 09-24-2005, 10:43 PM

ok now I'm a little confused. To date what I'm doing to connect is

load putty, connect to server
type vncserver <get :#>
load vncviewer enter ip x.x.x.x:# <# from above>
which loads up text based viewer.

What do I do to run a gui.

I installed tightvnc ontop of whatever is running by default in vnc <@ least I hope I did>

Simon Bridge · 09-24-2005, 10:54 PM

Oh - I found this http://linux.ncl.ac.uk/remote/ ... I think it will explain your confusion.

Running a vnc server on linux is different from running one in windows. In windows, the vnc desktop is also your actual disktop. In linux, it is not. Linux has support for multiple virtual desktops, windows does not. The vnc desktop on linux is yet another virtual desktop. You can only see this desktop via a vnc client.

The vnc desktop is not automatically a gnome or kde desktop either (though I suspect fedora will use gnome). Some nixes have to do extra configuration. But it will be a gui desktop.

Interestingly, you could try running the vnc client in fedora (alongside the vnc server in fedora) and when it asks for the server you want to connect to, specify the vncserver running on the same box

If I'm guessing right, this should show you the Xvnc desktop that remote users will see.

Simon Bridge · 09-24-2005, 11:18 PM

The VNC Viewer gui should pop up when you type vncviewer or when you go to the main menue > applications > VNC Viewer

But do you mean that after the viewer started, you didn't get anything but a text screen? I'll try it:

Code:

[~]$ vncserver

New 'indigo-prime.subether.net:1 (simon)' desktop is indigo-prime.subether.net:1

Starting applications specified in /home/simon/.vnc/xstartup
Log file is /home/simon/.vnc/indigo-prime.subether.net:1.log

[~]$ vncviewer

VNC Viewer Free Edition 4.1.1 for X - built Apr 27 2005 02:25:46
Copyright (C) 2002-2005 RealVNC Ltd.
See http://www.realvnc.com for information on VNC.

Sun Sep 25 16:12:40 2005
 CConn:       connected to host indigo-prime.subether.net port 5901
 CConnection: Server supports RFB protocol version 3.8
 CConnection: Using RFB protocol version 3.8

Sun Sep 25 16:12:45 2005
 TXImage:     Using default colormap and visual, TrueColor, depth 24.
 CConn:       Using pixel format depth 6 (8bpp) rgb222
 CConn:       Using ZRLE encoding

All this is working. I get a gui screen with a terminal window open to recieve commands and a menue for configuring vnc. This is what should happen.

Its a very basic gui.

I guess you want to edit ~/.vnc/xstartup script to give you more applications on the gui?

Of course, you could try just configuring it to use gnome or kde...

Quote:

from: http://faq.gotomyvnc.com/fom-serve/cache/56.html
The default desktop for the VNC Server is "TWM", though most people are used to KDE or Gnome instead. Here is how to change it:

1. Edit ~/.vnc/xstartup
2. For KDE, replace "twm &" with "startkde &"
3. For Gnome, replace "twm &" with "exec gnome-session &"
4. Kill any existing VNC servers with "vncserver -kill :xxx" where xxx is the display number.
5. Start a new server.

Thanks to Greg Breland for the post!

Note: you can do vncserver -kill $HOME too sometimes. However, run like I did ... then vncserver -kill :1 will get rid of it.

