Hi Folks, As I promised, now that I have found the issue, I am posting the solution - and it's something that I think should be disseminated because it's a fairly common situation and I don't think the answer is "out there" (on the web).
The situation is that we are using SSH through a firewall that does network address translation, and we are trying to tunnel VNC through that SSH connection. The machine behind the firewall cannot "see" the external IP address of the firewall. The tunnelling fails if the firewall IP address is used, but it works if the hostname is used. So think about this - If I consider 3 machine and call them client, firewall and server, then client needs a hosts file to translate the hostname "server" into the IP address of "firewall". When it sets up the tunnel IT TAKES THE HOSTNAME WITH IT TO "client". If this is the IP address, "client" doesn't know where to send the return packets. If however the tunnel is set up using the hostname, and that hostname translates to different IP addresses at either end of the tunnel (i.e. it translates to "firewall" for the client, but it translates to "server" for the server) then it works. I could probably find a way of explaining this a bit more clearly, so if this is confusing feel free to ask for clarification. It should probably become a mini-howto but I doubt that I'll find the time! Cheers Ron Ron Cresswell Principal Scientist James Hardie Research Ph +61-2-8845-3382 Fax +61-2-8845-3222 ###################################################################### This message is intended for the use of the party to whom it is addressed and may contain information which is confidential. If you are not the intended recipient and have received this communication in error, please notify us by telephone and either return the original message or ensure its destruction. Any dissemination or copying of this communication and its attachments by anyone other than the party to whom it is addressed is strictly prohibited. ###################################################################### _______________________________________________ VNC-List mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] To remove yourself from the list visit: http://www.realvnc.com/mailman/listinfo/vnc-list
