tightvnc & ssh

Hi.

I am attempting to get a secure tightvnc connection between my win2k box at
work and my Mandrake9.2 box at home and need some help. The vncserver is
the Mandrake box. I also have tightvnc installed on both boxes.

Both computers are behind firewalls (netscreen at work, IPCop at home).
Outbound from work is good. Inbound to home, I forward port 22 to my Mdk
box.

I can ssh (using PuTTy) to my mandrake box. No problems there. Login, ls,
etc.

I can tightvnc from Mdk-to-Mdk (all localhost) with no problems. So I know
the server is working.

I tried this from work tho:
vncserver -via <home-wan-ip> <home-local-ip>:1
and it did not work. I got a connection error (I forget the exact error
message. sorry. And I'm home now and can't check it again.)

ssh-ing in from work, then entering "vncserver :1" did not work either.
Apparently because I have no Xserver on the windows box.

I believe that I could open port 5901 on my IPCop machine and connect from
work that way, but I don't want to because it's not secure. I want to do it
over ssh. Which seems to mean that I can't just use tightvnc on the windows
box.

I am not sure where to go from here, or even if I'm on the right path.

I am installing ssh (and will probably have to install X as well) on the
windows box using Cygwin. I will attempt the connection again tomorrow. Am
I on the right track here? Or is there an easier way?

My next challenge is secure-tightvnc from win2k-to-win2k. Tho I may (once I
have my linux file server up and running at work), just vnc from there to
the remote win2k box. Is win2k vncserver and linux vncviewer easier to get
up and running?

thanks for any help you can give me.
--john


--
Really, I'm not out to destroy Microsoft. That will just be a completely
unintentional side effect.
--Linus Torvalds

Nick E. wrote:
> Hi.
>
> I am attempting to get a secure tightvnc connection between my win2k box at
> work and my Mandrake9.2 box at home and need some help. The vncserver is
> the Mandrake box. I also have tightvnc installed on both boxes.
>
> Both computers are behind firewalls (netscreen at work, IPCop at home).
> Outbound from work is good. Inbound to home, I forward port 22 to my Mdk
> box.
>
> I can ssh (using PuTTy) to my mandrake box. No problems there. Login, ls,
> etc.
>
> I can tightvnc from Mdk-to-Mdk (all localhost) with no problems. So I know
> the server is working.
>
> I tried this from work tho:
> vncserver -via <home-wan-ip> <home-local-ip>:1
> and it did not work. I got a connection error (I forget the exact error
> message. sorry. And I'm home now and can't check it again.)
>
> ssh-ing in from work, then entering "vncserver :1" did not work either.
> Apparently because I have no Xserver on the windows box.
>
> I believe that I could open port 5901 on my IPCop machine and connect from
> work that way, but I don't want to because it's not secure. I want to do it
> over ssh. Which seems to mean that I can't just use tightvnc on the windows
> box.
>
> I am not sure where to go from here, or even if I'm on the right path.
>
> I am installing ssh (and will probably have to install X as well) on the
> windows box using Cygwin. I will attempt the connection again tomorrow. Am
> I on the right track here? Or is there an easier way?
>
> My next challenge is secure-tightvnc from win2k-to-win2k. Tho I may (once I
> have my linux file server up and running at work), just vnc from there to
> the remote win2k box. Is win2k vncserver and linux vncviewer easier to get
> up and running?
>
> thanks for any help you can give me.
> --john
>
>
There is a product called putty. it is available for download at
www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty. You can download putty on
your windows box. It allows you to ssh from the windows box. putty is
way cool. It's got a GUI front end that allows push button config. It
has port forwarding and tunneling capability built right in. Once you
get putty configured on the windoodle, just ssh to your linux box. Then
you can launch vnc on localhost and it will take you to your linux desktop.

Sargon wrote:

> Nick E. wrote:

>>
> There is a product called putty. it is available for download at
> www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty. You can download putty on
> your windows box. It allows you to ssh from the windows box. putty is
> way cool. It's got a GUI front end that allows push button config. It
> has port forwarding and tunneling capability built right in. Once you
> get putty configured on the windoodle, just ssh to your linux box. Then
> you can launch vnc on localhost and it will take you to your linux
> desktop.

no, that didn't work. I got this:
Error: Can't open display:
when I tried that.

-john

--
Really, I'm not out to destroy Microsoft. That will just be a completely
unintentional side effect.
--Linus Torvalds

Nick E. wrote:
> Sargon wrote:
>
>
>>Nick E. wrote:
>
>
>>There is a product called putty. it is available for download at
>>www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty. You can download putty on
>>your windows box. It allows you to ssh from the windows box. putty is
>>way cool. It's got a GUI front end that allows push button config. It
>>has port forwarding and tunneling capability built right in. Once you
>>get putty configured on the windoodle, just ssh to your linux box. Then
>>you can launch vnc on localhost and it will take you to your linux
>>desktop.
>
>
> no, that didn't work. I got this:
> Error: Can't open display:
> when I tried that.
>
> -john
>
You have to click on the tunneling tab in the putty setup. It helps if
you know which port the vnc server is exporting on. Forward that port
to localhost and you should be able to export the desktop with vnc on
localhost.

"Nick E." <(E-Mail Removed)> schrieb:

>I tried this from work tho:
>vncserver -via <home-wan-ip> <home-local-ip>:1
>and it did not work. I got a connection error (I forget the exact error
>message. sorry. And I'm home now and can't check it again.)

