Accessing FreeBSD using VNC
by Joel Sutton <[email protected]>
In this article we will introduce you to the VNC graphical remote
access software. Although you don't really need anything to read
through this article, I am going to assume that you have a FreeBSD
server and a Windows 98 workstation (a very popular combination
these days). If you wish in proceed with the practical side of this
article, you will need to have X and the VNC port installed on your
FreeBSD server, as well as the VNC viewer on your Windows 98
workstation.
You can download the Windows 98 version of VNC from:
What is VNC?
As I mentioned earlier, VNC is a remote access tool for graphical
user interfaces. In many ways, VNC is very similar to TELNET. There
isn't really anything new about the concept of a "graphical TELNET".
Products like PCAnyhere and Netware's ZENWorks have been around for
several years now. However, none of these products have been freely
available or offered for such a variety of different operating
systems.
Like TELNET, VNC is made up two separate processes - a client, or
viewer, process and a server process. Both servers and clients are
available for a majority of the different operating systems out
there, but there are a selected few for which only the client part
is available. Even though we will be discussing the VNC viewer on a
Windows 98 workstation, remember that you can achieve the same
results using the viewer on the Macintosh, RiscOS, or any other
supported operating systems.
Setting up VNC on the server
First of all, you will need check to make sure that you have
the X distribution installed and functioning. Check the FreeBSD
handbook if you're not sure how to do this.
Next we need to install the VNC port onto the FreeBSD server. This
can be done through either the ports or the package collection. If
you already have the ports collection installed then change into the
net directory. There you will find a vnc
subdirectory. Once you've changed into it, it's the usual make
install to do the job. If you have problems at this stage you
might need to refer to the handbook again, or post an email to
FreeBSD Questions.
$ su -
password:
# cd /usr/ports/net/vnc
# make install
Once VNC has been successfully installed you'll need to exit from
the super-user mode and run vncserver. As I mentioned
earlier, this program is going to handle the server side of the
connection. If this is the first time that you have used the VNC
server then you will be asked to choose a VNC password - which will
be separate from your normal password.
stargate$ vncserver
You will require a password to access your desktop.
Password:
Verify:
New 'X' desktop is stargate.home:1
Starting applications specified in /home/jsutton/.vnc/xstartup
Log file is /home/jsutton/.vnc/stargate.home:1.log
stargate$
Take note of the screen number that has been assigned to you.
Chances are that you'll get :1 if this is your first attempt.
Running the VNC viewer on the workstation
Now that server process is up and running we're ready to connect
with the viewer. For this step you'll need to have the VNC viewer
installed on a Windows 98 workstation.
First of all, start the VNC viewer from the Start menu.
You will then be prompted to supply the host name and screen number
of the machine running the VNC server process. To access my server
at home, I use stargate.home:1. You will note that this
information was supplied to us when we ran
vncserver.
Next you'll be asked to supply that new password that you chose
earlier. Provided the server is happy that you've typed the right
password, you should now get a large window which is your X
desktop.
Closing your session
One small quirk that I've found with the FreeBSD VNC server is in
the procedure for closing the session. Unlike TELNET, if you close
your VNC viewer that session still remains active. This is great if
you want to change workstations but can make ending you session
tricky, especially as closing your windows manager doesn't seem to
do the trick.
To end your session properly you need to issue the following
command:
stargate$ vncserver -kill :1
Killing Xvnc process ID 30104
stargate$
VNC friendly software
Although VNC is a good approximation of a graphical console, it
has some definite limitations. These limitations lay mainly in the
speed with which the screen is drawn. This means that graphically
intensive software, like browsers and action games, become fairly
un-usable - even on a switched network. The number of colours
present on the screen is also an important performance factor (as
you may expect). Unless you have a particular need, I recommend that
you stick to the lowest possible setting - which is 8 bit
colour.
However, I have had some success with the following FreeBSD
software:
- graphical vim
- twm window manager
- xsol
- xscrabble
- xterm
These packages fulfill my simple needs but VNC isn't necessarily
confined to this limited selection.
Conclusion
VNC is a great remote access tool which is getting better with every
release. It has various limitations but can be particularly useful
if you are not using graphically intensive applications. If you're
doomed to run Windows (MacOS, Solaris, RiscOS or whatever) the VNC
is a great, cheap, way to get the best of both worlds.
Be sure the read through the VNC manual, on the web site mentioned
at the start of this document. The VNC server has a number of
configuration options which may make your sessions easier to deal
with.
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