Remote Desktop / Terminal Server

[sproot]

I'm sure this must be simple, but I don't know it's name in Linux, so I can't set it up:

I want to run two boxes, one of them headless (no kvm).
How do I run the desktop on the other machine ala 'remote desktop' on Windoze?

NB: VNC won't do, I want to use the remoting ability of X, isn't that the point of it?

TIA

[gypsy98101]

Re: Remote Desktop / Terminal Server

Sorry that I can't tell you how to do this, but I can tell you that I spent a lot of time trying to accomplish the same thing myself. What I tried was several different versions of VNC that would allow you to connect remotely even without being logged in to a current session on the host box. Then I tried to follow the instructions for remoting an X-session to another box but I never could get that to work either.

I know you asked for help actually doing this, and I didn't provide you with the answer you were seeking. But I thought maybe knowing that someone else has already walked a long way down this path without ever getting to the end would be of interest to you.

And FYI, I actually have this exact set up between a Kubuntu box and two headless XP hosts. Works great this way. But setting up a Kubuntu host, that's a different story. So if you figure this out, please share.

[javierrivera]

Re: Remote Desktop / Terminal Server

There are around one or two thousand ways of doing this .

My personal favourite is NX. It will compress and encrypt the X protocol, and runs incredibly well over low bandwitch.

You will need to install a NXServer on the server machine, you can install the propietary nomachine server (http://www.nomachine.com) free for up two simultaneous connections or the open source FreeNX.

You will also need a client on the client machines.

Javier.

[mfburgo]

Re: Remote Desktop / Terminal Server

I'm sure this must be simple, but I don't know it's name in Linux, so I can't set it up:

I want to run two boxes, one of them headless (no kvm).
How do I run the desktop on the other machine ala 'remote desktop' on Windoze?

NB: VNC won't do, I want to use the remoting ability of X, isn't that the point of it?

TIA

You should install xming http://www.straightrunning.com/XmingNotes/ this will allow you to connect either using ssh with X11 forwarding and run the x apps directly. ( they look just like any other app on your win computer ) or via X11 broadcast with root window like remote desktop.

This is the best way to get the functunality your looking for...
Mark

[javierrivera]

Re: Remote Desktop / Terminal Server

I understand that he has two linux machines...

Javier.

[sproot]

Re: Remote Desktop / Terminal Server



gypsy98101
If I get it working, I'll be only too happy to share

javierrivera
I'm sure there are (like always!) and I'd seen FreeNX before, but it looked far too complicated.
In Windoze it's so simple that I thought LInux must be a complete no brainer - no additional software, no config, just run the right app on the kvm machine and point it at the headless one. Get a desktop in a window, just like rdesktop does for Windoze boxes.

I'll give FreeNX another look - I was quite new to LInux last I looked (still am) - but I'm a bit more confident to compile things now.

mfburgo
I can get it working on Windows, I have Exceed, I can't believe it's so difficult on Linux. Although I took a look on straightrunning and saw the XDMCP protocol referenced - that rang some bells, I'm sure I saw that when I looked last time. I think that's what I'm trying to configure.


Thanks all, for your time, I'll let you know how I get on
sproot

[javierrivera]

Re: Remote Desktop / Terminal Server

Try the nomachine server. It's much easier than FreeNx. No compile needed. No SSH-Key exchange.

Download the debs, install then. Download the client deb, install them.

Linux can share screen as easy as windows. But the default way to do it is to use VNC, and you have ruled it out.

For VNC just go to the internet menu, select Krfb an it usually works out of the box.

Javier.

[mfburgo]

Re: Remote Desktop / Terminal Server

Ok, I was confused because you broght windows into this.

You want to enable xdmcp on linux so you get the chooser.

You need to edit the /etc/kde3/kdm/kdmrc file to allow access.

It is in the [XDMCP] section...

Mark

[gypsy98101]

Re: Remote Desktop / Terminal Server

Again, if you get this working, I'd LOVE to know how.

