Connect to a VNC server from your desktop

To access an X Windows display from a remote computer, install and connect a VNC client.

VNC saves your desktop session and allows you to connect to it later. For example, you can start an X session at work, then log off your computer, go home, start up your computer again, and resume your same X session. In this sense it is very similar to the screen(1) utility, which allows users to create, disconnect and reconnect to text-based terminal sessions.
  1. Install a VNC client on your computer.
    Tip: Either of these recommended packages is available for all major desktop operating systems.
    • TightVNC
    • RealVNC
  2. Set up an SSH tunnel to port 5901 on the proper TeamForge Lab Management node. For example, let's say you are the user grue and you have set up a VNC server on the machine cu012.$vars.mgr_domain. The port forwarding command would look like this:
    ssh -L5901:cu012.$vars.mgr_domain:5901 $external_host
    Note: Multiple -L options can be combined on the same command line.
  3. Start your VNC client software, and give the following information:
    • Hostname: localhost
    • Port: 5901
Your VNC desktop session appears.
When you are done with the session, you can close the VNC client application on your desktop.
Important: Keep in mind that closing the VNC client does not close applications that are currently running. You can connect to this session again at any time later and your complete session is saved.

For security purposes, we recommend that you do not keep any windows open which contain root shells or other software running as the root user. This will mitigate the risk of someone being able to access your VNC session without you knowing it.