Remote Desktop on FC8

[Les Mikesell]

Mike wrote:
> 
>> I generally prefer freenx/NX but it's handy to have vnc available too.
>>
> 
> They perform different functions I understand...

The do things in different ways, but depending on what you think the 
function is, either may work.

> freenx/nx cannot easily connect to the native desktop on a remote machine
> unless I have misunderstood the information I have read.

The original question was about a headless machine, for which any 
desktop is as good as any other.  That's really true for all machines, 
though.  The linux machine where I do the most work has a console but 
not in a convenient location so I do almost everything in an NX session 
that can be suspended and picked up elsewhere (which I do regularly with 
all programs still running).  The performance is decent even when 
running the client from a windows laptop over wireless or from a Mac 
remotely at home and it's fun to be able to cut/paste between programs 
on the other OS's.

> freenx/nx is good for running a second X session on a remote machine...
> but desktop sharing (which is needed to help people fix desktop issues
> remotely) is not, I believe, easy to achieve using it, apart from 
> connecting to a remote vnc session.

I believe the proprietary NX server has the capability to share the 
session running on a local console, but I haven't used it.  The X vnc 
module will let you do this if it is working again or you should be able 
to start sharing on demand from either kde or gnome desktops (gnome 
needs vino - not sure about kde).

> Of course someone may well respond and explain how desktop sharing
> (to enable remote help over ssh tunnel) can be done with freenx/nx
> alone (and no vnc) - but I never found documents to say that this
> functionality was possible with freenx/nx

It isn't with the stock freenx. If the initial session was running in 
freenx, the user could suspend it and let you pick it up - but you'd 
need his password.

-- 
   Les Mikesell
    lesmikesell at gmail.com