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Linux Graphical Terminal Server Thingy from a Windows Machine

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LAN_403

thedatastream

Sun Sept 16 2007, 08:10PM

Registered Member #505 Joined: Sun Nov 19 2006, 06:42PM
Location: Yorkshire!
Posts: 329

Nowthen,

With the recent purchase of a Wii for my wife's birthday present, I'm retiring the Xbox to become a Linux tinkering and file server machine and keep it in the cellar.

AFAIK I can use PuTTY to telnet in to get a virtual terminal on the command line. However, I'd like to be able to access a graphical windows system too like KDE or Gnome via the network. This access would be done from a Windows machine running XP Home.

So I need 2 things

1) An terminal server like application that runs under Linux that will run a virtual desktop that can be accessed from...
2) A program that run on a windows machine.

I'm new to Linux and this idea of a virtual terminal so I'm not sure where to start. Does anthing like this even exist?

Thanks in advance,
James

Carbon_Rod

Sun Sept 16 2007, 10:06PM

Registered Member #65 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 06:43AM
Location:
Posts: 1155

Some people may suggest you use xwindows (like xwin32)... I don't for many reasons...

tightVNC remote access over HTTPS in a VPN is better for most of people's needs...
(add rolling port-knock lockout too if you are paranoid)

SSH and SFTP are important too...

...

Sun Sept 16 2007, 11:10PM

Registered Member #56 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 05:02AM
Location: Southern Califorina, USA
Posts: 2445

I have excellent luck using freenx on the sever, and using nomachines nx viewer on the windows box (nomachine also has a free server available for linux, but it is only available as a prepackaged binary, and it limited to 2 sessions). I am not sure what distro you are running, but a lot of them have packages for freenx already available, you just use your package manager to install it, copy the key over to the windows box, and bam it works.

It has some incredibly efficient compression that it runs the data through, so you can even use it over things like a 56k modem

And it all runs over ssh so you don't have to worry about the insecurities associated with VNC. It also lets you run as many concurrent sessions as you want, resize the client window on the fly, etc, etc.

Cheers!

thedatastream

Mon Sept 17 2007, 07:16AM

Registered Member #505 Joined: Sun Nov 19 2006, 06:42PM
Location: Yorkshire!
Posts: 329

Thanks that looks like what I need

FreeNX -

NoMachines Windows Client -

Some screenshots -

I will be running Xebian (Xbox build of Debian) and it looks like there is some info on setting up freenx on Debain available on t'internet.

Ta muchly
James

Steve Conner

Mon Sept 17 2007, 12:38PM

Registered Member #30 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 10:52AM
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 6706

I use VNC because it came integrated into Ubuntu. I just use it directly on my home network, or tunnel it over SSH if I want to get into my Linux box from elsewhere.

PuTTY, WinSCP, and TightVNC are my "Ghetto VPN" toolkit. So far, I've never found anywhere that I can't get into my home Linux server from. I set it up so it has a ssh server on port 443, for places that block the regular ssh port, like my workplace's wi-fi.

Once in, I have access to all my files, as well as chat, archived e-mail, CVS repository, and backups with rsync.

I guess I should add WinCVS and rsync to that ghetto toolkit, then. Rsync is awesome, I even use it for syncing my portable mp3 player now. I use it under Cygwin when I'm in Windows.

thedatastream

Tue Sept 18 2007, 01:07PM

Registered Member #505 Joined: Sun Nov 19 2006, 06:42PM
Location: Yorkshire!
Posts: 329

Well, I've just had a demo of PuTTY and WinSCP by my colleague and I am quite impressed by the capabilities of both, especially when used together. I think these would probably end up being my default tools.

TightVNC looks like it gets lots of good press - I shall investigate this also.

Thanks for all the input
Your linux-noobishly
James

krenshala

Sat Jan 05 2008, 02:16AM

Registered Member #143 Joined: Sat Feb 11 2006, 04:25PM
Location: Austin TX, NorAm, Sol III
Posts: 28

If you get the full PuTTY install it includes a PSCP, PSFTP and a number of other packages. PSCP PSFTP and PuTTY are all I use of it, but it may save you from working multiple programs together. Of course, if it aint broke ... ;)

thedatastream

Sun Jan 06 2008, 08:15PM

Registered Member #505 Joined: Sun Nov 19 2006, 06:42PM
Location: Yorkshire!
Posts: 329

I've lost the XBox and now have my old desktop machine running Debian as a file server.

PuTTY and WinSCP are both being used to configure and manage things.

Still intending to try some kind of VNC in the future...

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