What are your thoughts on vnc?

agent_paul · 26 Mar 2009 at 14:38

Im currently rebuilding my file/web server using ubuntu desktop and have been thinking about administration via remote desktop.

basically, im thinking about whether or not i should install realVnc or any other alternative on it. should i do it? are there any security implications?

the reason i ask is because i've had my development machine hacked into because a realvnc vulnerability.

thanks for any advice.

ethos · 26 Mar 2009 at 14:52

Personally I would look into running ubuntu server for your needs and doing everything over ssh... (of course you can still do this with ubuntu desktop, but i'd still advocate the server edition).

What do you need to remote in to do exactly?

In regards to VNC you could change the port number and have a v.secure password / always use the latest version.

agent_paul · 26 Mar 2009 at 15:44

thanks for your reply ethos.

i considered using the server edition too but im not a 100% Linux guy (even though ive had my fare share of using busybox) and i wont be the only person using the machine.

i was thinking of using vnc just for surfing on the box for things im not supposed to do here at work

and other things.

thanks for the tip about changing the port. i would definitely do that incase of any port sniffers.

anyone got anything else to add?

iaind · 26 Mar 2009 at 16:25

I wouldnt want to be trying to surf over VNC on a LAN, let alone a WAN - its very slow

Dewotter · 26 Mar 2009 at 16:27

I use VNC regularly to remote into servers etc. and find it very useful and nippy enough for general administrative tasks.

agent_paul · 26 Mar 2009 at 16:28

Hi iaind, yes its slow but my internet connect is just decent enough for me to bare it. i guess i can use something like lynx instead but its got limited support

thanks

agent_paul · 26 Mar 2009 at 16:29

RKO, do you experience any issues when you do? things that get on your nerves or quirky bugs?

ethos · 26 Mar 2009 at 16:34

RKO said:
I use VNC regularly to remote into servers etc. and find it very useful and nippy enough for general administrative tasks.

Why aren't you using RDP?

agent_paul · 26 Mar 2009 at 16:38

are there any advantages in using RDP, i just did a quick google and all i can see is that its slightly faster

iaind · 26 Mar 2009 at 16:54

agent_paul said:
are there any advantages in using RDP, i just did a quick google and all i can see is that its slightly faster

Its a lot faster.

Although RDP to a Linux box? I'm not aware of any solutions

dangerstat · 26 Mar 2009 at 17:08

I find VNC slow for this type of thing, have you tried Exceed? Not sure if it's freely available but it's much faster I find, and it interfaces with Windows much better (I.e. copying out lots of text / code from Linux -> Wdndows)

ethos · 26 Mar 2009 at 18:31

iaind said:
Its a lot faster.

Although RDP to a Linux box? I'm not aware of any solutions

No, I was assuming he meant windows boxes. As I doubt he has a bunch of servers running linux with a gui

RDP is more secure and by default uses a lot less bandwidth. I much prefer it to VNC.

Vertigo · 26 Mar 2009 at 19:08

For our own servers here I use straight RDP over a VPN connection (VPNs being the only inbound connections the servers will accept). For other machines I manage on a part-time basis I tend to use the free version of LogMeIn which works very well.

agent_paul · 26 Mar 2009 at 19:47

Hmm i think ill spend some time reading up RDP and LogMeIn. ive never heard of LogMeIn before. is it secure?

thanks

Sin_Chase · 27 Mar 2009 at 01:18

I use RDP for servers on LAN but VNc for my home system

VNC has quite a few pros. Some, such as UltraVNC support connecting by any Java capabale browser.

Can run it from a single exe on a pen drive, unlike RDP which you have to install, its a pain for a quick remote in for something.

VNC supports FTP over the client, and while mapping local drives works in RDP I find the FTP solution better.

Over a thin bandwidth line VNC can be scaled right down, much further than RDP can be. For instance, I can fire up WoW on a 64 colour high JPEG compression VNC connection and be able to do an odd task, this simply is impossible over RDP.

Pros and Cons for both, depends on your application.

yashiro · 27 Mar 2009 at 01:50

If you want to access the server graphically, you'll have to install a desktop environment anyway.

You can usually access machines via:
1 - XDMCP (needs gui/X)
2 - VNC (needs gui/X)
3 - RDP (needs gui/X)
4 - SSH in and forward X apps to your screen (apps need to be installed)
5 - SSH into a Terminal only.
6 - SSH tunnelling. Your machine accesses a connection on the server. Using the server as a proxy.

1-3 is what most Windows users expect. Usually dog slow.
4-6 is what most Linux users come to expect. They are the fastest
You can learn about all of the above on the internet. Just pick a topic and search.

LogMeIn is a VNC system for people who have no clue about remote computing isn't it?
If you are lazy and don't want to learn about computing it might fit the bill.
You'll still need to install their client software which is closed so the risks to you or your data are unknown. And I doubt they have a Linux client.

agent_paul · 27 Mar 2009 at 09:10

thanks yashiro,

i totally forgot about ssh with x forwarding. so whenever im on a linux box ill be doing that. would this work on a windows box using putty or any other ssh program? i cant think of any reason why it wouldnt....

Sin_Chase · 27 Mar 2009 at 11:48

openssh has a windows port, but I believe it is no longer updated or developed. I used to use it in conjunction with PuttY to tunnel traffic to a home PC running a proxy to get around firewalls/filtering.

sparkey196 · 28 Mar 2009 at 22:09

If you must have a remote GUI for ubuntu, def use nxserver or freenx. The performance is much much better than vnc.

wij · 28 Mar 2009 at 23:17

Webmin is also fairly decent for just managing a box over a web interface, should give you easy management of all the things you might want to set up for file shares and web serving etc.