Re: Thin-X-Client-Laptop
on Fri, Jul 20, 2001 at 10:27:54AM +0200, Schoppitsch Dieter ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote: Hi folks - thanks for all of your hints regarding my problem. I think I am close to the solution - maybe you can help me again? I want to run X-Applications on my (old) laptop (486; Debian 2.0) while connected (via PLIP) to the Server (Pentium, Suse 7.1). Some data of my configuration: * laptop name: boneless * PC name: freeze * username on PC: nutzer What I tried (and many variations of that): * start on the laptop (in text mode) ssh -l nutzer freeze, than change to root with su and cd /root Nope. You're trying to ssh to your server, then start an X session where it doesn't already exist: on your laptop. Instead, what you want to do is launch X and start a session which *runs* on the server but is *displayed* on your laptop. Using an X display manager such as xdm or wdm: $ X -query freeze ...should provide a login screen from your server. Installing wdm should be sufficient to make this work, no additional config file modifications are necessary. Another option is to run X and remotely run various applications from a separate terminal session (ssh, telnet, etc., doesn't particularly matter, though I'm with those who strongly discourage use of telnet). Note that X is not a secure network protocol. Running X over PLIP is going to be pretty secure, it's a point-to-point protocol. I'm not so sure about speed, but am not sure of what parallel port bitrates are compared to serial or ethernet. Cheers. -- Karsten M. Self kmself@ix.netcom.comhttp://kmself.home.netcom.com/ What part of Gestalt don't you understand? There is no K5 cabal http://gestalt-system.sourceforge.net/ http://www.kuro5hin.org Are these opinions my employer's? Hah! I don't believe them myself! pgpECaIleCbuv.pgp Description: PGP signature
Thin-X-Client-Laptop
Hi folks - thanks for all of your hints regarding my problem. I think I am close to the solution - maybe you can help me again? I want to run X-Applications on my (old) laptop (486; Debian 2.0) while connected (via PLIP) to the Server (Pentium, Suse 7.1). Some data of my configuration: * laptop name: boneless * PC name: freeze * username on PC: nutzer What I tried (and many variations of that): * start on the laptop (in text mode) ssh -l nutzer freeze, than change to root with su and cd /root * in this ssh-channel I tried export DISPLAY=boneless:0, than xhost +boneless * than I got the message unable to open display boneless:0 (?) * starting X in this ssh-channel starts X on the PC My questions: * Do I need a ssh-login via xterm (I did not install a window mgr resp. xterm on my laptop (moving x-cursor on the laptop only))? * What causes the display-export-error? Could it be because the Xserver-configuration of the PC does not fit to the hardware of the laptop? As thera are many similar questions on this list now I tried a lot hints (maybe to many) - as newbie I am a little bit confused (most hints are too professional for me). 1k-thanks in advance Dieter
Re: Thin-X-Client-Laptop
On Fri, 20 Jul 2001, Schoppitsch Dieter wrote: Hi folks - thanks for all of your hints regarding my problem. I think I am close to the solution - maybe you can help me again? I want to run X-Applications on my (old) laptop (486; Debian 2.0) while connected (via PLIP) to the Server (Pentium, Suse 7.1). Some data of my configuration: * laptop name: boneless * PC name: freeze * username on PC: nutzer What I tried (and many variations of that): * start on the laptop (in text mode) ssh -l nutzer freeze, than change to root with su and cd /root * in this ssh-channel I tried export DISPLAY=boneless:0, than xhost +boneless H I don't think that this is what you want to do... I mean that ssh doesn't require you to set DISPLAY (nor change permissions with xhost). Infact you'll find that DISPLAY on freeze is set to freeze:15.0 or some high number that doesn't refer to any real display as sshd fakes a display and than channels all the info thorugh the ssh channel. * than I got the message unable to open display boneless:0 (?) * starting X in this ssh-channel starts X on the PC One would think that starting X on the laptop, starting an xterm in X and giving the command 'ssh [EMAIL PROTECTED]' it should work... The only problem would arise if sshd on freeze or ssh on the laptop disable X11 forwarding by default (try something like 'ssh -v [EMAIL PROTECTED]' and see whether you get messages about X11Forwarding/connections being disabled/refused). disclaimer Other and more fancy solutions were suggested before: I am not arguing that this is better! Infact it probably isn't, but, as you seem stuck, I thought to add another hint to your list of possibilities... /disclaimer matteo --- Matteo Semplice Wadham College Oxford OX1 3PN U.K.
