VNC Tutorial for ECE Linux Machines

VNC is a remote desktop environment that allows you to work remotely, and which preserves your applications if the connection breaks (it often does).

Creating a VNC session

• ssh into one of the lab machines.
  
  
• After logging in with your username and password, the command prompt should look like the picture below.

• Run the following command to start a VNC session:
  
  > vncserver -geometry 1080x720
  
  The -geometry option sets the screen resolution of the created desktop; you can change this to a more convenient setting or omit it altogether.
• The command returns a message like shown below. Pay attention to the session number following the hostname (marked in the image below), you will need this later.

• If this is your first time using VNC, you need to set a password for your VNC sessions:
  
  > vncpasswd
  
  This password will be used for all future VNC sessions until you run vncpasswd again.

Accessing a VNC session

• [Note: apparently Tigervnc is better to use. Instructions are on the ECE VNC web page.] Download and install VNC Viewer for your operating system.
• Run VNC Viewer and type in the host address and session number of your VNC session, as shown below.

• Enter the VNC password you created earlier.
• Your remote desktop should now be visible, and you can interact with the graphic interface as if you were sitting in front of the machine in the lab.
  Keep reading, you are not done!

If you use VNC often, there will inevitably be times that the network connection breaks - you may see messages like "software caused connection abort" or "broken write pipe." Don't panic - just run VNC Viewer again with the same session details. All your work will be there right where you left off.

Of course, there are rare cases where the host machine crashes or needs to reboot. In this case, any work open in your VNC session is not saved. For this reason, you should not leave work sitting in a VNC session longer than necessary.

Keep reading, you are not done!

Closing a VNC session

For security reasons, it is a good idea to end your VNC session when you are done working. After saving all work and closing all programs on your remote desktop, ssh back into the machine hosting your VNC session, and type the following command:

> vncserver -kill :<session number>

Make sure the message says your session was terminated successfully.

2014/10/13  Written by Tim Andreas