Getting started with tightvnc

Mr Green · 2007-10-28 10:13:11

Ok installed tightvnc read wiki page

.vnc is root only is this correct?

would like to set it up so my laptop can access Desktop [without being open to the web!]

thinking along the lines of port forwarding but only visible to my lappy

Not afraid of getting down and dirty in a terminal

If I can get Gnome Desktop [via vnc!] would be a start

TIA

MrGreen

tomk · 2007-10-28 10:23:23

Don't run vnc as root, and don't expose vnc to the internet. Run it as user, and set up whatever you need in ~/.vnc. If you really need to access a vnc session over the net, tunnel it inside ssh.

Mr Green · 2007-10-28 10:40:47

[ ~ ] > ls -la .vnc
ls: cannot open directory .vnc: Permission denied

as installed I can change it not a problem

just need laptop to be able to access Desktop ... nothing more

files and stuff

Guess I could do that via ssh

thanks

[did a search but I was looking for guides etc...]

Samba not sure its what I need

What I need is a file manager I can access remotely

get a box appear onscreen but no idea what to put in it ? password???

Last edited by Mr Green (2007-10-28 11:00:21)

Mr Green · 2007-10-28 12:43:49

vncviewer localhost:1
Connected to RFB server, using protocol version 3.8
Enabling TightVNC protocol extensions
Performing standard VNC authentication
Password: 
Authentication successful
Desktop name "root's X desktop (myhost:1)" 
VNC server default format:
  32 bits per pixel.
  Least significant byte first in each pixel.
  True colour: max red 255 green 255 blue 255, shift red 16 green 8 blue 0
Warning: Cannot convert string "-*-helvetica-bold-r-*-*-16-*-*-*-*-*-*-*" to type FontStruct
Using default colormap which is TrueColor.  Pixel format:
  32 bits per pixel.
  Least significant byte first in each pixel.
  True colour: max red 255 green 255 blue 255, shift red 16 green 8 blue 0
Using shared memory PutImage
Same machine: preferring raw encoding
CleanupSignalHandler called
ShmCleanup called
[ ~ ] > vncviewer myhost:1
Couldn't convert 'myhost' to host address
[ ~ ] > vncviewer myhost:2
Couldn't convert 'myhost' to host address
[ ~ ] > vncviewer
Couldn't convert 'myhost' to host address
[ ~ ] > vncviewer
Connected to RFB server, using protocol version 3.8
Enabling TightVNC protocol extensions
Performing standard VNC authentication
Authentication successful
Desktop name "root's X desktop (myhost:1)"
VNC server default format:
  32 bits per pixel.
  Least significant byte first in each pixel.
  True colour: max red 255 green 255 blue 255, shift red 16 green 8 blue 0
Warning: Cannot convert string "-*-helvetica-bold-r-*-*-16-*-*-*-*-*-*-*" to type FontStruct
Using default colormap which is TrueColor.  Pixel format:
  32 bits per pixel.
  Least significant byte first in each pixel.
  True colour: max red 255 green 255 blue 255, shift red 16 green 8 blue 0
Using shared memory PutImage
Same machine: preferring raw encoding
ShmCleanup called
[ ~ ] > vncserver 
xauth: (argv):1:  bad display name "myhost:3" in "add" command

New 'X' desktop is myhost:3

Starting applications specified in /home/mrgreen/.vnc/xstartup
Log file is /home/mrgreen/.vnc/myhost:3.log

[ ~ ] > vncviewer myhost:3
Couldn't convert 'myhost' to host address
[ ~ ] > vncviewer 
Couldn't convert 'myhost' to host address

Not sure what I am doing wrong?

cautha · 2008-06-15 02:42:17

I guess I'm really good at bringing up old threads

I've got Debian/Gnome/Vino set up at my grandma's place... or so I thought. (Turns out that her computer is too ancient to run Arch! Alas.)

The program gave me the command "vncviewer x1-6-00-19-5b-31-17-1c.befr1.on.cogeco.ca:0" to use to connect to her box; however, when I copied said command into a terminal once I got home, I got the error "Couldn't convert 'x1-6-00-19-5b-31-17-1c.befr1.on.cogeco.ca' to host address".

Is it fixable from here? Gas is expensive, after all. Do I just need to use her IP instead?

Harry

Purch · 2008-06-15 08:28:54

cautha: perhaps the IP address has changed? btw, it looks like there is ethernet HWaddress in the dns name. I have never seen such. Ask them to check their IP address again. They can open this http://whatismyipaddress.com .

$ vncviewer "new ip address":0

cautha · 2008-06-15 15:44:03

Okay... this is weird.

[harry@kon ~]$ vncviewer 24.226.116.110:0
vncviewer: ConnectToTcpAddr: connect: Connection refused
Unable to connect to VNC server

I definitely checked checked the box (as root) that said something like "Allow others to connect to this computer." I did put a password, though. How do I input that?

It's really important that I get this working. Any Gnome experts out there?

Thanks in advance!

Harry

Last edited by cautha (2008-06-15 16:01:43)

cautha · 2008-06-16 01:36:27

I've now got SSH access to her box!

Harry

tigrmesh · 2008-06-16 04:52:17

Would you please explain what you did that made it work and then mark this thread solved? Thanks!

Edit: congratulations!

Last edited by tigrmesh (2008-06-16 04:52:41)

cautha · 2008-06-16 05:24:04

I picked up the phone, and gave her the following instructions (she's my grandma, so they had to be basic):

1) Click applications, then click Accessories, then click "Root terminal".
2) Type in the root password.
3) Type: apt-get install openssh-server openssh-client

This gave me the ability to connect to her box via SSH and install x11vnc, which is what I really wanted. Users might also be interested in java-vnc, which happens to be in Debian's "contrib" repo; it allows one to start a VNC session from within a web browser. I installed both. (Before anyone starts complaining, I was going to use Arch, but her computer is too old for an i686-optimized distro.)

The command I used to start a VNC session is as follows:

x11vnc -forever -usepw -httpdir /usr/share/vnc-java/ -httpport 5800 &

Since this thread is not mine, I can't mark it as solved. But I wanted to post here anyway, in case the information were useful to someone. I'd imagine that setting up ssh is not much harder in Arch, although it must involve editing /etc/rc.conf.

Harry

EDIT: I just realized that the box I checked earlier had to do with something called "Remote Desktop." It occurs to me that "Remote Desktop" and "VNC" might not mean the same thing in Gnomespeak. Out of curiosity, what is the Remote Desktop service, and how would one enable it/connect to a computer using it? Obviously checking the box and setting a password were not enough. But I've got VNC working fine -- no worries there.

Last edited by cautha (2008-06-16 06:48:38)

Arch Linux

#1 2007-10-28 10:13:11

Getting started with tightvnc

#2 2007-10-28 10:23:23

Re: Getting started with tightvnc

#3 2007-10-28 10:40:47

Re: Getting started with tightvnc

#4 2007-10-28 12:43:49

Re: Getting started with tightvnc

#5 2008-06-15 02:42:17

Re: Getting started with tightvnc

#6 2008-06-15 08:28:54

Re: Getting started with tightvnc

#7 2008-06-15 15:44:03

Re: Getting started with tightvnc

#8 2008-06-16 01:36:27

Re: Getting started with tightvnc

#9 2008-06-16 04:52:17

Re: Getting started with tightvnc

#10 2008-06-16 05:24:04

Re: Getting started with tightvnc

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