Arch Linux

error17

Member

Registered: 2010-04-02

Posts: 11

Is it Possible to Use a Laptop as input/output device with X11 Server?

I have a dedicated server for which I have no monitor/mouse/keyboard, but I can connect my laptop to it with an Ethernet cable. Would it be possible to somehow use the laptop as if it was the screen/input of the server by connecting them over LAN?

Last edited by error17 (2010-04-02 23:15:49)

renuvio

Member

Registered: 2008-10-25

Posts: 49

Re: Is it Possible to Use a Laptop as input/output device with X11 Server?

Maybe could work for you X forwarding with ssh. In that way you can control the other box and even display the output of grafical and CLI apps from the lap.

brianhanna

Member

Registered: 2009-10-30

Posts: 157

Re: Is it Possible to Use a Laptop as input/output device with X11 Server?

Yes - there are several ways you could go about it.  You could use ssh with X11 forwarding (see the wiki ssh page) or you could use a remote desktop program like TightVNC (also has a wiki page)

tomk

Forum Fellow

From: Ireland

Registered: 2004-07-21

Posts: 9,839

Re: Is it Possible to Use a Laptop as input/output device with X11 Server?

You didn't say if the server is running X or not (servers don't need X, btw). If it's not, plain and simple ssh is the way to go.

error17

Member

Registered: 2010-04-02

Posts: 11

Re: Is it Possible to Use a Laptop as input/output device with X11 Server?

Yeah, I should definitely look into X forwarding.

You didn't say if the server is running X or not (servers don't need X, btw). If it's not, plain and simple ssh is the way to go.

heh, alright. Since SSH is what I used to control servers very far away, I figured there would be a more elegant way to do this when the machine is just 4 meters away with LAN connectivity. I also find it convenient to have a GUI when doing anything major on the server.

As I do not want X11 running all the time, I'm guessing that I would first need to have plain-SSH that I could use for minor stuff.

If I then want to do anything major, I'd use the SSH to start the X11 server and then connect a second time but with X11-SSH.

Last edited by error17 (2010-04-03 00:15:30)

tomk

Forum Fellow

From: Ireland

Registered: 2004-07-21

Posts: 9,839

Re: Is it Possible to Use a Laptop as input/output device with X11 Server?

Well, sure - UIs are definitely a matter of personal preference. My server is 7 metres away (vertically - but that's probably irrelevant) and even the thought of running X on it bewilders me. I'm persistently logged on to it via ssh, run a nice screen session, and there's nothing, minor or major, that I can't do with the cli.

Aside from all that - yeah, another vote for X forwarding.

renuvio

Member

Registered: 2008-10-25

Posts: 49

Re: Is it Possible to Use a Laptop as input/output device with X11 Server?

What OS are running the server and the laptop, error17?

ngoonee

Forum Fellow

From: Between Thailand and Singapore

Registered: 2009-03-17

Posts: 7,356

Re: Is it Possible to Use a Laptop as input/output device with X11 Server?

I've heard of some software named 'synergy' or something like that which allows you to use the mouse/keyboard on one machine to control the other machine, you may want to look it up.

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error17

Member

Registered: 2010-04-02

Posts: 11

Re: Is it Possible to Use a Laptop as input/output device with X11 Server?

What OS are running the server and the laptop, error17?

I'm gonna run the server with Arch and I'm planning to have the laptop dual booted with Arch as well.

I think I'm probably just gonna use my main desktop PC instead of the laptop though.

Spacenick

Member

From: Germany

Registered: 2010-04-02

Posts: 168

Re: Is it Possible to Use a Laptop as input/output device with X11 Server?

You might also look into Synergy this software allows you to share your mouse and keyboard across computers.

renuvio

Member

Registered: 2008-10-25

Posts: 49

Re: Is it Possible to Use a Laptop as input/output device with X11 Server?

The original Synergy is in Sourceforge, unfortunately hasn't been updated since 2006:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/synergy2/files/

But there is Synergy+, and is in AUR:

http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29622