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ooh, getting warmer!

The only problem is, that when I run the command you gave me the second
server takes over my root window. I'd like to be able to bring up a
solaris login screen on my redhat machine and still be able to view my
redhat gnome desktop. I'm I asking for cake and eat it too?

Maybe I have to go with vnc, anyone know how well vnc would be able to
handle this? I really don't want to use vnc, I would like to minimize the
number of layers.

Thanks.



-arielc



Ian Northeast wrote:
> ArielC wrote:
>
>>How do I (remotely) bring up a solaris login screen from my redhat 9 machine?
>>
>>Basically I want to just be able to open up a gnome-terminal and be able
>>make an xdmcp connection to a remote solaris machine and launch a cde login
>>screen on my redhat machine. Or just simply rsh into my solaris machine
>>and xhost back a solaris welcome screen.
>>
>>I'm using gdm and redhat 9
>>Remote machine is solaris 9.
>
>
> X -query <solaris> -once :1
>
> from the command line should start a second X server with an XDMCP
> connection to your Solaris machine. This will be available on
> ctrl-alt-F8 unless you've changed the default TTYs.
>
> Regards, Ian

ArielC wrote:

> Ian Northeast wrote:

> > X -query <solaris> -once :1
> >
> > from the command line should start a second X server with an XDMCP
> > connection to your Solaris machine. This will be available on
> > ctrl-alt-F8 unless you've changed the default TTYs.

> ooh, getting warmer!
>
> The only problem is, that when I run the command you gave me the second
> server takes over my root window. I'd like to be able to bring up a
> solaris login screen on my redhat machine and still be able to view my
> redhat gnome desktop. I'm I asking for cake and eat it too?
>
> Maybe I have to go with vnc, anyone know how well vnc would be able to
> handle this? I really don't want to use vnc, I would like to minimize the
> number of layers.

Please don't top post, it makes replying extremely difficult. You do not
even have the usual excuse as you are not using a brain dead
almost-newsreader like most people who do this. Please don't copy your
reply to me by email either. Email should only be used to reply to a
usenet post if the subject has become off topic, you have something
personal to say, or you are invited to. None is the case here.

The second X server does not take over anything. I am not sure what you
mean by "root window". The second X server occupies the next available
virtual terminal, normally, as I said, available on ctrl-alt-F8. The
original one is still there on ctrl-alt-F7 (by default). You can flip
between them with these key combinations.
It is possible to change these assignments by altering the number of
TTYs started in /etc/inittab in which case they move, but I assume you
have not done this.

If you want your CDE desktop in a window then the only way I know to do
this, apart from starting up a VMware virtual machine just to be an X
server, which would be excessive, is VNC.

If someone else knows another way to do this please post it.

PS I rarely bother with this myself, I am not over fond of CDE despite
having lived with it for years (I have not used Solaris for very long
but I have AIX, and this uses it too). I just ssh to the Solaris/AIX
machine with X tunnelling enabled and run my X apps over this. Solaris 9
comes with ssh as I assume you know, as do all recent Linux distros. It
is usually necessary to enable the X tunnel explicitly at both ends.

Regards, Ian

In article <3EFB300F.9080301@sun.com>,
ArielC <frosbyte@sun.com> writes:

[Fixing top-posting]

> Ian Northeast wrote:
>> X -query <solaris> -once :1
>>
>> from the command line should start a second X server with an XDMCP
>> connection to your Solaris machine. This will be available on
>> ctrl-alt-F8 unless you've changed the default TTYs.
>
> ooh, getting warmer!
>
> The only problem is, that when I run the command you gave me the second
> server takes over my root window. I'd like to be able to bring up a
> solaris login screen on my redhat machine and still be able to view my
> redhat gnome desktop.

Actually, it's not taken over your first root window; it's taken over a
NEW virtual terminal. As Ian said (and in more detail in a subsequent
post), Hitting <Ctrl-Alt-F7> and <Ctrl-Alt-F8> will switch between them.

That said, if you want to be able to see both desktops at once, there's at
least one (and I believe two, and perhaps more) other way to go about it.
There are still more options that don't fit your precise description of
what you want to do, but that might suit your actual needs even better.

> Maybe I have to go with vnc, anyone know how well vnc would be able to
> handle this? I really don't want to use vnc, I would like to minimize the
> number of layers.

Using VNC is certainly a possibility. I've got an article in the March
issue of Linux magazine that describes how to do this with Linux. It's
available online at:

http://www.linux-mag.com/2003-03/guru_01.html

In theory, the process should be pretty similar for Solaris, but I've not
tried it, so I can't guarantee you won't hit any snags. When this is set
up, you should be able to open a VNC session, see an XDMCP login prompt,
and then get your usual Solaris desktop environment within a window on the
Linux system.

I believe there's a Linux X server that operates its environment within a
window, but I don't recall the details. If you could track this down, you
could use it, presumably with options similar to those Ian provided, to
get your Solaris XDMCP login screen. The effect would be very much like
using VNC, as described in my Linux Magazine piece.

Another option is to use your regular Linux X server session to handle X
clients (user programs) on the Solaris system. One easy way to do this is
to use SSH to log onto the Solaris system. You may need to pass the -X
parameter:

$ ssh -X <solaris-box>
% <X-program-name>

You should then see a window for <X-program-name> appear on your screen.
This method won't give you your full Solaris desktop environment, just
access to specific programs, but it may be all you need. One advantage is
that this method allows easier cut-and-paste between Linux and Solaris
programs. You can even use a method like this to launch specific Solaris
programs from your Linux desktop. For instance, create a desktop icon or
menu entry that calls SSH with options like this:

/usr/bin/ssh -X <solaris-box> /path/to/executable

This method works best if you configure SSH for a no-password-required
login. If you must type a password, this will be awkward at best when
used as a desktop icon or the like.

If you need more details, post more information about your specific needs.
You can also find lots of information in various online and printed
resources, such as the VNC and SSH Web sites. My _Advanced Linux
Networking_ book (http://www.rodsbooks.com/adv-net/) includes an entire
chapter on GUI remote access methods. I also cover them in a bit less
detail in my _Linux Power Tools_ (http://www.rodsbooks.com/powertools/),
which should be shipping about now, although I see Amazon doesn't yet have
it in stock.

--
Rod Smith, rodsmith@rodsbooks.com
http://www.rodsbooks.com
Author of books on Linux, FreeBSD, and networking