But now that you brought it up, I'm trying it again. I looked at the NX server thing and I refuse to invest that much time trying to figure it out. I keep thinking back to how all I had to do was click "Allow users to connect remotely to this computer" and I was done with the other OS.

I think the XDMCP has promise, because I think this is exactly what it was designed to do. So I enabled it, restarted, and tried to remotely connect from my other linux box. Something happened and I saw the generic "X" cursor for all of one second, then a black screen and nothing. Had to reboot to get out of it.

I tried googling "XDMCP" for some help and couldn't find anything written about it in this millennium. Apparently not a very popular solution. So I thought maybe I could get some help from the man pages for XDMCP. Wrong, there are none.

At no time is the stark distinction between "saying" and "doing" more apparent then when trying to actually implement some of the advice given on these forums.

This is exactly where I was a year ago the last time I tried doing this. Only I spent days back then and I refuse to do it again. And so with my blood pressure sufficiently high, I have decided to let someone else perform this trivial task. But when/if you get it working, please share.

[mfburgo]

Re: Remote Desktop / Terminal Server

Again, if you get this working, I'd LOVE to know how.

But now that you brought it up, I'm trying it again. I looked at the NX server thing and I refuse to invest that much time trying to figure it out. I keep thinking back to how all I had to do was click "Allow users to connect remotely to this computer" and I was done with the other OS.

I think the XDMCP has promise, because I think this is exactly what it was designed to do. So I enabled it, restarted, and tried to remotely connect from my other linux box. Something happened and I saw the generic "X" cursor for all of one second, then a black screen and nothing. Had to reboot to get out of it.

I tried googling "XDMCP" for some help and couldn't find anything written about it in this millennium. Apparently not a very popular solution. So I thought maybe I could get some help from the man pages for XDMCP. Wrong, there are none.

At no time is the stark distinction between "saying" and "doing" more apparent then when trying to actually implement some of the advice given on these forums.

This is exactly where I was a year ago the last time I tried doing this. Only I spent days back then and I refuse to do it again. And so with my blood pressure sufficiently high, I have decided to let someone else perform this trivial task. But when/if you get it working, please share.

Once you configure the settings in kdmrc create a new session and select the remote remote login ALT+R from the login screen menu. This should bring up the chooser for you to select your systems that are xdmcp enabled....

Mark

[javierrivera]

Re: Remote Desktop / Terminal Server

But now that you brought it up, I'm trying it again. I looked at the NX server thing and I refuse to invest that much time trying to figure it out.

I feel that it's quite simple.

Just go here:

http://www.nomachine.com/download.php

Click on download NXClient for linux, select deb.
Do the same for Nxnode and Nxserver (Free edition).

Go to the place on your computer where you stored the debs. Right click on them, select Kubuntu package menu, select install. Do it for the 3 items, preferable order client,node,server.

Now open a console and type:

$ sudo apt-get install -f update

Just in case that you don't have some dependencie.

Now do the same in the client machine, but only with the nxclient.

Go to the menu, open NXclient, type the server ip address, your username and your password.

Done.

Of course this needs some extra software. Like it or not, the default way to share a desktop in linux is Vnc. And it's quite easier than in that other OS.

Javier.

[javierrivera]

Re: Remote Desktop / Terminal Server

But when/if you get it working, please share.

BTW, I have Nxserver working through the internet with around 40 users right now.

And I'll lovely make you an account if you want to test it to my home machine, that runs under a 1Mb "Rural ADSL" with pathetic latency .

I had also run similar size networks under W2K TS and NX was easier for me.

That doesn't mean that RDP is not a nice technology, and vastly superior to VNC.

Javier.

[gypsy98101]

Re: Remote Desktop / Terminal Server

Mark,

I enabled the XDMCP in the kdmrc file on my host Kubuntu (feisty) box. Then I rebooted. So I think that's all I had to do. If there are other options I was supposed to set, I didn't cause I don't know what they are.

