Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2008 15:38:40 -0800 From: Bill Campbell <freebsd@celestial.com> To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Running X without a videocard Message-ID: <20081119233840.GA14744@ayn.mi.celestial.com> In-Reply-To: <20081119224923.L8555@wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl> References: <006b01c949da$2985e9f0$7c91bdd0$@com> <20081119112554.R6005@wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl> <200811191035.mAJAZc21042934@banyan.cs.ait.ac.th> <11167f520811191058m7e07c347u272dc9db0a15027d@mail.gmail.com> <20081119224923.L8555@wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl>
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On Wed, Nov 19, 2008, Wojciech Puchar wrote: >>> X windows has client/server built into the protocol: you can run an X >>> application on a machine that has no video card and display the result >>> on another machine that has video facility and an X display (called an >>> X server). >> >> Does anyone know of a tutorial or a how-to, I would like to try this out. >> >> > i already answered it before > > DISPLAY variable must point to display > > like IP-number:0 (or non-zero if you have more than 1 display :) > > and computer with display must allow remote connections This complexity of DISPLAY ans xhost is why I find it far easier to use ssh to make connections where I want to run X-clients. On the remote system to which one is connecting, make sure that the sshd_config file has ``X11Forwarding yes'' (and perhaps also ``ForwardX11Trusted yes''). Restart the sshd process if these need to be changed. There are corresponding options in the ssh_config file. The easiest way to execute a remote X-Client is probably This runs the remote program with the local username. The ``-f'' option automatically runs it in background, detaching from the current session. ssh -f -Y remotesystem path_to_x_client These run as a different user on the remote system. ssh -f -Y -l remoteusername remotesystem path_to_x_client ssh -f -Y remoteusername@remotesystem path_to_x_client If I may to be running multiple x-clients on the remote system, I will generally connect with an xterm, then launch the x-clients from that connection. There are two options here, the first on fast links where I want to run the xterm on the remote system, the second for slow links running the xterm on the local system. In the first, one may have to specify the full path to the xterm executable if it's not in the default PATH that sshd will set up. ssh -f -Y remoteusername@remotesystem xterm xterm -e ssh remoteusername@remotesystem & Letting ssh take care of the DISPLAY makes life a lot easier than having to mess with it and xhosts manually, not to mention that it's far more secure than telnet. The ssh connections may well be compressed making remote connections seem faster than a straight telnet session even on a LAN (nobody would telnet over the Internet in an unencypted connection would they :-). Bill -- INTERNET: bill@celestial.com Bill Campbell; Celestial Software LLC URL: http://www.celestial.com/ PO Box 820; 6641 E. Mercer Way Voice: (206) 236-1676 Mercer Island, WA 98040-0820 Fax: (206) 232-9186 Freedom from prices is freedom from responsibility. You can simply pass laws, using the magic wand of government to satisfy your own desires at unspecified costs to be paid by others. -- Thomas Sowell Aug 2000
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