X on a virtual server
 

I'm thinking that in order to set up a remote X login to a given
machine, that X must be running and configured on that machine. But X
doesn't want to configure itself on a "virtual private server" that
has NO PHYSICAL VIDEO CARD, or so it seems to me at present.

But surely all the computing horsepower I have available to me in my
virtual private server (to which I have of course root access) can be
put in the service of providing X access to that server. Am I crazy,
or how do I set up X for remote login on a machine with no video card,
or even no physical existence?

--
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not a looney! Why should I be tarred with the epithet looney merely
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X on a virtual server
 

On Sun, 26 Jun 2011 03:11:51 -0400, Eric d'Halibut wrote:

> I'm thinking that in order to set up a remote X login to a given
> machine, that X must be running and configured on that machine.

I think you can make use of x forwarding, that is, running the X server
from machine where you are connecting, not from the one you connect to.
And there is also xvfb with VNC, NX...

> But X doesn't want to configure itself on a "virtual private server"
> that has NO PHYSICAL VIDEO CARD, or so it seems to me at present.

For this I can't tell. I dunno if Xorg needs any kind of device (being
real or virtual) in order to be properly launched. But for xvfb that
should be fine.

> But surely all the computing horsepower I have available to me in my
> virtual private server (to which I have of course root access) can be
> put in the service of providing X access to that server. Am I crazy, or
> how do I set up X for remote login on a machine with no video card, or
> even no physical existence?

Do you want to run a full DE session or just run a bunch of X
applications?

Greetings,

--
Camaleón


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X on a virtual server
 

On 06/26/11 at 03:11am, Eric d'Halibut wrote:
> I'm thinking that in order to set up a remote X login to a given
> machine, that X must be running and configured on that machine. But X
> doesn't want to configure itself on a "virtual private server" that
> has NO PHYSICAL VIDEO CARD, or so it seems to me at present.

yes, if you want to log in remotely to X, X must be present
VNC is designed for this purpose. VNC will run a virtual X server and allow you
to connect to it remotely.

--
Liam

X on a virtual server
 

On Sun, Jun 26, 2011 at 10:59:52AM -0400, William Hopkins wrote:
> On 06/26/11 at 03:11am, Eric d'Halibut wrote:
> > I'm thinking that in order to set up a remote X login to a given
> > machine, that X must be running and configured on that machine. But X
> > doesn't want to configure itself on a "virtual private server" that
> > has NO PHYSICAL VIDEO CARD, or so it seems to me at present.
>
> yes, if you want to log in remotely to X, X must be present VNC is
> designed for this purpose. VNC will run a virtual X server and allow you
> to connect to it remotely.

The other alternative is XDMCP, which is designed for this sort of thing.
This may be of some use:

http://tldp.org/HOWTO/XDMCP-HOWTO/

> Liam
--Greg


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X on a virtual server
 

On 6/26/11, Gregory Seidman <gsslist+debian@anthropohedron.net> wrote:

> The other alternative is XDMCP, which is designed for this sort of thing.

I don't think so. It -- XDMCP -- afaik requires a running X, and X
requires a video device. I learn that even X.org's "dummy" driver is
itself a dummy!

I am going to try x11vnc. Thank you all!

--
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not a looney! Why should I be tarred with the epithet looney merely
because I have a pet halibut?


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X on a virtual server
 

On 06/26/11 at 01:03pm, Gregory Seidman wrote:
> On Sun, Jun 26, 2011 at 10:59:52AM -0400, William Hopkins wrote:
> > On 06/26/11 at 03:11am, Eric d'Halibut wrote:
> > > I'm thinking that in order to set up a remote X login to a given
> > > machine, that X must be running and configured on that machine. But X
> > > doesn't want to configure itself on a "virtual private server" that
> > > has NO PHYSICAL VIDEO CARD, or so it seems to me at present.
> >
> > yes, if you want to log in remotely to X, X must be present VNC is
> > designed for this purpose. VNC will run a virtual X server and allow you
> > to connect to it remotely.
>
> The other alternative is XDMCP, which is designed for this sort of thing.
> This may be of some use:

XDMCP is remote X login. That's the option we just eliminated.

--
Liam

X on a virtual server
 

On Sun, Jun 26, 2011 at 01:44:12PM -0400, Eric d'Halibut wrote:
> On 6/26/11, Gregory Seidman <gsslist+debian@anthropohedron.net> wrote:
>
> > The other alternative is XDMCP, which is designed for this sort of thing.
>
> I don't think so. It -- XDMCP -- afaik requires a running X, and X
> requires a video device. I learn that even X.org's "dummy" driver is
> itself a dummy!

No, XDMCP does not require running X (on the server). I don't know if gdm
or kdm can do it, though I'd expect so, but xdm is perfectly happy to run
headless. See this thread from 1999:

http://lists.debian.org/debian-user/1999/07/msg01406.html

> I am going to try x11vnc. Thank you all!