Simon Bridge · 09-24-2005, 11:25 PM

More info ...
My ~/.vnc/xstartup file looks like this:

Code:

#!/bin/sh

# Uncomment the following two lines for normal desktop:
# unset SESSION_MANAGER
# exec /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc

[ -x /etc/vnc/xstartup ] && exec /etc/vnc/xstartup
[ -r $HOME/.Xresources ] && xrdb $HOME/.Xresources
xsetroot -solid grey
vncconfig -iconic &
xterm -geometry 80x24+10+10 -ls -title "$VNCDESKTOP Desktop" &
twm &

My instincts are to uncomment those two lines suggested and replace & twm & with & exec gnome-session & So it looks like this:

Code:

#!/bin/sh

# Uncomment the following two lines for normal desktop:
unset SESSION_MANAGER
exec /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc

[ -x /etc/vnc/xstartup ] && exec /etc/vnc/xstartup
[ -r $HOME/.Xresources ] && xrdb $HOME/.Xresources
xsetroot -solid grey
vncconfig -iconic &
xterm -geometry 80x24+10+10 -ls -title "$VNCDESKTOP Desktop" &
exec gnome-session &

Since you seem to be online now - I'll give this a go and get back to you.

Simon Bridge · 09-24-2005, 11:31 PM

Just tried it - as follows:

Code:

[~]$ gedit ~/.vnc/xstartup
[~]$ vncserver

New 'indigo-prime.subether.net:1 (simon)' desktop is indigo-prime.subether.net:1

Starting applications specified in /home/simon/.vnc/xstartup
Log file is /home/simon/.vnc/indigo-prime.subether.net:1.log

[~]$ vncviewer

VNC Viewer Free Edition 4.1.1 for X - built Apr 27 2005 02:25:46
Copyright (C) 2002-2005 RealVNC Ltd.
See http://www.realvnc.com for information on VNC.

Sun Sep 25 16:31:17 2005
 CConn:       connected to host indigo-prime.subether.net port 5901
 CConnection: Server supports RFB protocol version 3.8
 CConnection: Using RFB protocol version 3.8

And received a perfect gnome desktop.

Note: gedit is easier to use than vi. Though you may have to stop it from making backups.

Simon Bridge · 09-24-2005, 11:34 PM

Oh - and get rid of tight vnc, you don't need it and it's performance improvements are at the expence of visuals. A normal lan/wlan connection is more than fast enough for remote desktop.

I'll wait for your reply now.

meping · 09-26-2005, 11:02 AM

alright so good and bad news.

good news is from within the network I successfully remoted into my server w/ a GUI display.

bad news I took my laptop to work today and plugged it in, and tried connect via 2nd nic <have 2 nics 1 connected directly to modem, other connected to network> one to cable modem. SSH couldn't connect. I'll confirm the ip. But if there any settings that need to be changed. The internal firewall has been configured for allowing SSH communication and both nics have been selected as trusted devices.

please help so close

dguitar · 09-26-2005, 01:18 PM

Is your router/switch configured correctly? From what it sounds like it might be as simple as not setting up packet forwarding through your router or maybe this is all setup, or your pc has a dedicated IP from the internet(not common in homes, but if you don't know, then you more than likely don't).

meping · 09-26-2005, 02:05 PM

the line I was trying to connect @ home is dedicated, it basically goes form cable modem, to "dumb" hub and then directly to nic

Simon Bridge · 09-26-2005, 10:45 PM

First things first - can you access your home network at all from the laptop at work?

Do I understand you:
You are saying that your home network consists of a cable modem - connected directly to a hub - and the hub connects to a single host when you are at work with your laptop, and to two hosts (a PC and the laptop) when you are at home? Like this...

[c modem]----[ethernet hub]-----------[PC]

I didn't even know this is possible - everything I read says you have to run the cable modem through a NAT router first - or maybe there is a NAT router built into your cable modem? Or, more likely, there is a NAT router built into the hub?

(Something has to convert the external (modem) IP into the internal (PC/nic) IP.)

meping · 09-27-2005, 09:01 AM

turns out my problem was the 2nd nic was dead...Regarding my network.
The cable modem goes to a hub. which splits to 2 lines
1 line connects to my server <the problem I was having> other connects to a linksys router
From behind the linksys router is my network.

The server was suppose to act as a bridge between outside world and inside

I know I could just have done port forwarding on the router, but I wanted the oppurtunity to learn some linux and server stuff so I did it this way