VNCserver won't start on desktop 0 on Ubuntu Dapper
 

Hi. I'm trying to run a vnc server on a server I do not often have physical access to.
I am running ubuntu dapper on both the server and the laptop I will be using to access it. I am trying to run vnc on the :0 display. When I try to start it, it says that a vnc server is already running. However, there is no vnc server running. I checked both the process list and a port scan. How can I force it to run?

That's because VNC actually runs as an X display in its own right. Your console occupies :0, so you can't run a VNC display there.

However, there may be another way to get it to work. FC5 has a lightweight VNC server built into the desktop session, which is enabled through the Desktop -> Preferences -> Remote control applet. Ubuntu is quite similar, so you may find there is an equivalent. Otherwise, you'll just have to settle for running a display on :1.