SSH connection in graphical mode (X-Server?)

max2004 · 02-26-2005, 09:33 AM

Hi everyone,

I'm usually connecting to a remote Sun Solaris machine via SSH from my shell. Recently I heard that there is a possibility to connect to that machine in graphical mode (i.e. not from the shell/ not in text-mode). Unfortunately the person who told me was running Windows, so he couldn't tell me how to do it in Linux. He used a tool called X-Deep (sorry, I can't post the URL, because the board does not allow new people to do so [to prevent spamming], but it's Googles first result). Does anyone know what I mean and knows a similar program for Linux?

Thanks in advance,
max

Edit: I'm running Fedora Core 3 (maybe not so important, but anyway...)

acid_kewpie · 02-26-2005, 09:51 AM

what you want isn't actually a program per se... did you read abuot xdeep32 on here? i'd never heard of it this morning until someone else asked about it.. and now i've got it on my XP laptop... good timing if it's a coincidence.

one way to do what you want is to run X-deep in "normal" mode. bascially this will intercept calls to port 6000, which is the X server port, and handle the drawing of them. SO... load Xdeep in "normal" mode, then just ssh to somewhere and run an X application, and it should appear. X-deep will just run invisibly to you. you'll need ssh to be enabled with X11 forwarding though, which is normally on by default. it's just a tick box in puTTY if you're already using that for the SSH things.

alternatively you can use X-deep (or any other win32 based X server, e.g. xwin32, eXceed, Xwinlogin) to start an XDMCP connection to any UNIX system allowing external configurations to their XDM service. using this you point your x-deep system at that box and ping... you'll get a full screen login, just like if you were sat in front of it with a graphical login running.

personally for ease, speed and usability, i'd suggest the first option (X forwarding), but if you want to basically use your local system as a thin client to a UNIX box, then the second is more what you want.

acid_kewpie · 02-26-2005, 09:55 AM

ok.

I just realised that's totally the wrong answer huh??!

darn! i was proud of that!

OK, well from FC3 to solaris is easier really... again X11 forwarding is normally enabled by default, system wide configuration is normally /etc/ssh/ssh_config, which should explain what to do inside there (but that will probably be nothign at all...)

and for XDMCP... again, the remote system needs XDMCP enabled, and if it is, then just run "X :1 -query ip.of.sun.box" and hit enter... again, you should get a graphical login, running on a totally seperate screen. this was you'll be pretty hard pushed to tell which is the local FC3 X connection, and which is on solaris. other than the Solaris one probably being real ugly.....

comparing windows and unix forwarding you'll see how much more generic things are under unix.. there's just so little to actually configure, unless you really really want to...

max2004 · 02-26-2005, 10:20 AM

Wow! Thanx for these two answers in absolutly no time

I opened a shell and ran "X :1 -query ip.of.sun.box" (before you ask: yes I did replace ip.of.sun.box with it's real IP

) and as you told me a new screen opened. But unfortunatly it was and stayed black, with a white cross-shaped mousecursor (which I could move). So I switched back to my box using CTRL+ALT+F7 and on the shell it said:

Code:

XDM: too many retransmissions, declaring session dead

. I closed the shell an now every 2 minutes the screen automatically switches back to the black screen with the white cursor (I'm restarting now, to get rid of this effect).

Any idea?
Thanx again, max

acid_kewpie · 02-26-2005, 10:54 AM

can't help much. i googled for that error, and, as i thought it would be, appears to be a solaris/cde issue. i guess i'd suggest not using that version of CDE. quite who wants to use CDE ever is beyond me though... try gnome or just a simple fvwm / twm login to at least see if that fixes the issue....

max2004 · 02-26-2005, 11:00 AM

Okay, thanks for your help! I also tried to connect to an OpenBSD system - same problem.

Quote:

try gnome or just a simple fvwm / twm login to at least see if that fixes the issue....

how...?

Malaklyps · 02-27-2005, 03:06 AM

ssh -X user@machine should do the trick. It enables X11 forwarding.

You still have to type the commands (e.g. acroread), but now the Acrobad Reader will actually open.

I hope this helps.

max2004 · 02-27-2005, 03:54 AM

Thanks you for your posts. I tried

Code:

ssh -X user@machine

and when I gave the command gvim, the gvim window actually opened! But then it closed again and on the shell I could read:

Code:

BadWindow (invalid Window parameter)
Vim: Got X error
Vim: Finished.
31;0MBadAccess (attempt to access private resource denied)
Vim: Got X error
Vim: Finished.
31;0M

When I tried acroread I got:

Code:

X Error of failed request:  BadAtom (invalid Atom parameter)
  Major opcode of failed request:  18 (X_ChangeProperty)
  Atom id in failed request:  0x207
  Serial number of failed request:  140
  Current serial number in output stream:  141

I tried several other programs but they all crashed

If anyone has some idea of what I could try, I'd be glad to hear it.

Thanks for you help,
max

Malaklyps · 02-27-2005, 04:34 AM

Hm. Try ssh -Y user@machine.

max2004 · 02-27-2005, 05:32 AM

Quote:

Hm. Try ssh -Y user@machine.

It works!! Thank you so much Malaklyps and acid_kewpie!

netkepala · 03-13-2005, 10:18 AM

Hi All,

Would the following commands login to Solaris box with FULL gui ?

From Linux :

1. Xterm
2. ssh -X user@sunbox
3. XWin

does it work?

ron2794 · 01-24-2012, 05:34 AM

well ssh -Y still doesn't work for me, however ssh -X is working perfectly....

Reuti · 01-25-2012, 05:19 AM

The thread is somewhat old but if it’s still of use: you can define default settings in /etc/ssh/ssh_config or your personal ~/.ssh/config to include:

Code:

Host *
  FowardX11 yes
  FowardX11Trusted yes
  ForwardAgent yes

to have it applied all the time automatically without further command line options.