The command should be
vncclient -via <home-wan-ip> <home-local-ip>:1

If that was no typo, that's the fault. And before that, you have to
make sure that a vncserver is runnung on the home box, of course. This
can be checked by your working ssh connection via putty.
Eggert

Eggert Ehmke wrote:

> "Nick E." <(E-Mail Removed)> schrieb:
>
>>I tried this from work tho:
>>vncserver -via <home-wan-ip> <home-local-ip>:1
>>and it did not work. I got a connection error (I forget the exact error
>>message. sorry. And I'm home now and can't check it again.)
>
> The command should be
> vncclient -via <home-wan-ip> <home-local-ip>:1
>
> If that was no typo, that's the fault. And before that, you have to
> make sure that a vncserver is runnung on the home box, of course. This
> can be checked by your working ssh connection via putty.
> Eggert

THAT was a typo. and actually it's vncviewer.

-john

--
Really, I'm not out to destroy Microsoft. That will just be a completely
unintentional side effect.
--Linus Torvalds

Sargon wrote:

> Nick E. wrote:
>> Sargon wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Nick E. wrote:
>>
>>
>>>There is a product called putty. it is available for download at
>>>www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty. You can download putty on
>>>your windows box. It allows you to ssh from the windows box. putty is
>>>way cool. It's got a GUI front end that allows push button config. It
>>>has port forwarding and tunneling capability built right in. Once you
>>>get putty configured on the windoodle, just ssh to your linux box. Then
>>>you can launch vnc on localhost and it will take you to your linux
>>>desktop.
>>
>>
>> no, that didn't work. I got this:
>> Error: Can't open display:
>> when I tried that.
>>
>> -john
>>
> You have to click on the tunneling tab in the putty setup. It helps if
> you know which port the vnc server is exporting on. Forward that port
> to localhost and you should be able to export the desktop with vnc on
> localhost.

i'll try that. i don't recall seeing a tunneling tab tho. i'll look again.

thx,
john

--
Really, I'm not out to destroy Microsoft. That will just be a completely
unintentional side effect.
--Linus Torvalds

Sargon wrote:
> There is a product called putty. it is available for download at
> www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty. You can download putty on
> your windows box. It allows you to ssh from the windows box. putty is
> way cool. It's got a GUI front end that allows push button config. It
> has port forwarding and tunneling capability built right in. Once you
> get putty configured on the windoodle, just ssh to your linux box. Then
> you can launch vnc on localhost and it will take you to your linux
> desktop.

I got it!!

woo-hoo!!

ok. first of all. You do NOT use putty for this. You need *plink*. Same
website, same guy, just a different program. plink has way more options. It
is more like ssh and putty.

so...
From a DOS prompt:
>plink -ssh <wan-ip> -L 5901:localhost:5901
then go ahead and login.

THEN open up the windows version of tightVNC, and in the server to connect
to window, enter "localhost:1".

Boom. up pops your remote linux desktop!!

I've decided to keep Icewm since it's should be less resource/bandwidth
intensive. That and because I can't figure out how to make kde come up. 8-P

thanks for the help.

-john


--
Really, I'm not out to destroy Microsoft. That will just be a completely
unintentional side effect.
--Linus Torvalds

Nick E. wrote:
> Sargon wrote:
>
>>There is a product called putty. it is available for download at
>>www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty. You can download putty on
>>your windows box. It allows you to ssh from the windows box. putty is
>>way cool. It's got a GUI front end that allows push button config. It
>>has port forwarding and tunneling capability built right in. Once you
>>get putty configured on the windoodle, just ssh to your linux box. Then
>>you can launch vnc on localhost and it will take you to your linux
>>desktop.
>
>
> I got it!!
>
> woo-hoo!!
>
> ok. first of all. You do NOT use putty for this. You need *plink*. Same
> website, same guy, just a different program. plink has way more options. It
> is more like ssh and putty.
>
> so...
> From a DOS prompt:
>
>>plink -ssh <wan-ip> -L 5901:localhost:5901
>
> then go ahead and login.
>
> THEN open up the windows version of tightVNC, and in the server to connect
> to window, enter "localhost:1".
>
> Boom. up pops your remote linux desktop!!
>
> I've decided to keep Icewm since it's should be less resource/bandwidth
> intensive. That and because I can't figure out how to make kde come up. 8-P
>
> thanks for the help.
>
> -john
>
>
Roger that, I haven't tried plink yet, but I just might! The putty
configuration screen does have a tab marked tunnels. I must admit
though, right after I got done typing your reply. I went to reconnect
to my vnc through ssh and it has taken me this long to get it back up
again! I tried to use ms winsuck naming conventions in the ports to
forward boxes, and its had me in knots ever since. putty is a little
pithy about the syntax to use for the commands! The actual ssh port
naming conventions work though. I just got a linux desktop up on an old
Toshiba 620ct. You know that's a miracle. 48M RAM, 1.25G hard drive.
btw, do you know of any linux distro, ancient or modern, that could
actually run on that old relic?

Sargon <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> naming conventions work though. I just got a linux desktop up on an old
> Toshiba 620ct. You know that's a miracle. 48M RAM, 1.25G hard drive.
> btw, do you know of any linux distro, ancient or modern, that could
> actually run on that old relic?

All of them, as far as I know. 48M of ram is plenty. You fit what you
can on the hard drive by choosing what to fit, but 1GB is plenty too.

Peter