Re: Thin-X-Client-Laptop
On Fri, Jul 20, 2001 at 11:14:54AM +0100, Matteo Semplice wrote: On Fri, 20 Jul 2001, Schoppitsch Dieter wrote: Hi folks - thanks for all of your hints regarding my problem. I think I am close to the solution - maybe you can help me again? I want to run X-Applications on my (old) laptop (486; Debian 2.0) while connected (via PLIP) to the Server (Pentium, Suse 7.1). Some data of my configuration: * laptop name: boneless * PC name: freeze * username on PC: nutzer So I take it the apps you want to run reside on freeze but you want them displayed in the X server on boneless. What I tried (and many variations of that): * start on the laptop (in text mode) ssh -l nutzer freeze, than change to root with su and cd /root * in this ssh-channel I tried export DISPLAY=boneless:0, than xhost +boneless H I don't think that this is what you want to do... I mean that ssh doesn't require you to set DISPLAY (nor change permissions with xhost). Infact you'll find that DISPLAY on freeze is set to freeze:15.0 or some high number that doesn't refer to any real display as sshd fakes a display and than channels all the info thorugh the ssh channel. Depending on your ssh config, you may want to run ssh -X -l nutzer freeze (The -X tells ssh to set up DISPLAY and forward any X apps back through the ssh tunnel- some ssh installs do that by default - make sure freeze's sshd_config is set up to allow port forwarding too). In this config you don't need to run xhost at all or bother with setting up DISPLAY. If you really want to do your X without tunneling through ssh, you need to run xhost +freeze in an xterm on the *laptop*. This tells the X display to allow apps from freeze to display on boneless without the normal magic cookie authentication. This is considered much less secure than ssh, but for a plip connection to a laptop with no other networking there's not much of an issue there. ###
AW: Thin-X-Client-Laptop
Hi Cajus, thanks for your hints - but it did not work - what did I do wrong? * On the PC I checked /etc/X11/xdm/Xaccess there was a * * On the PC I started xdm (login window) * On the Laptop I started X with X -query 192.168.0.1 * On the Laptop I had the x-cursor only * After C-A-backspace on the laptop I saw the message XDM: too many retransmissions Dieter Am Mittwoch 11 Juli 2001 12:27 schrieb Schoppitsch Dieter: Hi, I want to run X-Applications on my (old) laptop (486; Debian 2.0) while connected (via PLIP) to the Server (Pentium, Suse 7.1). On the laptop I installed the X-server - that means - I am able to move the mouse-cursor on the screen only (no menues, no window). On the server I installed the whole X-stuff (KDE, applications). In textmode I am able to ping and telnet the server. You've to tell the client that it should use the server, by typing something like this: # X some options -query name or ip of the server On the server side you must look up an Xaccess file (don't know where it is on SuSE systems) and either allow everyone to get a loginwindow, by putting a * in there or simply specify the laptop name. Also there's (on debian and redhat) a line to comment out in the xdm-config. There's a comment about the access stuff in this file. A restart of xdm/gdm/kdm/whatever is needed. Hope it helps, -Cajus -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Thin-X-Client-Laptop
On Thu, Jul 19, 2001 at 10:36:25AM +0200, Schoppitsch Dieter wrote: Hi Cajus, thanks for your hints - but it did not work - what did I do wrong? You are leaving all of the post you are replying to at the bottom of your message, without there being an apparent need for any of it. Please read a netiquette faq on proper email quoting. Thanks. * On the PC I checked /etc/X11/xdm/Xaccess there was a * * On the PC I started xdm (login window) * On the Laptop I started X with X -query 192.168.0.1 * On the Laptop I had the x-cursor only * After C-A-backspace on the laptop I saw the message XDM: too many retransmissions Try netstat -at | grep xdm on the pc running xdm. If xdm is not listening to the network, then it is unlikely that the laptop xserver ever gets a connection. Probably, you need to comment out the bottom line of the /etc/X11/xdm/xdm-config file on the pc acting as xdm server. PS: instead of *, better use *.your.domain in Xaccess. Cheers, Joost
Re: Thin-X-Client-Laptop
On Thu, Jul 19, 2001 at 03:29:37PM +0200, Joost Kooij wrote: Try netstat -at | grep xdm on the pc running xdm. If xdm is not Correction: as root do netstat -tap | grep xdm Cheers, Joost
Re: Thin-X-Client-Laptop
