So something like this
X11
pros: easy, single app
cons: VERY slow, insecure
prereqs: Xserver on your desktop listening on tcp port 6000+display number.
X11+ssh
pros: easyish, single app
cons: slow (though my experience is faster than standard X11), reasonable amount of overhead on the wire
prereqs: SSH server on host node. SSH client on desktop. Xserver on client node (tcp listening not necessary)
VNC
pros: easy, fast
cons: full desktop, insecure
prereqs: VNC server on host. VNC client on desktop. Able to hit TCP port 5900 (or whatever you're using) on host node, or initiate a listen on client and send it from host to client on port 5700 or whatever you're using (or was it 5800?).
VNC+ssh
pros: fast-ish
cons: full desktop, tends to be laggy in my experience. more complex setup
prereqs: SSH server on host node. VNC server on host node. SSH and VNC client software on desktop
VNC+http
pros: simple for desktop, insecure
cons: full desktop, more server software, java client, somewhat complex setup
prereqs: VNC server software that has http ability with the jar in question. Web browser with java on desktop
NXserver
I haven't used it
Personally, I use SSH to get onto the commandline. If I need an app, I use the display tunnel to shoot it back to myself, and if I need a full desktop for some reason (to keep apps up, whatever), I bring up an X session in an xvfb and then shoot myself a VNC session over the ssh tunnel. Not secure, and requires a somewhat fast network, but it has the advantage of being incrementally complicated.
On Fri, Jan 21, 2011 at 9:42 AM, Lisa Kachold
<lisakachold@obnosis.com> wrote:
On Thu, Jan 20, 2011 at 3:37 PM, Matt Graham
<danceswithcrows@usa.net> wrote:
From: gk <gm5729@gmail.com>
[snip]
> I'm wondering [if a GUI Emacs can] be backgrounded like Screen or
> Tmux and then reattached if something needs to be done remotely.
Sort of, but it's not great in most circumstances. If you can deal with
having 2 X servers allow TCP, and compiling and running xmove, you can take an
X app using the Display of one box, then move it to the Display of another
box. The downside is that graphics performance slows to a crawl for just
about everything, especially programs using GTK for some reason.
Running a VNC server like TightVNC is a bit faster, and is better for many
uses since you don't need X and all its baggage, just a VNC client, which is
available for many platforms. It's still slower than I'd like, and you can
get odd problems like keys getting stuckkkkkkk.
The fastest remote-access GUI I've used across a slow link is NXServer and
NXClient. This is not Free speech, but it's free beer. If you really need it
to be fast and accessible from anywhere, though, screen plus your favorite
console editor is still the best choice.
Comments, suggestions, and flying attack porcupines welcome.
Great post!
I fully agree that VNC is vastly superior in speed alone to the full blown X of our old Sun/Linux (Dot Com startup - dial up ISP administration) days, with all it's snafus (ever had your
X session highjacked by the Support staff (you managed)? No? I have..... [very funny you guys])...
However, our concept of speed cannot be considered without also, considering, in a non-linear way, security? We assume that you architect OSI security protection (VLAN exclusion or strict network switch port ACL controls) since
VNC password exchange can easily be snooped, not to mention all command intercepted!
X is incredibly insecure and network taxing, as well as limited. And SSH with screen, with console editor is better, although still
MITM able (and who limits SSH between servers and the support staff?
http://www.signedness.org/tools/
SSLStrip will take your local https back to text, not that you are using webmin or anything?
But, yes, we like it fast, from our slow Cox Wifi connections, which can
trivially be brute forced by our neighbor kids....hopefully they won't get a clue what all those root Nix commands mean?
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