Not a bad choice, but not necessarily the best either. It depends on your
purpose.

--Greg


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X on a virtual server
 

On 6/26/11, Gregory Seidman <gsslist+debian@anthropohedron.net> wrote:

>> I am going to try x11vnc. Thank you all!

> Not a bad choice, but not necessarily the best either. It depends on your
> purpose.

My purpose, at this early stage, is simplicity itself: I have a
"virtual private server" up and running -- root access and all that --
and I want to have some sort of X desktop available on it that I can
remotely log in to. What do you suggest? At present I feel I am close
to getting the login to work, but of course there is nothing
resembling an X session there (i.le window manager, Gnome or KDE).

At this point I can get an x11vnc server instance running on the
server end, but when my login attempt comes in the server quits with:
26/06/2011 20:43:46 Got connection from client 68.222.333.197
26/06/2011 20:43:46 other clients:
26/06/2011 20:43:46 wait_for_client: got client
26/06/2011 20:43:46 wait_for_client: running: env
X11VNC_SKIP_DISPLAY=' /bin/sh /tmp/x11vnc-find_display.KvIaiO
xauth: creating new authority file /home/bob/.Xauthority
26/06/2011 20:43:46 wait_for_client: find display cmd failed
26/06/2011 20:43:46 wait_for_client: FINDCREATEDISPLAY cmd: /bin/sh
/tmp/x11vnc-find_display.KvIaiO Xvnc
trying N=20 ...
26/06/2011 20:43:46 wait_for_client: read failed: /bin/sh
/tmp/x11vnc-find_display.KvIaiO Xvnc
26/06/2011 20:43:46 fgets: Bad file descriptor
bob@somehost$ x11vnc -rfbauth ~/.vnc -xvfb
26/06/2011 20:53:22 passing arg to libvncserver: -rfbauth
26/06/2011 20:53:22 passing arg to libvncserver: /home/bob/.vnc
26/06/2011 20:53:22 passing arg to libvncserver: -xvfb
26/06/2011 20:53:22 x11vnc version: 0.9.3 lastmod: 2007-09-30
26/06/2011 20:53:22
26/06/2011 20:53:22 *** XOpenDisplay failed. No -display or DISPLAY.
26/06/2011 20:53:22 *** Trying ":0" in 4 seconds. Press Ctrl-C to abort.
26/06/2011 20:53:22 *** 1 2 3 4
26/06/2011 20:53:26

26/06/2011 20:53:26 ***************************************
26/06/2011 20:53:26 *** XOpenDisplay failed (:0)

*** x11vnc was unable to open the X DISPLAY: ":0", it cannot continue.
*** There may be "Xlib:" error messages above with details about the failure.

Any light you can shed on my confusion will be welcome!

--
No no no, my fish's name is Eric, Eric the fish. He's an halibut. I am
not a looney! Why should I be tarred with the epithet looney merely
because I have a pet halibut?


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X on a virtual server
 

On 06/26/11 at 09:54pm, Eric d'Halibut wrote:
> On 6/26/11, Gregory Seidman <gsslist+debian@anthropohedron.net> wrote:
>
> >> I am going to try x11vnc. Thank you all!
>
> > Not a bad choice, but not necessarily the best either. It depends on your
> > purpose.
>
> My purpose, at this early stage, is simplicity itself: I have a
> "virtual private server" up and running -- root access and all that --
> and I want to have some sort of X desktop available on it that I can
> remotely log in to. What do you suggest? At present I feel I am close
> to getting the login to work, but of course there is nothing
> resembling an X session there (i.le window manager, Gnome or KDE).

x11vnc is for creating a VNC instance to an existing X server. You just want a
VNC server: look into tightvncserver.

--
Liam

X on a virtual server
 

On Sun, Jun 26, 2011 at 11:25 PM, William Hopkins <we.hopkins@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 06/26/11 at 09:54pm, Eric d'Halibut wrote:
>> On 6/26/11, Gregory Seidman <gsslist+debian@anthropohedron.net> wrote:
>>
>> >> I am going to try x11vnc. Thank you all!
>>
>> > Not a bad choice, but not necessarily the best either. It depends on your
>> > purpose.
>>
>> My purpose, at this early stage, is simplicity itself: I have a
>> "virtual private server" up and running -- root access and all that --
>> and I want to have some sort of X desktop available on it that I can
>> remotely log in to. What do you suggest? At present I feel I am close
>> to getting the login to work, but of course there is nothing
>> resembling an X session there (i.le window manager, Gnome or KDE).
>
> x11vnc is for creating a VNC instance to an existing X server. You just want a
> VNC server: look into tightvncserver.

Or NX from www.nomachine.com, which is free for personal use and is
commercial grade software with excellent printing, USB, and shared
session capability with quite efficient CPU and network use on both
ends. It's a big step up from VNC.


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