I've also found the vncserver/vncviewer combo to be very useful in this context: even the window manager runs on the server, so the laptop load is very thin indeed. Why is that better than using the X protocol to run the window manager on the remote/fast machine, like both sets of instructions already posted would accomplish? If your WM is a resource hog, you definitely want to run it on the fast machine. I suggested running it locally for better performance, but running DISPLAY=laptop:0 start-kde (or whatever the command is) on the fast machine will do all the work except drawing on the screen using the fast machine. Sure. And it protects you from laptop glitches (have to reboot that old laptop, no problem; just reconnect to the vnc session after. Ok, that's a small advantage. Not so small for me. My whole desktop is on the rock solid duron box with 256MB and a 30GB hard drive, not the eBay laptop or the touchy win32 box or any other workstation du jour. The other day I started an email (in mutt) in a vnc session on my fiance's computer, then had to go eat, then came back and continued it on my laptop in my7 living room, and finished it off the next day from the office. That's cool. And is also easy, no matter what you're using. Just save the message and exit the editor, and tell mutt you don't want to send it. It will ask you if you want to keep it, and if you say yes, it will ask you later if you want to recall saved messages. Almost all mailers support resuming composition later. You don't get it. My whole desktop never goes away. I don't have to close my email program, much less save my work in each app. If I have ten konqueror windows open at different websites, they come along too. My terminal environment is unstable (office, living room, other office, maybe wireless some day) but my X server is rock solid. It's not just the one app that comes along, its all the open apps. I don't have to remember how to save my state in this app, and that app and the other. I just leave it all running and hook up to it at the next place I sit down. I sit down at the workstation du jour and my desktop comes to me. In the state I left it. All open apps are still open. Anything in progress is still in progress. I start a compile at breakfast and its done by the time I get to work (and I have the xterm in front of me when I get to the office). Truly a thing of beauty. Damn, I'm sounding like a True Beleiver. Should we move to an advocacy forum ;) And one of the machines was a Windoze box! PuTTY is all you need on the 'doze side, at least if you are used to the command line. (Without a handy 'nix machine, you need cygwin, and maybe XFree86-win32 (see sourceware.redhat.com. I haven't tried it, but it would be great if it was nicer than the demo versions of some commercial X servers.)). VNC vs XFree86-win32: VNC is way more foolproof than trying to make a windoze box into an X server. Maybe X under win32 is solid now. Personally, I'm not going to take the chance, when I already have a solid, working and more functional choice. When last I tried this, the commercial stuff made you learn all kinds of weird config and launcher programs (Hummingbird) or was vapor or trialware or buggy. I ran Hummingbird for a year and it drove me nuts. VNC vs. Putty: Why restrict yourself to text apps? In textmode I am able to ping and telnet the server. Let me add: disable telnet access to all your computers. There is no reason to ever use telnet. I agree. There are reasons to keep using FTP, since it is more convenient in some cases. Trash the FPT server. I use FTP client but never ftp server. My box has one port and one port only open to the net: ssh. (BTW, netcat does a better job than the telnet client for random poking around at TCP ports that aren't using the telnet protocol, so you can trash it too.) Err, ok, I thought of one. My local library allows telnet access to the catalog and some services. They probably service a lot of connections at once, so all that encrypting might take up some CPU time. Also, requiring people to get ssh when they could use the telnet client that came with their system would make things less convenient for the casual user. Trash the server (telnetd), but not the client (telnet). Use telnet only where security is not really an issue. Use ssh where you'll be doing anything using a real password. ... BTW, you should putCipher blowfish in /etc/ssh/ssh_config, so you don't have to type it all the time. Well, I use other opts too with ssh (e.g. with -C compression for interactive but without compression I'm tunneling something that's already compressed like rsync'ing .gz files or vnc with tight encoding so I'm usually using ssh inside an alias or script anyway. And I transfer files with rsync -e ssh instead of ftp. Or just scp, for single files.
