[CentOS] VNC question


Recommended Posts

I have a server here at work running the latest CentOS (not sure the version at the moment). I am able to connect via vnc as long as there is an active session running on the machine. But, that means I cannot log out nor reboot without then needing to physically login to the machine in the server room then go back to my desk and connect via vnc.

Surely there is a way to set vncserver to run at boot and allow a user to see the login screen first without needing an active session?

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/493499-centos-vnc-question/
Share on other sites

  AresXP said:

I'm not sure what you mean, I have xvnc setup on my server running without a hitch... try running it with & or use the "screen" command. Try this:

yum install screen :)

I mean this:

When I login to the box manually (meaning literally sitting at the connected keyboard and monitor) I am then able to connect remotely via VNC (from my desktop down the hall).

When I am not logged in (meaning CentOS is sitting at the login screen) I cannot connect via VNC from my desktop down the hall.

Our Windows servers give me the login prompt when I connect remotely. How can I set up CentOS to allow me to connect via VNC to the login screen?

I don't like having to leave a session open 24/7 just to be able to remotely connect. I'd like to log off when done working then be able to VNC back in and get teh login screen and open a new session.

Make sense? :wacko:

How about switching to FreeNX? It's both much faster than a VNC and also supports session spawning like you wish to (It's equivalent to the terminal services in Windows, although better)

For the Windows/Linux clients, visit www.nomachine.com and you can prolly grab the RPMs for CentOS unless they have a repository for it (I'm afraid I can only assist in SuSE FreeNX installations directly)

Oh and yes, it's completely free :) Supports SSH encryption, tunneling - the works. Only requires an open SSH port on the server.

heh .... the replies are funny.

ok , u need vncserver session going on boot itself (like not needing to make manual X login and then remotely vnc, ) now i hope i got it correct.

If so, then meet X11Vnc

Download at http://www.karlrunge.com/x11vnc/#downloading

checkout http://www.karlrunge.com/x11vnc/#faq-config-file

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q-8: I don't like typing arcane command line options every time I start x11vnc. What can I do? Is there a config file? Or a GUI?

You could create a shell script that calls x11vnc with your options:

#!/bin/sh

#

# filename: X11vnc (i.e. not "x11vnc")

# It resides in a directory in $PATH. "chmod 755 X11vnc" has been run on it.

#

x11vnc -wait 50 -localhost -rfbauth $HOME/.vnc/passwd -display :0 $*

a similar thing can be done via aliases in your shell (bash, tcsh, csh, etc..).

Or as of Jun/2004 you can use the simple $HOME/.x11vncrc config file support. If that file exists, each line is taken as a command line option. E.g. the above would be:

# this is a comment in my ~/.x11vncrc file

wait 50 # this is a comment to the end of the line.

-localhost # note: the leading "-" is optional.

rfbauth /home/fred/.vnc/passwd

display :0

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Update: now i think , you should put this startx11.sh script in /etc/init.d/ and make this as ON by chkconfig . (b carefull , havnt done this myself :p )

I used to do this in another way too, long time ago, but forgot.

maybe like [ root@host#chkconfig --level 235 vncserver on] and restarting linux , then trying remote vncviewer or something. bah, forgot it completely actually.

  daPhoenix said:

What's funny about suggesting a vastly superior product?

VNC is dead, buried and forgotten - no one in their right mind uses it anymore, for anything.

What the hell? I use VNC on a daily basis when I need to administer my mother's computer from here at school. I know a vast number of people who use it as well. VNC is anything but dead.

  kyro said:

sooooo what happened? What worked for you afterall Aaron ?

Oh, sorry for not posting back. I've not been able to get the FreeNX to work. I have the windows client and the server, node, and client installed on the linux box. I can see the server, try to connect, but it gives me a server not configured properly error. I have enable the account, password DB, etc. I'm not saying it is not working, but rather that I have not yet got it working. It may be better than VNC but it sure is more complex to get running.

