Re: [Sheflug] X server for windows

["Chris J/#6" <nospam [at] nccnet.co.uk>]

> 
> Just to save me figuring this out for myself.. :-) :
> 
> Is VNC a client/server system, or just an X client?
> 
> I might use this on a Win98 machine, to connect to a Linux box running
> X - would I need to run VNC on the box as well as on the Windoze
> machine?
> 
> Baz.
> 

Client/server ... you run the server on box 1, and the client (the viewer 
tool) on box 2.

The UNIX version of VNC comes with an X server, Xvnc, which can be ran 
multiple times (allowing multiple users to have individual desktops).

Where it differs from, say, Exceed is that Exceed is an X server for Win32. 
When you run Exceed and connect to a UNIX box running X, any client you run 
on the UNIX box (xterm, xeyes etc ...) makes a connection to Exceed. Hence 
shutting Exceed down will kill any clients you have running. In this case, 
the DISPLAY environment variable would be summat like: pc-running-exceed:0.0

With VNC, the clients connect to Xvnc, which is running on the server - so 
when you shut the viewer down, you don't kill the clients - you just close 
the view onto the desktop. DISPLAY in this case would be set to, say, 
localhost:0.0

Now - as multiple people can run VNC, each desktop is different. Xvnc, by 
default, starts at display 1, and with each sucessive VNC, the display 
increments ... so if bob runs vncserver, he'll have display :1. Alice comes 
along 5 mins later -- Bob's got :1, so Alice will get display :2. This 
translates directly to TCP port numbers ... display :1 is usually 5901, 
display :2, 5902 etc...

The Win32 VNC server is different, in that all it gives you is a view onto 
the desktop - it doesn't allow users individual desktops...it's more like 
PC-duo, PC-anywhere, and the like on Win32. The client you can then run on 
<insert any platform you want> to connect (and control) the Win32 system.

So....in your case. You'd need to install all of VNC on the Linux box, but on 
the Windows box all you need is the 150k VNC viewer...you can install the 
whole lot if you want, but the viewer is standalone and will run by itself.

It's very straightforward to use... :) Once installed on linux, you type:

	vncserver

which is a shell script that just sets a few things then spawns Xvnc, telling 
you which display it's started on (starting from :1 and incrementing). The 
first time you run vncserver it asks you to set a password, which will be 
asked for every time you connect with the viewer.

to run the viewer, start it on windows...it asks for the machine you want to 
connect to...just enter (if UNIX box is called tron) "tron:1" (or whatever 
the display is, as reported by vncserver...tron:2, tron:3 etc). Then enter 
the password you set. And you're connected. :)

Alternatively, fire up a browser (IE, NS or some other Java browser) and 
enter the URL:
	http://tron:5801
(or 5802 5803 ... depending on display), and Xvnc's http support will blast a 
Java client to your browser which starts, which asks you for password, and 
you're away.

Note the change of base port number...VNC viewer TCP ports start from 5900 
.. http viewer ports start at 5800 :) The port # is basically this base + 
display number - the default display is :1 with Xvnc and :0 with Win32 VNC.

Chris...

-- 
Chris Johnson            \  "If not for me then, do it for yourself. If not
sixie@nccnet.co.uk        \  for then do it for the world." -- Stevie Nicks
www.nccnet.co.uk/~sixie/   ~---------------------------------------+
Redclaw chat - http://redclaw.org.uk - telnet redclaw.org.uk 2000   \______


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