Re: Thin-X-Client-Laptop
I want to run X-Applications on my (old) laptop (486; Debian 2.0) while connected (via PLIP) to the Server (Pentium, Suse 7.1). On the laptop I installed the X-server - that means - I am able to move the mouse-cursor on the screen only (no menues, no window). On the server I installed the whole X-stuff (KDE, applications). In textmode I am able to ping and telnet the server. Never even thought of that. Thanks! I am guessing here, but in your ~/.xsession file, put export DISPLAY=thinclienthost:0 xhost +remotehost exec ssh -l remotehostusername remotehost windowmanagername You could perhaps try rsh instead of ssh to speed things up. But I cn't remeber whether rsh accepts arguments the same was as ssh. So for me, I would go export DISPLAY=scuzzie:0 xhost +suphys exec ssh -l tcon suphys fvwm What do I have to do now? - as I am a beginner in Linux please send me 'foolproof`' instructions and hints. BTW: Is there any chance for a lowmem.bin for Debian 2.2? Um, what is lowmem.bin? Is this a DOS file? Thanks in advance for any help and greetings from Vienna Dieter -- TimC -- http://www.physics.usyd.edu.au/~tcon/ I repeat myself when under stress. I repeat myself when under stress. I repeat myself when under stress. I repeat myself when under stress. I repeat myself when under stress. I repeat myself when under stress. I repeat myself when under stress. I repeat
Thin-X-Client-Laptop
Hi, I want to run X-Applications on my (old) laptop (486; Debian 2.0) while connected (via PLIP) to the Server (Pentium, Suse 7.1). On the laptop I installed the X-server - that means - I am able to move the mouse-cursor on the screen only (no menues, no window). On the server I installed the whole X-stuff (KDE, applications). In textmode I am able to ping and telnet the server. What do I have to do now? - as I am a beginner in Linux please send me 'foolproof`' instructions and hints. BTW: Is there any chance for a lowmem.bin for Debian 2.2? Thanks in advance for any help and greetings from Vienna Dieter
Re: Thin-X-Client-Laptop
Am Mittwoch 11 Juli 2001 12:27 schrieb Schoppitsch Dieter: Hi, I want to run X-Applications on my (old) laptop (486; Debian 2.0) while connected (via PLIP) to the Server (Pentium, Suse 7.1). On the laptop I installed the X-server - that means - I am able to move the mouse-cursor on the screen only (no menues, no window). On the server I installed the whole X-stuff (KDE, applications). In textmode I am able to ping and telnet the server. You've to tell the client that it should use the server, by typing something like this: # X some options -query name or ip of the server On the server side you must look up an Xaccess file (don't know where it is on SuSE systems) and either allow everyone to get a loginwindow, by putting a * in there or simply specify the laptop name. Also there's (on debian and redhat) a line to comment out in the xdm-config. There's a comment about the access stuff in this file. A restart of xdm/gdm/kdm/whatever is needed. Hope it helps, -Cajus
Re: Thin-X-Client-Laptop
At 12:27 p.m. 11/07/01 +0200, Schoppitsch Dieter wrote: Hi, I want to run X-Applications on my (old) laptop (486; Debian 2.0) while connected (via PLIP) to the Server (Pentium, Suse 7.1). On the laptop I installed the X-server - that means - I am able to move the mouse-cursor on the screen only (no menues, no window). On the server I installed the whole X-stuff (KDE, applications). In textmode I am able to ping and telnet the server. While you can use it this way, I'd recomend you to use a small window manager (blackbox is really fast and good), and start remote apps from a ssh terminal, or a telnet. Detailed: open an xterm (or whatever flavor you like) xhost + (this is easy, but INSECURE, check xhost docs, can also be xhost +otherbox) ssh -X otherbox (or telnet otherbox) then you should be ready to run apps on the other macchine try xterm (the '' detachs the process from the console, try without it to see what happens), the xterm should open on your other machine and display on your laptop if you have any problem try (after telnet or ssh) export DISPLAY=laptop:0.0 BTW: Is there any chance for a lowmem.bin for Debian 2.2? You can use top, ps to see what process are running, I'd advice you to recompile the kernel with minimum needed, and take out any process/daemon you don't really need, By that I got a debian web server with a 586 120Mhz, wich is idle most of the time, and only uses 500MB of disk space have fun Thanks in advance for any help and greetings from Vienna Dieter -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Thin-X-Client-Laptop
