FC5 VNC won't start at boot

[crankshaft]

Hi;

I just upgraded from FC4 to FC5 (Fresh Install), and I am unable to get vncserver to start automatically.

As per FC4 I have edited the /root/.vnc/xstartup and /etc/sysconfig/vncservers files, and setup vncserver to load on boot through the services gui application.

During boot, the vncserver reports that it started sucessfully, however I am unable to login to a vnc session.

If I logon to the terminal and execute vncsever at the terminal, then vnc starts (even though it said it started during boot) and I can sucessfully login to a vnc session.

I have re-installed cleanly 3 times and get the same problem each time, I have also done a yum update before and after and it seems to make no difference.

Now I am stuck, the server has no permenant monitor / keyboard / mouse and is (and has been for the last 2 years) administered through vnc.

Help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Brian1]

Is there a firewall or selinux blocking access?

Brian1

[crankshaft]

Hi;

Thanx, Firewall off, selinux disabled.

If I logon to the console & manually run vncserver all is ok, but the vnc server (mdaemon) will not start automatically during boot even though the boot log shows vncserver starting sucessfully !!

[calabus]

I can't seem to get mine to start at all. In services it says it has started if I manually start it, but in the status window it reports as stopped. Can it not be run in a KDE enviro?

[Brian1]

Follow this link and check you have done it all.
http://fedoranews.org/tchung/vnc/

Post what you have in /etc/sysconfig/vncververs and in your home directory ~/.vnc/xstartup
Also as root and if you think it is running from boot type the command as root.
service --status-all | grep vncserver

Have you enabled it to boot up in runlevel 3,4,and 5. You can use the command and must be run as root.
chkconfig --level 345 vnc on

Brian1

[crankshaft]

Hi Brian;

Thanx, that's the same procedure which I've always used, except that my /root/.vnc/xstartup includes & kdestart which is the command I have always previously used in FC3 and FC4 to start KDE as the desktop, I have probably installed FC3 & FC4 a dozen times and have always got VNC to work first time.

What is most strange is that during the boot, if I show the boot details (ctrl-d), vncserver gets started with a green OK, but when the booting has finished, it is not started, I need to manually start it using vncserver in a terminal and then everything works as it should.

it looks like the vncserver daemon is just not starting - how can I check it's existince & configuration manually ?? - I even tried removing & re-installing vncserver but that did not help either !

[sej7278]

you have to have logged in via gdm before you can actually start a vnc session, otherwise there's no x session to connect to. i think there is a setting to allow you to login to gdm using vncviewer though.

freenx does it all....

[crankshaft]

Hi, OK now VNC starts up as a gnome session, however I have edited xstartup & replaced "twm &" with:

"kdestart &"

However KDE never starts up, it always starts as Gnome - and I have searched for kdestart in the file system and there's no such file !

Any ideas ??

[Brian1]

Should be startkde &

Also you may need to edit /etc/sysconfig/desktop
DESKTOP="KDE"
DISPLAYMANAGER=KDE

Brian1

[whitecloud1]

I had the same problem: vnc server insisted on using Gnome.
I solved the problem in a strange way:
I deleted the .vnc folders from /root and /home/user
I uninstalled vnc-server and vnc (both 4.1.1) using yum
I installed a slightly later viewer 4.1.2.
I reinstalled vnc-server 4.1.
----------------------
Now the .vnc folders are empty
I didn't have to reconfigure or setup vnc-server to load at boot
Somehow, it just works when I login from my mac powerbook.
I can also read and operate the powerbook desktop from fedora 5, so all is
well. if I need to copy files across in either direction, I use Samba.

I've no idea how this worked but it solved the KDE problem.

JB.