USING VNC FOR IMAGING





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!!WARNING!!

The information on this page is generally useful, but many of the specific details (e.g. host names) are out of date. Please do not follow these instructions literally.


For more upto date information see:

http://intranet.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/computing/cluster-access/

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Index


Introduction to VNC

Have you read the warning at the top of the page?

VNC (which stands for Virtual Network Computing) is software designed to make it possible to view and fully interact with one computer from any other.

VNC is probably the best way of connecting to the Linux boxes at the CBU, and thus being able to run SPM. Its main advantage (over Exceed, for instance) is that if you lose your VNC window (for instance due to a computer crash), then all jobs and settings are all still live. This means that SPM processes can continue to run, and the next time you start up your VNC viewer, you will be able to start exactly where you left off, with all SPM and Linux windows as you left them. Another clear advantage is that VNC can easily be adapted so that you can have four sets of desktops running simultaneously in a single VNC viewer.

A) Things you need to do only once:

B) Things you need to do every time you start a new VNC server (should happen very rarely – normally only when the Linux boxes are rebooted):

C) How to connect to your established VNC server from inside the CBU:

D) How to connect to your established VNC server from outside the CBU:

E) Optimising the display of your VNC Viewer:

F) Useful commands and tips:

G) Connecting externally from a Mac

H) VNC on Ubuntu 11.10

On Ubuntu (11.10 anyway) there is a bug in ssh which stops it connecting at all, and tightVNC is almost too slow to be usable. One workaround is as follows:

Use a line like this to make the ssh connection:

where l52 is the linux box with your vnc session, 5903 means use display 3, and "-c aes256-cbc" is a magic incantation to get round the bug (see: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/openssh/+bug/708493 for the gory details)

then, instead of using vnc, use the "remote desktop viewer" application (from the dashboard). Click "Connect" and enter localhost::5599 as the host

Daniel Bor, Rhodri Cusack, Matt Davis.