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FishB8
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 23, 2003 2:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ok, two questions:

First, I thought connecting vnc viewer through shh would be a breeze but I'm getting a little confused. cyfred: how did you get vnc to connecto using an ssh tunnel. Is it simply a matter of setting up port forwarding or is it more complex than that? Do you have to use the -via option on vncviewer? When you connect, how do you specify BOTH a port and a display number?

Second, what settings must I change so that kdm will allow remote root to login. (I know it's supposedly a security risk, but I'm not too worried about it since any connections through my firewall will have to be routed through an ssh tunnel.)

Thanks!
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foober
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 23, 2003 4:53 pm    Post subject: Grey-screen dilemma too! Reply with quote

Hi All,

I've got the same problem as an earlier poster: The port responds to a VNC request, and loads the standard X Server grey desktop, but no window manager is invoked.

I don't know the sequence of scripts that are invoked here, and none of my log files are showing any errors, so I'm at a bit of a loss.

Could someone explain the script chain that's invoked when wanting to start kdm from an xinetd port like this?

-foober
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RioFL
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 23, 2003 11:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Lines:

A huge thank you is too little! This has just simplified my life more than you know. I previously had as many as 6 different configurations on one machine and i use remote on 3 machines! I could trash all that and use one simple gdm login now. It worked first time with absolutely no issues at all!

In fact it has given me a few ideas to simplify my network.:)

This should have a document position all its own where people can easily find it in the main documentation page.

Chuck
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FishB8
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 24, 2003 9:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ok, I figured out the answers to my own questions:

First: stupid mistake, I was forwarding to the wrong port. :roll: Forward to the correct port and everything works fine.

Second: allowing remote root access through KDM is by setting a variable in KDM's config file. easy.


===** Those of you who are getting grey screens! **===

This is normal. (Or at least is has been for me) You are probably just closing the window before the display fully loads. I'm using KDM and I get a grey screen with the standard X cursor too, but if I just wait for about 5 seconds the KDM login screen finally comes up. It is an obnoxiously long wait, but it works. See if not waiting long enough is the problem, it may be that nothing is wrong after all. :D
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nuTTeLLo
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 25, 2003 10:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Regarding this Xvnc. I would say the service works like a charm on the local network. But I have a question, I intend to use this method through a firewall to access my box other then from my LAN, how does one do this.
And also there doesn't seem to be any prompting for passwords when I use a local vnc viewer to connect. Is this only bacuse I'm connecting it through a LAN? If I were to connect from an outside network, how would I enable passwords for the service?
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FishB8
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PostPosted: Tue Aug 26, 2003 8:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

To access vnc from outstide the network you need to open up the port on the firewall that you intend to connect through. Secondly, you need to have your router set up so that it directs incomming connections on that port to your computer OR direct the incomming port to a server set up with VNC Reflector (It's sort of like a VNC proxy server) which allows you to connect to ANY computer on the LAN with VNC.

You shouldn't need any prompting for passwords, there's no need for it. The display manager does that for you.

You might also want to consider using a VPN tunnel of some sort to connect VNC through when connecting from outside the network. Personally I use an SSH tunnel.
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lines
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PostPosted: Sun Aug 31, 2003 1:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You should always use a SSH tunnel to connect to your vnc box, because vnc sends your keystrokes in plain text!!! That way everything you type, including passwords could possibly be read by other users.

Been on vacation for a while and saw this many posts :D
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Athrawn17
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 01, 2003 7:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

how does one start a gdm server?
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 04, 2003 2:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

probably just install gdm
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vish
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 07, 2003 9:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

All the people who get a grey screen
edit
~/.vnc/xstartup

and on the last line if u have twm put startkde
and it will work!!
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foober
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 08, 2003 1:58 am    Post subject: Not quite... Reply with quote

My xstartup file looks like this:

#!/bin/sh

xrdb $HOME/.Xresources
xsetroot -solid grey
xterm -geometry 80x24+10+10 -ls -title "$VNCDESKTOP Desktop" &
startkde &

So clearly it's a different problem. There's nothing in any of the logs indicating any kind of error that I can see...I just have a blank grey screen.

Bummer.
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Mickys21
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 08, 2003 1:21 pm    Post subject: Tightvnc Reply with quote

Problem I have, is ive followed all instructions on how to setup tightvnc etc,

on gentoo terminal if I type
vncserver

i get this up
vncserver
xauth: (argv):1: bad display name "bt888613:1" in "add" command

New 'X' desktop is bt888613:1

Starting applications specified in /root/.vnc/xstartup
Log file is /root/.vnc/bt888613:1.log



on my windows2k machine on tightvnc i type my gentoo ip address:
x.x.x.x:5901 and it connect and works fine.

however if I want to connect to another tightvnc window i try x.x.x.x:5902
it says "failed to connect to server".

