HOWTO - Some notes about setting up VNC server in Fedora

[raoul]

Some notes about setting up VNC server in Fedora:
URL HAS CHANGED AGAIN :-( THIS IS FINAL
Configure the VNC server in Fedora (http://www.g-loaded.eu/2005/11/10/configure-vnc-server-in-fedora/)

Describes in short:

how to setup vnc server instances for one or multiple users
customize window manager, use vnc to start graphical applications on boot
enhance security with SSH tunnels

[mndar]

Thanks. I was thinking of doing a google for that just this morning.
While reading the article
I assume that we have setup a remote user account, named "leopard" and we want to start an X session through VNC for this user.
Can yout tell me how to setup a remote user account ?
Can client computer connect and use X even if the host computer has not started X ?

[raoul]

Can yout tell me how to setup a remote user account ?

You must somehow have access to the remote machine, either physical or logging in remotely, eg using SSH, in order to setup the vnc server or do anyhting else. A user account on the remote machine, plus the remote machine root's password are mandatory.

If there are no users, but you know the root's password, then try connecting as root with ssh. It may not be possible. It depends of the SSH server configuration, but you can try. For example:
# ssh my.remote.machine

Once logged in as root, you can add users with useradd. For example:
# useradd mndar
# passwd mndar

Can client computer connect and use X even if the host computer has not started X ?

An X session is started through VNC for a certain user. The general idea is the following:
-There is your user account on the remote machine.
-You start a VNC server instance for this user.
-The VNC server starts the X session for this user
-You can connect remotely to this X session using the VNC protocol. In other words you use vncviewer.

[raoul]

Can client computer connect and use X even if the host computer has not started X ?
You can connect to the remote machine's vnc server even if it has not started the X server on boot (i mean without booting in runlevel 5). The VNC server has nothing to do with it as it starts an X session for your remote user anyway.

[lvansteen]

Great guide Raoul!! VNC is a great piece of software although it consumes a lot of bandwith.

Why aren't there more people giving FreeNX a try? It's working great and consumes less bandwith.

More information on FreeNX can he found on http://myco.dyndns.org/blog/index.php?p=32

[Zigzagcom]

FreeNX How to without the need for an e-mail

http://fedoranews.org/contributors/rick_stout/freenx/

[lvansteen]

I know it is a bit funny to send me first a mail, but I had it before that people start downloading just to dowload (because they cannot resist ?) and I hit my traffic limit with my provider...

And in Belgium, ordering addidtional GBs is expensive (damn you providers!!!)

[raoul]

To Luc Van Steen:
Web hosting is a bit expensive here in Greece too. I can understand about asking for an email, but it's a difficult decision for someone to send an email these days :-) I keep all these things in my home server. I know my bandwidth su_cks though.
Anyway, your blog contains much info. What I have realized the last months, when I got involved in blogging myself, is that there are tons of useful information in the people's blogs around the web. They are a fantastic source of information.

To Zigzagcom :
I had seen your article about freenx, which BTW is great, and I was definetely going to try NX sometime. I wrote this document about vnc, because I am in the process of getting rid of all my notes (countless text files that lay around in my home dir) and I have decided to load my web page and blog with alli this.

[RustyJuggler]

To connect to the server when I have set up the ssh server. Do I use the same command with vncviewer? or do I have to SSH in?

Anders
Norway

[brunson]

Not to hijack the thread, but I went to try out this NX thingy. The install went fine, but all I get is a black screen in my client. I've tried linux -> localhost w/gnome, linux -> localhost w/custom+default startup script, linux -> another linux server w/custom+default startup script and windows -> linux w/kde. All of them give the same black screen with the default "X" cursor.

[RustyJuggler]

I don't have the commands service and chkconfig. What should I install to get them?

Anders
Norway

[brunson]

yum install chkconfig initscripts

[RustyJuggler]

Do you know which settings to use in Putty. I try to use the tunneling settings, but I can't start the SSH server. I can only start it from linux. The error I get is can't start display "" or something like that.

Anders
Norway

[raoul]

I don't have the commands service and chkconfig. What should I install to get them?

maybe you have used su to become root instead of su-, so /sbin/ is not in your PATH (http://www.troubleshooters.com/linux/prepostpath.htm). You could try:
# /sbin/service ...
# /sbin/chkconfig ....

[RustyJuggler]

Thanks, I got it to work, now I just have to get tunneling to work from windows with putty. When I write localhost:3 in the vncviewer after setting up tunneling in putty. The vncviewer just disappeares, and I have to stop it in task manager in windows.

Anders
Norway

[raoul]

Here are some detailed instructions. I ve used the linux port of putty, but it's the same thing.

In the configuration panel:

1- Go to Connection -> SSH -> Tunnels

2- Set the following for a local port forwarding example :
Source port: 25903
Destination: 127.0.0.1:5903
NOTES: 25903 is a random unused port in your local machine, 5903 is the port that your vnc server in listening on the remote machine.

3- Make sure Local and Auto are selected

4- Press the Add button to add the tunnel to the list

5- Make the connection to the SSH server with putty

6- While putty is connected, run vncviewer with the following connection settings:
127.0.0.1:25903:3

Hope this helps