I then went to my other linux box, which happens to be dapper (if it matters). I then selected "Remote login" from the KDM chooser menu. It prompted me for the address of the remote box, I entered the IP address of the Feisty box. I clicked go and did not get a chooser. I got a black screen. For the briefest of moments I saw the generic "X" cursor for x-windows, but that went away and I was left with the black screen.

Did I do something wrong? Did I leave out steps? I would really like this to work, but there must be more that I just cant figure out.


Javier,

I've tried the VNC option and got much farther with it. The problem is I can't leave a session open on the remote box to connect to because I don't want to leave the computer logged in all the time to an active session when I'm not around. VNC would have to run in the background so I can just connect to a new session from the remote box. Accomplishing this is no trivial task.

[gypsy98101]

Re: Remote Desktop / Terminal Server

JAvier, I looked at the NX server and that might actually be worth looking into.  Although it seems to be more of a replacement for terminal services than remote desktop, so it might be overkill to install on one desktop computer.

[mfburgo]

Re: Remote Desktop / Terminal Server

Mark,

I enabled the XDMCP in the kdmrc file on my host Kubuntu (feisty) box. Then I rebooted. So I think that's all I had to do. If there are other options I was supposed to set, I didn't cause I don't know what they are.

I then went to my other linux box, which happens to be dapper (if it matters). I then selected "Remote login" from the KDM chooser menu. It prompted me for the address of the remote box, I entered the IP address of the Feisty box. I clicked go and did not get a chooser. I got a black screen. For the briefest of moments I saw the generic "X" cursor for x-windows, but that went away and I was left with the black screen.

Did I do something wrong? Did I leave out steps? I would really like this to work, but there must be more that I just cant figure out.


Javier,

I've tried the VNC option and got much farther with it. The problem is I can't leave a session open on the remote box to connect to because I don't want to leave the computer logged in all the time to an active session when I'm not around. VNC would have to run in the background so I can just connect to a new session from the remote box. Accomplishing this is no trivial task.

Just did it here on this machine. One more step exit Xaccess fileso that it is as below:

# Xaccess - Access control file for XDMCP connections
#
# To control Direct and Broadcast access:
#
#    pattern
#
# To control Indirect queries:
#
#    pattern     list of hostnames and/or macros ...
#
# To use the chooser:
#
#    pattern     CHOOSER BROADCAST
#
# or
#
#    pattern     CHOOSER list of hostnames and/or macros ...
#
# To define macros:
#
#    %name      list of hosts ...
#
# The first form tells xdm which displays to respond to itself.
# The second form tells xdm to forward indirect queries from hosts matching
# the specified pattern to the indicated list of hosts.
# The third form tells xdm to handle indirect queries using the chooser;
# the chooser is directed to send its own queries out via the broadcast
# address and display the results on the terminal.
# The fourth form is similar to the third, except instead of using the
# broadcast address, it sends DirectQuerys to each of the hosts in the list
#
# In all cases, xdm uses the first entry which matches the terminal;
# for IndirectQuery messages only entries with right hand sides can
# match, for Direct and Broadcast Query messages, only entries without
# right hand sides can match.
#

*                    #any host can get a login window

#
# To hardwire a specific terminal to a specific host, you can
# leave the terminal sending indirect queries to this host, and
# use an entry of the form:
#

#terminal-a   host-a


#
# The nicest way to run the chooser is to just ask it to broadcast
# requests to the network - that way new hosts show up automatically.
# Sometimes, however, the chooser can't figure out how to broadcast,
# so this may not work in all environments.
#

*        CHOOSER BROADCAST    #any indirect host can get a chooser

#
# If you'd prefer to configure the set of hosts each terminal sees,
# then just uncomment these lines (and comment the CHOOSER line above)
# and edit the %hostlist line as appropriate
#

#%hostlist   host-a host-b

#*       CHOOSER %hostlist    #