On Wed, Jul 11, 2001 at 12:27:05PM +0200, Schoppitsch Dieter wrote: Hi, I want to run X-Applications on my (old) laptop (486; Debian 2.0) while connected (via PLIP) to the Server (Pentium, Suse 7.1). On the laptop I installed the X-server - that means - I am able to move the mouse-cursor on the screen only (no menues, no window). On the server I installed the whole X-stuff (KDE, applications). You might want a less graphics-heavy window manager, since KDE makes the X server work harder than e.g. WindowMaker or AfterStep. I use uwm or fvwm2 myself. In textmode I am able to ping and telnet the server. Use ssh. It's a good idea to get in the habit of _always_ using ssh instead of telnet, even when the extra security isn't needed. A 486 is fast enough for login sessions, if not file copying and forwarding X connections over ssh. What do I have to do now? - as I am a beginner in Linux please send me 'foolproof`' instructions and hints. First, you need to remove -nolisten tcp from /etc/X11/xinit/xserverrc on the laptop, so you don't have to tunnel connections over ssh. (Not really needed on a point-to-point link like plip). On the laptop, start X. (like you've done, so you can move the mouse around and stuff.) Use CTRL+ALT+F1 to get back to a text console. Log in to the fast machine, and run DISPLAY=laptop:0 xterm (or wmaker, or some other window manager. If your laptop doesn't suck too much, you could run a lightweight window manager on it, like fvwm2 or something.) Use CTRL+ALT+F7 to get back to X. Enjoy. (Someone else posted directions for using XDMCP (X -query ...), if you want to run xdm/kdm on the fast machine.) -- #define X(x,y) x##y Peter Cordes ; e-mail: X([EMAIL PROTECTED] , ns.ca) The gods confound the man who first found out how to distinguish the hours! Confound him, too, who in this place set up a sundial, to cut and hack my day so wretchedly into small pieces! -- Plautus, 200 BCE
Re: Thin-X-Client-Laptop
On Wed, Jul 11, 2001 at 05:01:36PM -0300, Peter Cordes wrote: On Wed, Jul 11, 2001 at 12:27:05PM +0200, Schoppitsch Dieter wrote: Hi, I want to run X-Applications on my (old) laptop (486; Debian 2.0) while connected (via PLIP) to the Server (Pentium, Suse 7.1). On the laptop I installed the X-server - that means - I am able to move the mouse-cursor on the screen only (no menues, no window). On the server I installed the whole X-stuff (KDE, applications). You might want a less graphics-heavy window manager, since KDE makes the X server work harder than e.g. WindowMaker or AfterStep. I use uwm or fvwm2 myself. I second that. Gnome and KDE made my OB800 (P166, 48MB RAM) run like a dog, but it is slick under blackbox or flwm. I've also found the vncserver/vncviewer combo to be very useful in this context: even the window manager runs on the server, so the laptop load is very thin indeed. And it protects you from laptop glitches (have to reboot that old laptop, no problem; just reconnect to the vnc session after. The other day I started an email (in mutt) in a vnc session on my fiance's computer, then had to go eat, then came back and continued it on my laptop in my7 living room, and finished it off the next day from the office. That's cool. And one of the machines was a Windoze box! (The debian package is made from the ATT sources BTW, and doesn't include the tightvnc.org patch, so it is kind of slow over ssh over DSL/cable modem but is fine over 10M or 100Mbps ethernet. In textmode I am able to ping and telnet the server. Use ssh. It's a good idea to get in the habit of _always_ using ssh instead of telnet, even when the extra security isn't needed. A 486 is fast enough for login sessions, if not file copying and forwarding X connections over ssh. Again, second that. I use ssh with -c blowfish and it is plenty fast on even my old P166. And I transfer files with rsync -e ssh instead of ftp. What do I have to do now? - as I am a beginner in Linux please send me 'foolproof`' instructions and hints. Easier said than done ;) Sorry to say it, but you gotta read a lot to get all this stuff figgered out and treat all the foolproof instructions people give you with a certain amount of skepticism. After all, we are all learning and we all tend to forget certain details (they become assumptions) as we move on. Try the howtos (e.g. /usr/doc/HOWTO/ if you have them installed or http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/ - they've been through a peer review process that's a lot more thorough than what you get on a mailling list). Log in to the fast machine, and run DISPLAY=laptop:0 xterm Uh, I don't think this will work. You need some kind of X magic authorization cookie or something. IIRC you can maybe transfer the ~/.Xauthority file or use xauth so the other machine/user has permission to use your X display. Suggest you check man xauth and/or XFree86-HOWTO and/or Thinclient-HOWTO . Good luck, -- Tony
Re: Thin-X-Client-Laptop
