VNC with multiple instances of an app

[Groo Vee]

I have a server which I'd like for people to VNC into. Now when Guy 1 logs into it, he/she must do so WITHOUT LOGGING IN (ie. there's some kind of "default user" which it defaults to if no one says otherwise), and then they can start apps (indeed, one must autostart - how do I do that?). Now if Guy 2 logs in, they must do the same, but they must able to start another INSTANCE of that app (that Guy 1 started), ie. the 2 apps must run INDEPENDENT of one another (imagine guy 1 starting Firefox and surfing site1 and guy2 starting Firefox as well and surfing site2). What's the quick way to do this?

Thanks.

[Lew Pitcher]

Nope. There's no "quick way".

In order to ensure that the VNC sessions for "Guy 1" and "Guy 2" do not
overlap, you need some way for the /system/ to distinguish between "Guy
1" and "Guy 2". And, that requires that each of them "LOG IN".

Now, the login /does not/ have to be the traditional userid/password type
of login. But, if it isn't, then you will have to develop your own login
solution.

Let me repeat that: YOU will have to DEVELOP your own LOGIN SOLUTION.


Luck be with you
--
Lew Pitcher
"In Skills, We Trust"

[Jorgen Grahn]

You have to wonder, if Guy 1 and 2 are different people and have to do
stuff INDEPENDENTly, maybe they should be different Unix users after
all. The mechanism was invented for precisely that situation.

/Jorgen

--
// Jorgen Grahn <grahn@ Oo o. . .
\X/ snipabacken.se> O o .

[Joe Beanfish]

So often people come and ask too specific a question instead of saying
what big picture they're trying to accomplish and asking how such is done.
This one sounds to me like creating a multi-seat kiosk type thing but
with remote seats.

[Lew Pitcher]

On Tue, 08 Dec 2020 15:05:11 +0000, Joe Beanfish wrote:

> On Mon, 07 Dec 2020 19:56:31 +0000, Jorgen Grahn wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 2020-12-07, Lew Pitcher wrote:
>>> On Sun, 06 Dec 2020 21:14:14 -0800, Groo Vee wrote:
>>>
>>>> I have a server which I'd like for people to VNC into. Now when Guy 1
>>>> logs into it, he/she must do so WITHOUT LOGGING IN (ie. there's some
>>>> kind of "default user" which it defaults to if no one says
>>>> otherwise), and then they can start apps (indeed, one must autostart
>>>> - how do I do that?). Now if Guy 2 logs in, they must do the same,
>>>> but they must able to start another INSTANCE of that app (that Guy 1
>>>> started), ie. the 2 apps must run INDEPENDENT of one another (imagine
>>>> guy 1 starting Firefox and surfing site1 and guy2 starting Firefox as
>>>> well and surfing site2). What's the quick way to do this?
>>>
>>> Nope. There's no "quick way".

[snip]

>> You have to wonder, if Guy 1 and 2 are different people and have to do
>> stuff INDEPENDENTly, maybe they should be different Unix users after
>> all. The mechanism was invented for precisely that situation.
>>
>> /Jorgen
>
> So often people come and ask too specific a question instead of saying
> what big picture they're trying to accomplish and asking how such is
> done.

I've heard it called "solving the wrong problem" or "the XY problem",
where, in trying to solve one, overarching issue, the questioner asks
about the solution to a secondary issue that occurs with their "solution"
to the primary issue.

> This one sounds to me like creating a multi-seat kiosk type thing but
> with remote seats.

I concur. I can't think of many scenarios in which the OP would require
multiple, independent, and (seemingly) anonymous VNC connections to run a
(preselected) application. A multi-seat kiosk sounds plausable, for the
OP's question.

[Groo Vee]

On Tuesday, 8 December 2020 at 22:06:22 UTC+5:30, Lew Pitcher wrote:

> (preselected) application. A multi-seat kiosk sounds plausable, for the
> OP's question.

I'm not too sure what a "multiseat kiosk" is, but yes, that SOUNDS like *exactly* what I'm trying to achieve. How do I do it, then? I want to connect to the server from a web VNC frontend, so I need the client IP address to somehow be the "login".

[Lew Pitcher]

You /might/ be looking for "xvnc". I've never played with it, so I don't
know if it will do what you want, but... a quick look at the manpage (see
https://linux.die.net/man/1/xvnc ) implies that
a) it can run multiple, independent X sessions that externalize through
the RFB protocol used by VNC viewers,
b) you can initiate it from inetd, and
c) you can set it up so that the client(s) don't need to authenticate
(login, etc.)

Something like this /might/ work for you.

HTH.
Luck be with you.

[Groo Vee]

On Thursday, 10 December 2020 at 00:38:08 UTC+5:30, Lew Pitcher wrote:

>
> Something like this /might/ work for you.

Thanks. I'll check it out.

[Groo Vee]

Btw, do I need "inetd" or "xinetd"?

[Grant Taylor]

On 12/11/20 10:19 PM, Groo Vee wrote:
> Btw, do I need "inetd" or "xinetd"?

My understanding is that you need something like (x)inetd to manage the
VNC port and broker between VNC clients and VNC server processes in a
dynamic way.

I believe there must be /something/ doing that brokering. It may not
/have/ /to/ /be/ (x)inetd. But it will probably have to be something
that does much the same thing.



--
Grant. . . .
unix || die

[Groo Vee]

Isn't (x)inetd OBSOLETE? Didn't it get replaced by systemd or something??

[Jorgen Grahn]

Ask your Linux distribution. In either case, it's going to have a
default way to say "whenever someone connects to TCP port <NNN>, run
program <Foo> under <these> conditions". Not even systemd can remove
that traditional Unix feature.

[Grant Taylor]

On 12/12/20 3:53 AM, Groo Vee wrote:
> Isn't (x)inetd OBSOLETE? Didn't it get replaced by systemd or something??

That's why I said "But it will probably have to be something that does
much the same thing.".

Aside: I'm not aware of systemd having (x)inetd functionality. But I
avoid systemd and haven't kept up with it.