On Wed, Aug 10, 2005 at 11:29:14AM -0400, Mike Hoye wrote:
> > This part is easy. You run an X server with nothing on it, and
> > then run the X session (window manager, etc.) on the target
> > system, pointing at your server with the DISPLAY environment
> > variable. I've done this plenty in the old days.
>
> No offence meant but you'll need to spell that out a little bit more
> clearly for it to be helpful to me, because:
Sure.
> - The phrase "An X server with nothing on it" means nothing to me.
> Does that mean that the tower in my basement does something
> involving XDMCP? Or does it mean something else?
"Server" and "client" are referring purely to elements within the X
Window environment. The "X server" is the piece of software that sits
on your console, outputs stuff to your monitor, reads input from your
keyboard and mouse, etc.
X servers require actual software to do anything useful. An "empty X
server" will do nothing except show you a funny screen with a sort of
black-and-white weave pattern, and your mouse cursor is a big X. Try
just typing
X
at a text console, and you'll see what I mean. (Use ctrl-alt-
backspace to exit.)
> - How do I get a modern window manager to acknowledge that I want to
> speak to something remote? As I understand it, "xhost +whatever"
> _permits_ my laptop to talk X to my desktop,
If done on any machine that the desktop already trusts, e.g. the
desktop itself, yes.
> but doesn't actually make it happen. What does?
The DISPLAY variable. For an SSH connection with X forwarding
enabled, DISPLAY is set for you. Otherwise, you might do e.g.
export DISPLAY=xservermachine:0
where xservermachine is the host name or IP address of your server.
This causes all X applications launched (with that DISPLAY variable)
to connect to port 6000 (6000 + 0, i.e. the :0 part) on your X server.
Of course, when using the non-SSH route, things aren't encrypted.
That's okay on a LAN, bad on the Internet.
> Ideally, here, this would be part of the pull-down menus that the
> display managers provide.
I have no idea. I've never used an actual proper environment for
running X remotely, I've only done manual fiddling with the X display
stuff. Bear in mind that the last time I ran a full X session
(window manager, etc.) remotely from a different machine would be
back in 1998 or 1999.
I hear KDE does some remote display stuff... at least, there appear to
be options for it in my kdm -- KDE Display Manager, a KDE-themed
replacement for xdm. Dunno.
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