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How to configure Remote Desktop on my office Ubuntu machine and how to connect to it from my Windows laptop at home?
joe
Posted 2009-09-21T13:11:25.427
Reputation: 11 615
Remote Desktop for Ubuntu
Answers
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Take a look at: http://www.nomachine.com/
NoMachine NX is awesome because it gives you a remote desktop over ssh so it is a secure connection. You install the host on the machine you want to remote into and the client on the computer you want to use to control the other computer. They have versions of NX for Mac, Linux, and Windows, so you can remote from any O/S into any other O/S. It is really great free software, it will amaze you how well it works.
MikeN
Posted 2009-09-21T13:11:25.427
Reputation: 1 024
1Performance with NoMachine is also MUCH better than VNC as well... – EmmEff – 2009-09-21T16:17:28.490
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The easiest way to do it is with VNC software.
Ubuntu has several options for VNC Servers.
As for the client on the Windows side, I've heard good things about RealVNC. It's a pay product, but they do have a free version.
Powerlord
Posted 2009-09-21T13:11:25.427
Reputation: 814
2GNOME has VNC support built-in... enable under System->Preferences->Remote Desktop – EmmEff – 2009-09-21T16:18:40.983
@EmmEff, Ubuntu/GNOME's built-in Remote Desktop will only work if there’s a GNOME login session. That is: if you are already logged in on that remote computer. As long as the GNOME login screen is shown, the built-in Remote Desktop does not work. – Arjan – 2009-09-28T09:09:48.713
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I definitely am not going to win the bounty for this but, here goes...
What you want to do is called X11 forwarding over SSH. You can run an actual Xserver on your windows machine using Cygwin and have it work with the Linux box over ssh.
It is a pain to set-up even without wrestling with firewalls and port forwarding. But, if you can ssh to the Linux machine from your laptop, you should be able to do it.
Angelo
Posted 2009-09-21T13:11:25.427
Reputation: 765
why not ? . its different idea :-) – joe – 2009-09-23T16:07:55.070
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X11 forwarding can be very fast. The Xnest command might help, to keep the remote windows in one local window -- if wanted. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xnest (And when using X-forwarding, you might also run into font issues, which you won't have when using VNC.)
And, as far as I know: X11 forwarding always creates a (additional) new session (so: starts with the login screen), while VNC options would show the screen of an existing session. (Thus: VNC options will only work if there is an existing session? And VNC options will not work when the GNOME/KDE login screen is shown?) – Arjan – 2009-09-28T09:13:18.660
You need a good network connection for X11 forwarding to work nicely. – Peltier – 2009-09-29T07:29:22.643
Try VNC as Bemrose suggests – Prabhu R – 2009-09-23T13:47:22.150
3As always with these questions, you should first check with your office admin team that this is allowed. They may offer suggestions or need to do configuration to allow access from your home network. – Col – 2009-09-24T13:02:33.093
Keeping Col's comment in mind: to get the 2nd part of your question answered, you might want to include some details about your current access to the office. (Like: can you VPN to the office, or maybe even
sshinto your workstation?) – Arjan – 2009-09-27T20:50:32.193And: are you planning to keep your Ubuntu machine running, with a logged-in session? – Arjan – 2009-09-28T09:10:58.040
yes ! I am planning to keep my ubuntu machine running with logged-in session – joe – 2009-09-28T09:33:05.250
That's going to be fun for people working late, or the night guard :-) (No word on how you're going to access the office network?) – Arjan – 2009-09-28T14:12:11.577