Macs are mostly unix I assume. I can ssh into my computer from a mac computer but when I use the -x tag I cant run graphical programs. The problem on Linux is solved with xhost + but I cant figure out how to configure this for macs.

I found this website,
http://developer.apple.com/opensourc...unningx11.html

I did "Enabling Network Connections in X11" but couldn't find X11 preferences. You don't need X11 preferences though. The next section (an alternative method) says to use xhost but xhost isn't on the computer I'm using.

ssh -X enables X forwarding.
ssh -x disables it (default on many systems).
Do you have X11 server installed and running on your mac?

best,
Ott

I thought macs ran the x server by default? The mac(s) that I'm using aren't mine; they're university computers but I want to ssh -X from them to my computer.

Btw I'm pretty sure I actually was using lower case x so I'll see what's up tomorrow.

When I ssh'd from a colleague's Mac, I was surprised to find X
forwarding already working with just a straight ssh command, no
options.

Joel

It is determined in /etc/ssh/ssh_config (ubuntu gutsy). You can probably create you personal config file too.

Mac and X server -- I don't know. I have heard that OSX has this option, but whether it is installed by default, no idea. But is should be trivial to set it up if it isn't yet.

Best,
Ott

So you want to ssh from the mac to your own Linux, and have some graphical apps you launch over the ssh connection pop up in your Mac?

Yes, Macs are indeed somewhat "Unix machines"..I do use Macs occasionally, but never X11 forwarding on them. Nevertheless, here's how the procedure usually goes (note that the Linux machine, sshd server, needs to have an X server up and running):

1) in your Linux machine make sure sshd is running (so you can ssh to it). Make sure that /etc/ssh/sshd_config has
That line must be uncommented (if it is commented, like it usually is by default) and the possible 'no' changed to 'yes'. After this sshd needs to be restarted. Something like
depending on the Linux distribution.

2) Now that the ssh server lets you use X11 forwarding, connect to it and tell the client to enable X11 forwarding also. Some clients may have X11 forwarding enabled by default, others maybe not. Make sure you're using the right options; on the ssh that's used on Linux operating systems, it's (with capital X)
after this try running a simple app:
if an ugly clock pops up on your Mac, it's working -- if not, then you need to go trough the configurations once more (check that your client really enabled X11 forwarding, and that your server lets you use it). Some security configurations may restrict access to X server (but in that case it's up to you to make enough holes to the rules to let you use it), but on normal installations that's not the case. You can probably try to read
on your Mac to see if it's got some information about what ssh program it's using and if it's the -X option (in capitals) that enables X11 forwarding. You could also first test the X11 forwarding with a Windows machine using PuTTY (it's settings have a checkbox to enable X11 forwarding) or just another Linux machine (with ssh -X). If you get it working from a Windows/Linux machine first, then you'll know it's the Mac - or if no machine works, you know it's not necessarily the Mac that's doing nasty things

AFAIK macs do not normally run an X11 server as they use their own propiraty windowing system however tehyu can run an X11 server in the background to run X programes,

(its in tehre somwhere in system prefs)
my housemate had KDE running fine on his mac!
(was trying to get beryl working too!)