So i type vncserver again from my gentoo machine and recieved this:

vncserver
xauth: (argv):1: bad display name "bt888613:2" in "add" command

New 'X' desktop is bt888613:2

Starting applications specified in /root/.vnc/xstartup
Log file is /root/.vnc/bt888613:2.log

so i tried to connect x.x.x.x:5902 and it worked,

What id like to do is to run from the same port (if possible) and not to type in vncserver everytime I want to run vncserver from w2k machines.

any ideas, all my config files are identical to the ones in the howto.
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 09, 2003 2:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you followed all directions, there should be several ports waiting for you to connect. Just try connecting from your w2k box to display number :71

vncviewer yourhost:71

Another resolution could be by taking the last 2 numbers from your config file and use that number as display number (the number 71 in the example above)

With my guide there is no need for a vncserver to be started manually. (that's the whole point actually)
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christsong84
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 10, 2003 11:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

new problem...it now says in the title "nobody's desktop"...so how do I get a normal user's desktop?
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n00b
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 11, 2003 7:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

nobody :D that's because the service gets started as user nobody.
If you want to fix you probably have to take a peek into the source code
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Mickys21
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 11, 2003 9:14 am    Post subject: New problem (2) Reply with quote

Using display manager xdm
and 'enlightenment'
all set in the relevant config files

set every config file to the documentation

connect using windows tightvnc and recieve grey screen and cursor

is there anything I have missed out on?


=================================================


btw. fixed my above problem, Xaccess file was incorrect.
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Mickys21
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 11, 2003 12:43 pm    Post subject: Re: New problem (2) Reply with quote

Mickys21 wrote:
Using display manager xdm
and 'enlightenment'
all set in the relevant config files

set every config file to the documentation

connect using windows tightvnc and recieve grey screen and cursor

is there anything I have missed out on?


=================================================


btw. fixed my above problem, Xaccess file was incorrect.




The above problem being 3 or so posts up not this one.
Micky.
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n00b
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 12, 2003 6:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I see a lot of people with that grey problem. Has anybody fixed it yet? As i can't reproduce the problem.

Don't forget that gdm/xdm or whatever must be running!!!!
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s1lver
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PostPosted: Sun Sep 14, 2003 8:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I've never delt with vnc before, and I think I'm not doing this in a secure maner. I log in to the console and use startx to get kde up and running, this is the way I want it to be and the only way I can get vnc to work is if I first log in as root and start kdm.

Any ideas of what I should do to not have to su to root first?
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n00b
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PostPosted: Tue Sep 16, 2003 12:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

you'll probably have to :

rc-update add xdm default
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FishB8
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PostPosted: Mon Sep 29, 2003 3:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Would anybody know why the Desktop fonts are not the same when connecting with VNC? I'm using KDE and for some reason different (ugly) fonts are substituted for the fonts I selected in the settings. Could it be that that the rendering of certain font types has not been turned on for the XVNC sessions?

BTW: My XF86Config is configured to pull all fonts from the font server.
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magrathea
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 01, 2003 3:47 am    Post subject: good howto and follow ups Reply with quote

woo, interesting interesting...

Ill try this sometime, but since my laptop had a meeting with the floor today, im doubtful it will be soon.

Well, hopefully everything but the screen works ok, in that case i got a new server to configure.. mp3 server perhaps.. Or is it possible to get good divx/dvd playback on my 333mhz with 256mb ram and ati rage lt pro 4mb gfx ??

Ops.. didnt mean to steal the show.. If you have any interesting tips, send them to me or post, thx.
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snorkel
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 01, 2003 10:12 pm    Post subject: Re: How to turn your box into a Xvnc Terminal Server Reply with quote

lines wrote:
:!: Scroll down to see the tutorial :D :!:

Anybody interested in a vncserver on linux that functions like a windows terminal server?



Hey thanks, it works sweet. I can access my desktop from any windows box with vnc.


Snorkel
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n00b
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 02, 2003 12:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

FishB8 wrote:
Would anybody know why the Desktop fonts are not the same when connecting with VNC?


I'm not sure yet. But i think it has nothing to do with my tutorial but more with vnc. My metacity theme doesn't match too.
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ThE_TemPLaR
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 02, 2003 5:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The grey screen problem seems to be hard to solve.

gdm is well configured.
man Xvnc doesn't give any information on how work Xvnc so I can't know why it doesn't invoke gdm properly.

All I have is :

gdm is launched in root

Metalog gets that :

Code:
Oct  2 18:54:19 [xinetd] START: vnc-1024x768x24 pid=6867 from=127.0.0.1
Oct  2 18:56:00 [gdm] gdm_child_action: Aborting display localhost:1
Oct  2 18:56:56 [gconfd (root-6886)] starting (version 2.4.0.1), pid 6886 user 'root'
Oct  2 18:56:56 [gconfd (root-6886)] Resolved address "xml:readonly:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.mandatory" to a read-only config source at position 0
Oct  2 18:56:56 [gconfd (root-6886)] Resolved address "xml:readwrite:/root/.gconf" to a writable config source at position 1
Oct  2 18:56:56 [gconfd (root-6886)] Resolved address "xml:readonly:/etc/gconf/gconf.xml.defaults" to a read-only config source at position 2
oct  2 18:57:09 [su(pam_unix)] session closed for user root
Oct  2 18:57:17 [gdm(pam_unix)] session closed for user gamer


Any idea ?
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