I was wondering if it was possible to setup a VNC server on Slackware??? I currently have my Slackware box booting into text mode, not GUI. I was wondering if I could setup VNC server so that I can connect to the GUI side of my box through VNC. Thanks in advance for your help.

Also, will a VNC Server allow you to see the KDE GUI or is it another GUI??

Yes. It's possible to have a GUI. Though the default config is twm windows manager. You can change it to KDE enviroment

download tightvnc package from here:
http://www.linuxpackages.net/pkg_details.php?id=7626

Install on the host system.

Start the server by running vncserver.

Edit: [Back from peeking at other system's configs]

There's a configuration file you can play with to enable different windows manager.

Under ~/.vnc/xstartup ,

Change the last line from "twm &" to "/etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc.kde &"

Start vncserver by "vncserver -geometry 800x600 -depth 16"

Download the vnc package for the client and start vncviewer and connect to your host ip : port (ususally port is 1)

Yep I do it with my server downstairs just download the vnc linux package from the website then defualt gui it boot onto twm (i think or somthing like that) but its easy to change to kde you need any help with setting up or you ok with that?

Edit: Drat, you got to post bfore me

Edit2: checking with my server it should be,

goto directory of the user then
cd to .vnc
open xstartup in a text editior
find the line: twm &
and replce it with: startkde &
or gnome: gnome-session &
That should all work

v

Just kidding

Works great....thanks!

I use VNC on Slackware too but I tend to use X11VNC (this way I can keep one X session open at home and connect to it via VNC rather than have a seperate X session for VNC). The machine is a desktop so I use it like I used to use Windows - I expect VNC to share the single desktop that I use all day long. This way, I can leave programs like email clients, news clients etc. open at one location and access them from home or away.

There are linuxpackages.net packages for x11vnc but I tend to compile the latest myself.

Additionally, I use WINE to run UltraVNC viewer as I give away copies of a customised UltraVNC SC file to people who then just double-click it to initiate a remote VNC connection to my computer. Unfortunately, it uses a non-standard compression protocol that only UltraVNC understands, yet Wine does a fanstastic job of letting me fix other people's computers for them.

Don't forget, though, that VNC is not an encrypted protocol so always tunnel it through SSH if you are accessing it from anywhere other than your local network and make sure it's firewalled at your network borders.

that's exactly what I was looking for, thanks a lot sir!!!

how can I get this command run everytime KDE starts?

nevermind, I figured it out through ~/.kde/Autostart

here there is a really easy way of doing this.

just upgrade to kde 3.5, then go into control center. in there you will find a option for a vnc server. it runs perfect and it shares your kde desktop. I use this when I'm at school and don't feel like dealing with there hard core web site blocking

not sure if you have to upgrade to 3.5, but that is what I did

sorry I'm in suse right now, about to reinstall slackware again (have no idea why I changed in the first place) but when I'm done I edit this and give you full info

It is in 3.5 and above, I believe. That's fine but most people don't feel like upgrading a core component like KDE without some sort of official package to do it from. I won't touch KDE 3.5 until some sort of stable package arrives in slackware stable, even if that means waiting for 10.3 or 11.0 or whatever the next version is.

Besides, x11vnc works just fine and works with KDE/GNOME/whatever you want. Not everyone runs KDE, you know.

I saw that option on KDE but it didn't work like I expected, now x11vnc does fine for me


you should check KDE 3.5 out. It's really nice, a lot of things improved I have got this link here for you, give it a shot.

I'm running kde 3.5 right now, its ok but there appears to be a kicker problem, and the server in kde is not the best it has some issues

well.. there are always problems with kicker on any KDE. I and always get weird X Error: Bad Window (invalid window parameter) 3 errors. Though it has been fine to me for some years now I like XFCE but it's too minimalistic for me and there is no way I go for any flavour of Gnome

which server? X-Windows server? SMB server? NFS server? HTTP server? DNS server?

Yeah well maybe you dont like Gnome, but if you're running KDE, you might as well use Microsft Windows. Personnaly I prefer the apps that come with Gnome than with KDE. But hey, who am I to critisize choices.

Also, for your VNC purposes, if you want to use a lightweight desktop you could use fluxbox. Its really light, nothing fancy, but it does the job quick and lets you focus on speed rather than on fancy GUI stuff.

Never the less, ssh and command line is always the best solution...

Cheers,
Dumdadum