Need a VNC server for Lucid Puppy

[ahoppin]

I'm running Lucid 525 and trying to set up a vnc server so I can remote in from a Win2k machine on the local net. I have a full Puppy installation, but I normally try out new software on a memory-only (pfix=ram) invocation before I install it on the full installation. So, this all applies to a memory-resident Lucid.

So far I've tried 4 different versions of vnc server.

1. Tightvnc 1.3.9. I already had tightvnc installed on this remastered puppy because I was previously using the viewer.

I had to modify tightvncserver (it was looking for vncpasswd instead of tightvncpasswd), but got it to start. However, when I tried to log in on the remote machine, I got only a blank light grey screen. In the server machine log file I found this error message: "/root/.vnc/xstartup: line 9: /etc/X11/Xsession: No such file or directory."

Apparently it's not launching xwindows. I tried replacing the last line of /root/.vnc/xstartup with "exec openbox," and "exec /usr/bin/xwin," but neither helped.

2. Tigervnc 1.0.0. Next I rebooted and tried tigervnc 1.0.0 (downloaded from a thread on this board). That also failed with the message "couldn't find /usr/local/bin/Xvnc." Edited vncserver replacing Xvnc with x0vncserver; then it complained that it couldn't find the font path. At that point I gave up.

3. Tightvnc 1.3.10. Rebooted again and tried tightvnc 1.3.10, downloaded from yet another thread here. This one *almost* worked right.

With 1.3.10, a few seconds after I start the server, the Retrovol window pops up on the screen and stays for a few seconds. Then it vanishes, and so does the menu bar across the bottom of the screen!

If I log in the client machine, the screen there looks almost normal. However, none of the menubar widgets on the right side of the menubar are present - Frisbee, CPU temp, firewall, clock are all gone. Also, the labels on the disk icons across the bottom of the screen are hidden by the menubar.

If I restart xwin (<c-a-bs>, xwin) on the the host machine, the menubar reappears normally. But then the client machine's desktop switches from openbox to jwm! If I try to switch it back with the puppy desktop changer, the host machine's desktop gets changed too.

4. x11vnc_server-0.9.4B. This seems to be a no-fuss answer, and it does work. Regrettably my host machine's screen is 1200x1600, and the client machine is 1024x768. The result is messy and awkward to work with because of the vertical and horizontal scrolling.

I'd really like to get one of the tightvnc servers working. Version 1.3.10 seems closest to working right; anyone able to suggest what might get it to 100%?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[ahoppin]

An addendum - I discovered that I've been using the server wrapper (tightvncserver) from 1.3.9 with 1.3.10 (its name is just vncserver). It was, however, reading the xstartup from 1.3.10, which is VERY different from the xstartup for 1.3.9.

When I tried to use the correct version of vncserver, it refused to run, griping about inability to find fonts. I tried various fixes from forums for other OSes, most of which involved linking other font folders to the ones it was looking for, and in one case installing the Debian base fonts. So far nothing has worked.

The closest I've come to a working vnc server for Lucid is that combination of vncserver from 1.3.9 with the xstartup from 1.3.10, with the strange result described above - losing the menubar across the bottom of the screen on the host machine.

I would have thought that vnc would be a core app for Puppy, so it's a bit hard to believe that no port for Lucid exists. Maybe I'll have to build one.

I love Puppy, and I'm not about to give up on her. But sometimes using her for work feels like I'm trying to build a house in late November. The first snowflakes are falling, and I really need to get the roof on the house soon. I have this super duper power saw, but it's in kit form. Before I can start cutting the roof boards, I have to assemble it - and then build the generator to plug the saw into. :)

[ahoppin]

Guess I'm talking to myself here. :)

No success with any version of TightVNC server so far. The combination I thought would work seemed to, until I tried to run an actual screen-oriented program (specifically Pegasus mail under Wine). The program would crash after apparently random amounts of use - never more than a few minutes or a few dozen keystrokes or mouse clicks.

In the end the only reliable vnc server proved to be x11vnc. It can be found for download in a dot pet in this forum.

The problem was that it wouldn't pass upper case characters to the server machine, but that was solved by adding the -nomodtweak flag to the command line in /usr/X11R7/bin/x11vnc-gui script so that it now reads x11vnc -nolookup -forever -nomodtweak -bg -passwdfile /root/.x11vnc/read:password

The other suggestion in various forums - adding the -xkb flag - caused x11vnc to stop receiving keyboard input at all.

I hope this will help someone else trying to get a vnc server operating on Lucid Puppy.

