Here is my dilemma.

I want to have a headless machine that will automatically log in as "x" user and also run either x0rfbserver or vnc server so that I can remote into it and control it and also put gAIM on there for all my IM accounts. Can these be done? I've seen some comments to one or the other on a few threads, but nothing that I saw regarding auto running it.

any help for the n00b of the day question would be much appreciated. thanks guru types. Linux > windoze.

so I have it loggin in as a normal user, and that is working great, but when I try to run vncserver :1 it isn't working ... the only way I can get that vncserver to run is if I su to root and then run it ... which bites because then when I vnc into that machine it comes up as root's desktop and I would like it to be the normal users's desktop .... any ideas?

Does vncserver report any errors when you try to start it as a regular user?

--mascdman

actually, I ended up using x11vnc instead. I took a look at http://www.karlrunge.com/x11vnc/ and it was easy to use and whammo! there i go.

Ah, cool.

--mascdman

thanks again for the quick reply man, I surely appreciate it

I'd bet if you changed ownership of the vncserver program, you could run it as your normal user. chown user:group /usr/bin/vncserver

X

I just remembered, I think vncserver may install to sbin which micht not be in you $path. Oh well, another thought.

X

Just in case anyone comes across this thread...

I was also trying to figure out how to run x0rfbserver on startup using Mandrake 10.1 and GNOME.

Turns out it's pretty easy to add applications to your startup.

Login as su (super user, aka root) from the Gnome terminal window, then browse to /etc/X11/gdm (cd /etc/X11/gdm) (gdm is the Gnome X-display manager)

In the folder /etc/X11/gdm, there are several sub-folders: Init, PreSession, PostSession, and PostLogin.

Go to the PostLogin folder (cd PostLogin) and look for the script named Default (ls). There probably will NOT be one there yet, so copy one from one of the other folders:

cp ../Init/Default ./

Now edit the Default script file and modify the code to execute the server. Note that you should use the exact folder location of x0rfbserver.

gedit Default

#!/bin/sh
if [ -x /usr/bin/x0rfbserver ]; then
/usr/bin/x0rfbserver &
fi
exit 0

Wow!

Too complex.

Under 10.1 setup is all but automatic. My explanation will make it seem more complex than it is...

Merely

urpmi vncserver

To install the software (assuming you've CORRECTLY set up your urpmi sources...)

Then edit the /etc/sysconfig/vncservers file

You should have an UNCOMMENTED line which reads

VNCSERVERS="1:vncuser"

Where "vncuser" is the username that will be auto logged in to when the VNCSERVER itself starts up. In other words, the user account the vncuser will come in as.

You can use a NEW seperate account or an existing user one, but be aware that this user will be automatically logged in, under screen "1".

Once you've created the user account login to the account locally at least once, to permit initial configuration to occur.

Once at the desktop, open a console and enter

vncpasswd

and follow the prompts. This will set the password which a remote user must enter to access the machine.

Once done, as root in a console type in

chkconfig --add vncserver


If you wish to go ahead and start the server w/o rebooting type in

service vncserver start

as root.

That's it.

VNCserver will run automatically whenever the machine comes up.

What about 10.0? I don't see vncserver anywhere...

I have tightvnc and and rfbdrake but it doesn't appear vncserver is anywhere.

So then I I did a urpmi vncserver, and it says no package by that name.

Any ideas?