On Wed, Jul 11, 2001 at 03:20:26PM -0700, Tony Godshall wrote: On Wed, Jul 11, 2001 at 05:01:36PM -0300, Peter Cordes wrote: On Wed, Jul 11, 2001 at 12:27:05PM +0200, Schoppitsch Dieter wrote: Hi, I want to run X-Applications on my (old) laptop (486; Debian 2.0) while connected (via PLIP) to the Server (Pentium, Suse 7.1). On the laptop I installed the X-server - that means - I am able to move the mouse-cursor on the screen only (no menues, no window). On the server I installed the whole X-stuff (KDE, applications). You might want a less graphics-heavy window manager, since KDE makes the X server work harder than e.g. WindowMaker or AfterStep. I use uwm or fvwm2 myself. I second that. Gnome and KDE made my OB800 (P166, 48MB RAM) run like a dog, but it is slick under blackbox or flwm. I've also found the vncserver/vncviewer combo to be very useful in this context: even the window manager runs on the server, so the laptop load is very thin indeed. Why is that better than using the X protocol to run the window manager on the remote/fast machine, like both sets of instructions already posted would accomplish? If your WM is a resource hog, you definitely want to run it on the fast machine. I suggested running it locally for better performance, but running DISPLAY=laptop:0 start-kde (or whatever the command is) on the fast machine will do all the work except drawing on the screen using the fast machine. And it protects you from laptop glitches (have to reboot that old laptop, no problem; just reconnect to the vnc session after. Ok, that's a small advantage. The other day I started an email (in mutt) in a vnc session on my fiance's computer, then had to go eat, then came back and continued it on my laptop in my7 living room, and finished it off the next day from the office. That's cool. And is also easy, no matter what you're using. Just save the message and exit the editor, and tell mutt you don't want to send it. It will ask you if you want to keep it, and if you say yes, it will ask you later if you want to recall saved messages. Almost all mailers support resuming composition later. And one of the machines was a Windoze box! PuTTY is all you need on the 'doze side, at least if you are used to the command line. (Without a handy 'nix machine, you need cygwin, and maybe XFree86-win32 (see sourceware.redhat.com. I haven't tried it, but it would be great if it was nicer than the demo versions of some commercial X servers.)). (The debian package is made from the ATT sources BTW, and doesn't include the tightvnc.org patch, so it is kind of slow over ssh over DSL/cable modem but is fine over 10M or 100Mbps ethernet. In textmode I am able to ping and telnet the server. Use ssh. It's a good idea to get in the habit of _always_ using ssh instead of telnet, even when the extra security isn't needed. A 486 is fast enough for login sessions, if not file copying and forwarding X connections over ssh. Let me add: disable telnet access to all your computers. There is no reason to ever use telnet. ssh clients are available for all common and not so common computer systems (any unix, win, mac (using niftytelnet+ssh), vms, probably others.) There are reasons to keep using FTP, since it is more convenient in some cases. I have never seen a case where telnet was more convenient than ssh. (BTW, netcat does a better job than the telnet client for random poking around at TCP ports that aren't using the telnet protocol, so you can trash it too.) Err, ok, I thought of one. My local library allows telnet access to the catalog and some services. They probably service a lot of connections at once, so all that encrypting might take up some CPU time. Also, requiring people to get ssh when they could use the telnet client that came with their system would make things less convenient for the casual user. I still think that telnet should never be used for interactive logins to a shell. MUDs and catalogs and stuff are different. Again, second that. I use ssh with -c blowfish and it is plenty fast on even my old P166. Me too. BTW, you should putCipher blowfish in /etc/ssh/ssh_config, so you don't have to type it all the time. And I transfer files with rsync -e ssh instead of ftp. Or just scp, for single files. It has a -r option. If you're used to rsync, then there's no need to learn to use scp, I guess. What do I have to do now? - as I am a beginner in Linux please send me 'foolproof`' instructions and hints. Easier said than done ;) Yeah, really :) There's a lot of gotchas waiting to get you. It's pretty easy if you know how everything works, since this is the kind of thing the X window system is good at, and was designed to be able to do. If not, you'll be tearing your hair out until you understand how xauth and xhost work, and how the window manager interacts with the X server, and how