I would still welcome suggestions from anyone who has successfully used Tight VNC server, or any other which can run a separate virtual screen, on Lucid Puppy.

[playdayz]

I am not optimistic--it was never tested or developed. But you might try installing the Lucid version from the Ubuntu repos. Open Puppy Package Manager (install icon on desktop) and then Configure: check the Ubuntu repos. Then restart PPM and search for vnc, etc. And try to install--if lucky there will be only a few additional dependencies, and who knows it might even work--but as I say I am not optimistic.

[aarf]

i dont know anything at all about network stuff but one has to ask why has no one else ever wanted to do what you are doing?
my only thoughts are maybe they use something else like www.samba.org/, or something like VPN.
however if you are prospecting in new advanced and better territory please just excuse me for my ignorance and accept my best wishes for success.
many people with greater puppy knowledge are currently preoccupied with hacking away at the thick virgin forrest that is puppy on ARM and so are distracted from helping out atm.

[jafadmin]

Yeah, I usually use an Xdmcp client like xming instead of vnc. The reason is that linux machines can natively connect to each other this way so I'm most used to it.

[jpeps]

I've used the tightVNC client without issue for connecting with a networked windows machine. I thought it was very user friendly (I don't remember if I tried the linux machine as a server).

[zenn]

4. x11vnc_server-0.9.4B. This seems to be a no-fuss answer, and it does work. Regrettably my host machine's screen is 1200x1600, and the client machine is 1024x768. The result is messy and awkward to work with because of the vertical and horizontal scrolling.

I'm using x11vnc_server-0.9.4B on my puppy server and Tightvnc on Windows 7 clients without issues. However, my case is opposite from yours in that the resolution of my client machines are higher than that of the host so there is no scrolling issue. Host: 1024x768. Client: 1920x1080.

Nevertheless, it seems that Tightvnc has recently released a new version which you can use for your Win2k machine. http://www.tightvnc.com/release-2.5.2.php
One of the mentioned fixes for "Viewer for Windows": Adjusting viewer window size on remote desktop resizing.

Hopefully that solves your scrolling issue.

[vektor_alian]

It would be cool to have a Pupvnc server that would work out of the box.

On with the quest...

[don570]

Fatdog linux has x11vnc already included.
To start it in a SSH terminal

Code: Select all

x11vnc  -display  :0

So it can be used with a headless machine.
I've been using this method with fatdogarm
http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=106573
_______________________________

[vektor_alian]

Too bad for me, I am 32 bit only.

[matchpoint]

They build Don's suggestion for 32 bit as well. Then there's easier.

[vektor_alian]

Thanks for the info.

I will continue looking for 32 bit.

Teamviewer is awesome. I have used it for over a decade.

[s243a]

1. Tightvnc 1.3.9. I already had tightvnc installed on this remastered puppy because I was previously using the viewer.

I had to modify tightvncserver (it was looking for vncpasswd instead of tightvncpasswd), but got it to start. However, when I tried to log in on the remote machine, I got only a blank light grey screen. In the server machine log file I found this error message: "/root/.vnc/xstartup: line 9: /etc/X11/Xsession: No such file or directory."

Apparently it's not launching xwindows. I tried replacing the last line of /root/.vnc/xstartup with "exec openbox," and "exec /usr/bin/xwin," but neither helped.

What I did was symbolically link tightvncpasswd to vncpasswrd and then it started.

I noticed that it started on display :1

When connecting with the remote host I incremented the port number by 1 (since the display was one). It connected with a grey background like you got.

On the server side in a terminal I tried the following:

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export DISPLAY=':1'
xterm

I went to the remote computer, I then saw xterm on the screen. I typed in geany and hit enter. Geany opened but it was partly off the screen. I also wasn't able to drag any of the windows.

I notice that on the manpage, for tightvncserver there is a port option. I might see if it will let me do the following:

Code: Select all

tightvncserver :0

x11vncserver worked for me on fatdog64 but not on tahrpup. on Tahrpup I get buffer overflows. Maybe, I'll try compiling x11vncserver on tahrpup and see if that solves the problem.

[s243a]

I found out that to move windows you need a display or window manager for tightvncserver. Adding the folling

Code: Select all

jwm &

to the end of /root/.vnc/xstartup worked form me.

[s243a]

on another note,

if you want the clipboard to work on your remote machine then install autocutsel. This is available on tahrpup in the puppy package manager.

One installed then start it as follows:

Code: Select all

autocutsel -s PRIMARY -fork

http://thomas.patrickdepinguin.com/know ... /tight-vnc
https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=765679