VNC doesn't show the same desktop

[jeff959]

Hello. I'm trying to get VNC set up on a centOS 4 machine as the server. I can VNC into it just fine - my problem is that when I work directly on the server, I see something entirely different than when I VNC into it. The programs that are open are different, and I can't see what I was working on when I was there in person. It's almost like I'm logged into a different account - except there's only one account, user1, and both displays (through VNC and on the actual machine) show that that's the active user. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[Roxoff]

Use your VNC display for normal working, and connect to it locally when you're logged on.

This will allow you to disconnect from the VNC session and log-off when you walk away from the machine, then connect to it from a remote location later.

You can run a VNC session of your current desktop, but you end up with a session that's logged on locally while you're not there - which may not be what you want to happen.

[Dapper Dan]

If what you're wanting to do is "see" the server's screen or desktop from a remote machine just as it appears when in front of that machine in person, then you need to log into CentOS's :0 display rather than :1 or higher. If I remember correctly, unlike some other distros, CentOS has to be configured to do this. If that's what you're looking to do, this is a good how to to get that going.

[Rubberman]

Thanks DapperDan. I've been asking myself the same question about access to the :0 display on my CentOS system. I am running 5.x and the X server seems to be capable of VNC server operations, but the xorg.conf file needs to be updated as per the instructions you provided the link to. I'm going to try that out later this week and will let you all know how it went. In the past I have used the standard Xvnc server, but there are times when I would like access to the main desktop of my workstation from my laptop.

[Ziplock]

You can start and stop VNC for the current session in the menus under the Administration -> Remote Desktop icon. This will allow you to log into port 5900 and see what is currently on the screen.

[Rubberman]

You can start and stop VNC for the current session in the menus under the Administration -> Remote Desktop icon. This will allow you to log into port 5900 and see what is currently on the screen.

I don't have the Remote Desktop listing under Administration and I cannot find it under any of the other menus.

[Ziplock]

Oh - my bad, it works on CentOS 5, not sure if it was included in ver. 4 though. Can you install it from media or YUM?

[Rubberman]

Oh - my bad, it works on CentOS 5, not sure if it was included in ver. 4 though. Can you install it from media or YUM?

Actually, I am running CentOS 5.3 (updated regularly since 5.0 was installed 15 months ago). I haven't tried to connect to display :0 yet. I haven't had any trouble connecting to an Xvnc server from my laptop, but I would like to connect to the physical desktop for remote control purposes. After all, some functions are only allowed from the main console. The services listing shows that the vncserver is enabled, though it shows that Xvnc is currently inactive, as it should since I don't have it running right now. Any idea why the Administration -> Remote Desktop icon is missing? Do I need to log in as root to get that?

[Ziplock]

Ok, I've just logged into a nearby CentOS 5 box, and it's under, System -> Prerefences -> Remote Desktop.

The executable from the shortcut is call 'vino-preferences' and comes from the 'vino' rpm. It was installed by default for me, and I was able to run it as a normal user.

Hope this helps.

[Rubberman]

Ok, I've just logged into a nearby CentOS 5 box, and it's under, System -> Prerefences -> Remote Desktop.

The executable from the shortcut is call 'vino-preferences' and comes from the 'vino' rpm. It was installed by default for me, and I was able to run it as a normal user.

Hope this helps.

Well, I don't have a preferences entry under System, but I did find Desktop Sharing in the Control Center under Internet & Network, which seems to be what I am looking for. From what I can tell, it is already configured, with some minor changes to allow me to remote-control the desktop. I'll try that tomorrow. It is getting late and I need my beauty rest! In any case, thanks for the feedback.