Remote X over SSH

**Allblack** · 09-20-2003

I am having fun with remote x right now. Linux is a lot of fun I have to say

Couple of questions,

What port do I have to open up to get this to work. I have switched my firewall off for testing purposes but I would like to enable it again a.s.a.p. (Still protected by a hardware one though )

How secure is all of this remote x stuff? I use ssh -X pc.mydomain.com and I am able to connect fine. What is the prefered method of connecting?
What about xhost? Safe or not?

cheers

**Dolda2000** · 09-20-2003

X uses port 6000+display number, so display :0 is port 6000, :1 is 6001, and so on. The beauty with SSH is that you don't have to open up any ports, since it forwards it over its own encrypted tunnel connection. That also means that it is completely secure. I have yet to see the day that anyone breaks SSH encryption.

**andutt** · 09-20-2003

Its not completly secure....but as secure as SSH is, but i havent heard of anybody that have breaked it, not with version-keys anyway..

**Allblack** · 09-20-2003

Thanks guys,

I probably did something wrong then when I was trying it out yesterday.
Everything is working fine now.
What is the real advantage in using remote X instead of vnc or TS?
At a first glance, i'd say it seems similar

cheers

**Dolda2000** · 09-20-2003

I'd say that there's an enormous difference. I love it so much since I don't get all the remote windows in a seperate framebuffer window, but they look just like ordinary windows, and also they are managed by the same window manager that manages all other windows.

**Allblack** · 09-21-2003

Thanks,

You are absolutely right. It differs big time. I did not realize it until I posted my previous reply. Remote X beats VNC big time and it appears to be faster(?)

cheers

**andutt** · 09-22-2003

Vnc is good when you dont have any X-server on you local machine, like reflection X or something if you are running winblowse... And refX cost a bunch! So in that case you can really save money..

**Dolda2000** · 09-22-2003

Certainly, but that is providing that you actually deal with winbloze systems. =)

VNC certainly has its advantages when it comes to platform independency; especially since it comes with that neat little Java applet.

**Allblack** · 09-23-2003

Taking about windows,

Is there a way of bringing up applications that run on a windows PC in a way that remote X works? So I would only get one window and not the entire screen like VNC does?

Cheers

**Dolda2000** · 09-23-2003

I don't think that Winbloze has any support for that. You can install an X server for Winbloze so that you can get X11 windows from another UNIX computer, but Winbloze itself can't create windows like that.

Thread Tools

Display

Remote X over SSH

Posting Permissions