  Aaron said:

Oh, sorry for not posting back. I've not been able to get the FreeNX to work. I have the windows client and the server, node, and client installed on the linux box. I can see the server, try to connect, but it gives me a server not configured properly error. I have enable the account, password DB, etc. I'm not saying it is not working, but rather that I have not yet got it working. It may be better than VNC but it sure is more complex to get running.

ya, its kindof tricky to get it working, especially the part of creating SSH-key and importing it in windows/client part.

You might like the guide/howto at the following link http://fedoranews.org/contributors/rick_stout/freenx/ .

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • anyone know of any VNC viewers that can do a full 4k and scaling to a mac from windows? RDP does it fine from a mac to windows and windows to windows... but I can't seem to get it to do 4k with UltraVNC and have it scaled to match from windows to the mac
    • At least on Mint... Debian is the 'backup' option (i.e. LMDE6) where as regular Mint is Ubuntu. also, Debian tends to play stuff a bit more conservatively than Ubuntu (at least based on Mint) with kernel and programs. also, even Mint's 'Update Manager' is more refined in regular Mint vs LMDE6 and installing NVIDIA driver is easier on regular Mint etc. not only that but LMDE6 only comes with Cinnamon which is a shame as they should offer the option for Xfce. I realize playing around with it in a VM one can install Xfce on it but it would be nice to have a more official Xfce release like how the regular Mint does. so while I heard Debian is a little snappier than Ubuntu (so better on some level), Ubuntu is probably the overall wiser choice unless people don't mind using a bit older stuff etc. but honestly, with some tweaks I would not mind if they changed the main Mint to Debian base instead of Ubuntu. but that's probably not likely to happen unless Ubuntu really does something the Mint team does not like. p.s. but I was building Super Mario 64 (native PC port on Linux) a while ago and it does not like regular Mint but works fine on LMDE6. but at that point I just transferred the final binary out of the VM back to my regular Mint and it works fine.
    • Excel is getting a highly requested PivotTable feature by Usama Jawad Microsoft Excel is one of the most popular software out there, both in the enterprise and personal space. It has a variety of use-cases including data analysis, data crunching, visualizations, and even planning and organization assistance. Microsoft regularly updates Excel with new features, and now, it is introducing a notable feature for PivotTables. Prior to today, PivotTables required a manual refresh from the user whenever new data was inserted into them. This wasn't a particularly complicated process, but it was tedious, so based on significant user feedback, Microsoft has decided to implement auto-refresh capabilities in PivotTables. The good thing is that Auto Refresh is enabled for all new PivotTables by default, but you can choose to disable it by selecting a PivotTable, navigating to the PivotTable Analyze tab, and then clicking on Auto Refresh. It is important to note that Auto Refresh is applicable on a per data source level, which means that the feature's state (on or off) will apply to all PivotTables derived from that source. Additionally, if Auto Refresh is disabled or a PivotTable is unable to synchronize, a message at the bottom of your workbook will say "PivotTable Refresh Needed". Once you click on it, all outdated PivotTables will refresh. Finally, you should keep in mind that external and asynchronous data sources do not support Auto Refresh and that the feature may become unavailable when a co-author is using an older version of Excel or if you are playing around with volatile functions like RAND() and NOW() in your data source. Auto Refresh for PivotTables is available right now in the Beta Channel for Excel for Windows version 2506 (Build 19008.2000) or later, and Excel for Mac version 16.99 (Build 250616106) or later. If you don't see it yet, it's better to wait as new capabilities are often rolled out in a staggered manner.
    • Hell of a legacy, hell of a bad person...
  • Recent Achievements

    • First Post
      Electronic Person earned a badge
      First Post
    • Week One Done
      CyberCeps666 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Very Popular
      d4l3d earned a badge
      Very Popular
    • Dedicated
      Stephen Leibowitz earned a badge
      Dedicated
    • Dedicated
      Snake Doc earned a badge
      Dedicated
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      627
    2. 2
      ATLien_0
      242
    3. 3
      Xenon
      163
    4. 4
      neufuse
      130
    5. 5
      +FloatingFatMan
      124
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!