# Remote X11



## jjjustjjjay (Jan 29, 2010)

Hey I have a FreeBSD Server on an IBM Netfinty 5000. It isn't in a place thats very easy to use directly. I have some software that runs on x11. I have read several things on remote x11. and i cant seem to understand it. could some body please give me simple instructions or a link to a guide on it.








~J~


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## sixtydoses (Jan 29, 2010)

I normally use `ssh -X <remote-host>` to launch GUI applications from a remote machine. Works for me most of the time, just make sure the 'X11Forwarding' property is set to 'yes' inside the /etc/ssh/sshd_config.

Or if you need the whole session to be exported to you, I guess the most common way is to setup VNC.

Or, you can try x11-servers/xorg-nestserver. I've never used that before though. Here's a link related to xnest http://onlamp.com/pub/a/bsd/2006/12/07/freebsd_basicsg.html.


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## Oko (Jan 30, 2010)

Actually the best way for real time virtualization is using OpenNX. Unfortunately NX server runs only on Solaris and Linux.


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## jjjustjjjay (Jan 30, 2010)

so all i have to do is enable x11forwarding? nothing else has to be set to yes?



Thanks.


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## jjjustjjjay (Jan 30, 2010)

Well I enabled x11forwarding and i opened a terminal and typed ssh -X <remote-host> and i get in and i'm at normal command prompt. then should i type startx? when i did it never launched.


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## sixtydoses (Jan 31, 2010)

I only use ssh with X11 forwarding to launch applications from the remote server. I have never used it to export the entire session (startx, xfce4-session, etc).

I use net/tightvnc for the latter purpose.


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## ckester (Jan 31, 2010)

jjjustjjjay said:
			
		

> Well I enabled x11forwarding and i opened a terminal and typed ssh -X <remote-host> and i get in and i'm at normal command prompt. then should i type startx? when i did it never launched.



No, don't type startx.   Type the name of the app you want to run.   The X server running on your local machine will display the window and collect the keyboard and mouse input, but the code will be running on the remote machine.


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## ckester (Jan 31, 2010)

sixtydoses said:
			
		

> I only use ssh with X11 forwarding to launch applications from the remote server. I have never used it to export the entire session (startx, xfce4-session, etc).
> 
> I use net/tightvnc for the latter purpose.



jjjustjjjay,

Perhaps we need to clarify this a bit.

In my previous reply, I was assuming that you had already started up X on your local machine and were using a terminal window to ssh to your remote host.  x11forwarding means that if you launch a GUI app from within that ssh session, its window will appear on your local machine -- as a sibling of your terminal window.  Both windows will be in the same (local) X session.  

What sixtydoses is talking about in his last paragraph is a method of opening a window on your local machine in which the entire output of a remote session will appear -- desktop, taskbar, windows, everything.   It's as if you took the monitor from that local machine and plopped it into a window on your local desktop.  Unless I've misunderstood you, that's not what you were wanting to do.

Does that make sense?


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## jalla (Jan 31, 2010)

jjjustjjjay said:
			
		

> so all i have to do is enable x11forwarding? nothing else has to be set to yes?


Nothing in configfiles, but you need to allow remote access also: `xhost <remote>;ssh -X <remote>` or use `ssh -Y <remote>`


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## jjjustjjjay (Jan 31, 2010)

*I understand now.*

Oh i get it now. thats will work work just fine for what I need to do. thanks for the help, And being so patient with me.





-Jay Anderson


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