tigervnc configurate setup

[Michael Nash]

I am running SLES12 Enterprise Server and I want to setup the VNC SERVER.  I am able to start the VNC server from the command line with

VNCSERVER :1.  From my workstation I am able to connect and log onto a session.  However, when I log out the session is active and does not close.  I would like to add the inetd parameter wait but it does not accept this parameter.  The reason I want to add the wait parameter is because I am able to use this parameter when I start a VNC SERVER using YAST.  Using this parameter with -once and noreset I am able to log out completely.  There is a configuration file in ~/.vnc/default.tigervnc.  I am not sure if this is being used.  How do I configure the server using the wait parameter.  I am able to execute vncserver :1 -once -noreset but it will not accept -inetd or -wait in any form.       

[Michael DePaulo]

Hi Michael,

1. I think the option you want is -autokill rather than -once .
From the Xserver (7) manpage:
-once causes the server to terminate (rather than reset) when
the XDMCP session ends.
From the vncserver (7) manpage:
-autokill
Automatically kill Xvnc whenever the xstartup script
exits. In most cases, this has the effect of terminating Xvnc when
the user logs out of the window manager.

2. ~/.vnc/default.tigervnc is for the vncviewer, not the vncserver.

3. I usually launch vncserver from a script. This is the script I
normally use. It results in the lowest available display number (and
thus the lowest available VNC port) being used. It also results in you
using PAM username & password authentication. Only the user you launch
it as is permitted to connect.

vncserver -autokill -SecurityTypes=VeNCrypt,TLSPlain -PlainUsers=$USER
-pam_service login -desktop $HOSTNAME +extension GLX

-Mike

[Michael Nash]

Hello Michael, thank you for your reply.  With -autokill the log out will log out all active sessions and it will stop the server.  Is there a way to log out the session you log out from?  Also, is there a way to keep the vncserver active?   Is there a configuration file for the vncserver?   When I use -inetd on the vncserver command line I receive the error:" Could not start Xvnc."!  Any suggestions:  I am trying to use the inetd wait/nowait parameter.

[Michael DePaulo]

Hi MIchael,

On Wed, Jul 22, 2015 at 11:57 AM, Michael Nash <mike...@us.ibm.com> wrote:
> Hello Michael, thank you for your reply. With -autokill the log out will
> log out all active sessions and it will stop the server.

It is supposed to stop the server. I am surprised it is logging out
all OTHER active sessions though.

> Is there a way to
> log out the session you log out from?

I am not sure what you are asking.

If your VNC startup script is calling gnome-session, and you log out
of GNOME through its menus, then that VNC session should be considered
logged out and the Xvnc server (the vncserver) should stop.

> Also, is there a way to keep the
> vncserver active?

Are you asking about disconnecting and reconnecting?

AFAIK, that is not possible when you launch vncserver with inetd.

> Is there a configuration file for the vncserver?

AFAIK, and according to the manpages for vncserver and Xvnc, no.

> When
> I use -inetd on the vncserver command line I receive the error:" Could not
> start Xvnc."!

I don't use vncserver with -inetd. But according to the manpage
(Xvnc), that shouldn't even be possible. The manpage states:

When given the -inetd option, instead of listening for TCP
connections on a given port it uses its standard input and standard
output.

So your command line is the standard input and standard output to the process.

Also, when you launch vncserver from a user's account (such as when
the user is logged in over SSH), a ~/.vnc/*.log file should be created
and that should give more details.

> I am trying to use the inetd wait/nowait
> parameter.

-Mike

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[Michael Nash]

Hello Michael, thanks again.  I think I need to ask some basic questions first. With Suse 12 enterprise you can start a VNC server using Yast or from the command line.  I believe that each method starts a different program.  When using Yast it starts the vino-server and when using the command line it starts tiger vnc. So, from the command line I would like to start a VNC server where the the initial session has control and other sessions are shared view only.  Is this possible?   Is there a configuration file where parameters are specified to be defaults? 

[Michael DePaulo]

Hi Michael

I am not an expert on vino or x11vnc. But they are 2 solutions designed to share out an existing X server, such as the physical Xorg server.

With TigerVNC, you start your own new X server called Xvnc. vncserver is a script to help you launch it.

I think you can set a full control password, and a view only password, using the vncpasswd command. This world prevent you from using PAM, and you will have to check whether this is available on SLE12's version of TigerVNC. Please check the manpage for vncpasswd.

Also, I hope I am not confusing the features of TigerVNC and TurboVNC.

-Mike

Sent from my Android Smartphone

[Michael Nash]

Hello Michael, once again thank you.  I looked an the man page for vncpasswd and do not find any viewonly options.  In /etc/X11/xorg.conf I find vnc options but it does not appear to use this file.  I changed where it finds the password and it failed to use it.  There is an option "viewonly" but again not used.  Where would the options for xorg.conf be documented.  So far nothing works.  The Suse 12 Administrator guides references viewonly but fails to document how to achieve this.  The log file fail to offer any clues.  Again thanks for your help but I am thinking that this will never happen.    

[Michael DePaulo]

Hi Michael.

Sorry, TurboVNC supports the view only passwords, but TigerVNC does not.

TigerVNC does not use xorg.conf.  those settings are probably for x11vnc.

It sounds like you need to start a single session with TigerVNC, and then share it out view only with other vnc clients. Perhaps this can be done using TigerVNC, but with vino (or x11vnc) doing the view only sharing. For example, TigerVNC would listen on port 5901, and vino/x11vnc would listen on port 5902. I don't have time to try this now though.

-Mike

Sent from my Android Smartphone

[Michael Nash]

Hello Michael, I brought up a SLES 11 setup and I am able to start the vncserver with one session in control and the other in view-only.  However there are things that behave differently between the two beside view-only not working on SLES12. I will have to take some time to review all of this.  I greatly appreciate your time and suggestions with me for this problem. 

[Pierre Ossman]

On Tue, 28 Jul 2015 12:07:23 -0400
Michael DePaulo <miked...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi Michael.
>
> Sorry, TurboVNC supports the view only passwords, but TigerVNC does
> not.
>

It does in the latest version actually. The man page probably doesn't
document this though. :/

> TigerVNC does not use xorg.conf. those settings are probably for
> x11vnc.

They are for TigerVNC when used as a module for your local X server.
I.e. libvnc.so.

Rgds
--
Pierre Ossman Software Development
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A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?

[Pitchblack]

I don't see any documentation around regarding configuration, so I like your post here:

vncserver -autokill -SecurityTypes=VeNCrypt,TLSPlain -PlainUsers=$USER
-pam_service login -desktop $HOSTNAME +extension GLX

But I do have questions
1. Are you defining two security types ?
VeNCrypt,TLSPlain
2. Is TLSPlain secure? I seed other postings where they state that the credentials are most likely saved in the logs. Is this the case?
3. How do I configure the vncserver with the commands you provided to startup automatically when the server needs a reboot?
4.Is it possible to have other users on the server connect to to vncserver without manually starting instances of the vncserver?