Hi everybody. I'm trying to setup some storage with a server, and I have to run a web browser to go to a specific IP from the CLI of my server.

I've never had to run a browser in Linux before, but through google I found that I should run
/usr/bin/firefox -new-window http://1.2.3.4

but I get
Error: no display specified

Right now I'm SSH'd to the server through Putty. Can someone tell me how to specify a display to make that webpage load from that server?

Or, is there some built-in browser to RHEL that I could run instead of Firefox? I don't believe i have any GUI's installed on this server, but not really sure how to confirm.

should work.

Assuming you're on Windows (hence PuTTY) get Xming (an Xserver) installed and running and enable X-forwarding in your PuTTY connection. Then when you run firefox it should run on the remote host but travel through the SSH to use your screen/keyboard/mouse.

Thanks guys. I'll try both them out later when I get back on that server.

This could be an issue with DISPLAY variable, so in any case if above suggested solutions do not help, then check and set the DISPLAY variable first. To check:

By default, Putty should have configured $DISPLAY for you.

Make sure X11 forwarding is enabled in putty (Connection....SSH....X11), also X11 forwarding is enabled on the server for sshd (sshd_config --> "X11Forwarding yes"), and X server running on Windows to throw display.

Alternatively, what I prefer is starting a vnc server on remote machine, and accessing using vnc client. That saves lost connection problems as well as time.

Regards,
_Ayush

Putty doesn't set any variables on the server; the ssh server does. And not by default, only if the client (putty) has specified to use an X tunnel. If the value of $DISPLAY gets set to 'localhost:n', where 'n' is some low valued integer, then the tunnel has been successfully set up. The tunnel will only be helpful if there is an X server running on the Windows host. Xming or cygwin-X are free and adequate for most things.

--- rod.

1 members found this post helpful.

Looks like I only have links on here.

Also, echo $DISPLAY returns nothing, just as an FYI.

$DISPLAY tells all X client applications where to find an X server. If that variable is not set, the application will not run (Error: no display specified). If it is set, it must be of the form 'hostname:n', where 'n' is the server number on that host, typically 0. In a tunneled X scenario, the hostname will be 'localhost', and the server number will be some low integer value. If you are logging in from Windows, you will have to have an X server running on the Windows host. The X client applications will use that X server to display the GUI of the X application on your Windows host (even though the application is running on the Linux host that you're logged into with SSH (Putty).
As someone has already mentioned, text-mode web browsers may be an option. As non-X applications, they don't need an X server, or care about $DISPLAY.

---- rod.

1 members found this post helpful.

Hi Rod..

Actually I meant the same when I said Putty would have set $DISPLAY for you, I meant ssh through putty causing ssh server to set it. (provided X tunnel is set in putty)
But thanks for clarifying the same as the way I have written is sounding quite wrong (technically).

You made it clear like a crystal.

Regards,
_Ayush