HOWTO: Control the gnome VNC vino-server from the command line

[srf21c]

NOTE: At long last here's the updated method. This was tested between two Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick hosts. Thanks to all the contributors to this thread, especially the posts by frafu and InkyDinky

user@localbox:~$ ssh -Y user@remotebox
user@remotebox:~$ vino-preferences

# check settings and hit close button
user@remotebox:~$ sudo -s
root@remotebox:~# export DISPLAY=:0.0
root@remotebox:~# xhost +
root@remotebox:~# /usr/lib/vino/vino-server &
# to start the vino server
root@remotebox:~# netstat -nl | grep 5900
# check to make sure vino server is listening on port 5900
exit or CTRL-D twice to close SSH session to remotebox

user@localbox:~$ ssh -L 5900:localhost:5900 user@remotebox
# establish a new SSH connection to remotebox w/forwarded VNC port
# launch Remote Desktop Viewer (vinagre) under Applications => Internet and connect to localhost

[motin]

Very interesting. Although I am in the same situation I cannot really use your guide, since I am using Putty from Windows... Can you maybe add some comments on how to achieve the same stuff in my situation? In case you know of course...

[srf21c]

You are perfectable capable of setting each value in the /home/<userhomedir>/.gconf/desktop/gnome/remote_access/%gconf.xml file manually using the gconftool-2 command.

I was unable to dig up any documentation on proper syntax of the %gconf.xml file so I did not feel qualified on delving into this method in more detail on my original post.

If you examine an existing %gconf.xml file, and compare that to the gconftool-2 command syntax that I have already posted, you should be able to figure out how to set the other parameters.

[motin]

I have come so far that the vino server asks me for a password. A password that I cannot remember at all.

The problem is that I cannot change it via CLI. It is not written in plain text in ~/.gconf/desktop/gnome/remote_access/%gconf.xml, so changing it to "qwerty" in the file doesn't help.

Also, the command:

gconftool-2 -s -t string /desktop/gnome/remote_access/vnc_password qwerty

Just does the same thing as changing the file manually - ie doesn't help.

Do you or someone else now in what hash-type the vino passwords are written in?

[motin]

I started a new thread on the matter (generating the password): http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=1592817

[srf21c]

Don't know what the vino server hash-type is, but here's the string I get after setting the vino password to "qwerty"

<entry name="vnc_password" mtime="1160442984" type="string">
<stringvalue>cXdlcnR5</stringvalue>
</entry>

[jdong]

Have you tried an htpasswd hash in there?

[morton2002]

Many more details are available in the spun-off password thread. Thanks for your head-start on this, I found the posts very useful and I hope I've helped you too.

[srf21c]

I found a workaround that allows for logging in a user to the desktop remotely, simply edit the gnome desktop preferences to enable autologin, then reboot the box.

Edit the /etc/gdm/gdm.conf-custom file using your favorite text editor, and under the daemon section add the following lines

[daemon]
AutomaticLogin=<username>
AutomaticLoginEnable=true

Then reboot the box and the user will automatically be logged into the desktop on the next boot, thus starting the gnome vino vnc server (if enabled)

[frafu]

@srf21c

I suppose the settings in /etc/gdm/gdm.conf-custom override those in /etc/gdm/gdm.conf

However, there is another question that I am wondering about: how can I enable the vino vnc server for the next boot on a system that is not running. (the disk with the system that does not run being mounted on another system)

Thanks in advance for your help.

frafu


Background:

I have a headless celeronbox with 2 ubuntu dapper systems on it; both systems have remote logins enabled (vino, nx, openssh). I would like to upgrade the second ubuntu to edgy, but I don't know whether the upgrade will disable the remote logins.

Consequently, I thought to edit menu.lst in grub to make it reboot after the upgrade with the system that has not been upgraded and reenable the remote logins from the new edgy before booting into edgy.