Karl, Thanks for popping in and offering to help.
I played with your x11vnc program last week, and I'm most impressed with it. It is currently being integrated into the next release of LTSP. You bring up an excellent point about the X authority file. It just so happens I'm addressing that issue right now for some other things i'm doing with xinit. I've been following the startx script in redhat, to basically create the .Xauthority file in /tmp of the workstation (It's a ramdisk only accessable from the thin client). I need this so that the ssh client can forward the Xauthority info to remote machines where you can then run things. I think what I'm doing will easily work with x11vnc as well. If you do get a chance, pop into the #ltsp channel on irc.freenode.net, we can discuss this and more. Thanks, Jim McQuillan [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Sat, 24 Apr 2004, Karl J. Runge wrote: > Hi, > > I've been having some discussions with Chuck Liebow about using my program > (http://www.karlrunge.com/x11vnc/) to remotely view, fix, test, etc, > individual LTSP client displays using a vnc viewer from where ever you > are sitting. > > Chuck suggested starting a discussion on #ltsp how this might be done with > LTSP more robustly, but I thought I'd send this to ltsp-discuss to see > if anyone is interested. If this is more appropriate for ltsp-developer > please let me know and I'll repost there. Please Cc: me since I am not > on either list. > > My program is run on the desired client, it polls the X11 display for > changes and allows VNC viewers (e.g. vncviewer) to attach and view > and interact with the X11 display. There is a growing number of other > programs like mine, but in thinking about LTSP integration the issues > are all the same. > > > First off, the easy case with no X11 access control on the clients and > no other desire for privacy. It is very trivial: > > # ssh someclient '/usr/local/bin/x11vnc -display :0 -bg' > # vncviewer someclient:0 > > > Things become tricky when access control is turned on in the X > session. You somehow have to find and get access to the XAUTHORITY > file for the desired client session and then get that information to > the /usr/local/bin/x11vnc process running on the client (by setting > the XAUTHORITY env var). > > This is even more tricky since on the LTSP (i.e. Xterminal setup) > since the XAUTHORITY usually lives on the central server buried in /var > (e.g. /var/lib/xdm/authdir/authfiles/Asomehost:0-Cfd9dk) which is a > different machine from where the x11vnc process will be run. > > It is not too hard to do this manually for a given setup. For example > if a user is already logged into a client and you have the permission > to become that user, you just set XAUTHORITY=/home/user/.Xauthority > before starting x11vnc. > > Alternatively, if no one is logged in yet or you do not want to log in > as the user, you can, as root, dig around in /var/lib/... to find > the auth file, copy it via ssh to the client machine and point x11vnc > to it via XAUTHORITY. > > A third way is to use the display manager Xsetup script (e.g. > /etc/X11/xdm/Xsetup for xdm) to copy the info (in the script XAUTHORITY > is already pointing to the correct file on the central server). > > These lash-ups are fine, but since LTSP has so much infrastructure, > it might fit in more cleanly somehow. I look forward to discussing > this with anyone who is interested, and can also help with any x11vnc > questions people might have. > > Best regards, > > Karl > > > > ------------------------------------------------------- > This SF.net email is sponsored by: The Robotic Monkeys at ThinkGeek > For a limited time only, get FREE Ground shipping on all orders of $35 > or more. Hurry up and shop folks, this offer expires April 30th! > http://www.thinkgeek.com/freeshipping/?cpg=12297 > _____________________________________________________________________ > Ltsp-discuss mailing list. To un-subscribe, or change prefs, goto: > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/ltsp-discuss > For additional LTSP help, try #ltsp channel on irc.freenode.net > ------------------------------------------------------- This SF.net email is sponsored by: The Robotic Monkeys at ThinkGeek For a limited time only, get FREE Ground shipping on all orders of $35 or more. Hurry up and shop folks, this offer expires April 30th! http://www.thinkgeek.com/freeshipping/?cpg=12297 _____________________________________________________________________ Ltsp-discuss mailing list. To un-subscribe, or change prefs, goto: https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/ltsp-discuss For additional LTSP help, try #ltsp channel on irc.freenode.net
