This document based on http://request.nsls.bnl.gov/freenx/

Yury Gorbunov

22 February 2008

Comments? gorbunov[attt]rcf_d_rhic_d_bnl_d_gov

X-Windows Remote Access to BNL with NX

This note is about how to use NX technology to gain remote access with full X-Windows support. Typically, one can use the nxclient to connect to the office/beamline Linux box (nxserver), with full X-Windows functionality (to access the BNL intranet, etc., almost like you are sitting infront of the remote BNL computer). The key advantage of using NX, as compared to others (for example, "ssh -X -C"), is that NX uses very efficient compression to achieve very fast response while using very low bandwidth. In my experience, while connecting to my office Linux box, with a cable modem connection, there is no noticeable delay at all, and the bandwidth usage is about or below 10KB/sec most of the time, while doing web browsing on the remote desktop with Firefox.  It's reported one could do this through a modem line.

Like most of the network applications, NX comprises of a Client and a Server. I already set up NX servers for many of the nsls beamline Linux computers. To connect to the nxserver, the only thing you'll need is to download a free (as in beer) client (Linux/Windows/Mac/Solaris) and follow the following procedures to configure it.  For outside BNL network (at home), there is a special procedure to configure port-forwarding on PuTTY (Windows) or run a special "ssh" command (Linux), to go through the BNL SSH gateway.

NX technology was developed at NoMachine ( www.nomachine.com ), who licensed the core technology (the core library) under GPL. The community effort (free version) of NX is the FreeNX. We use the NoMachine client (free download), and the FreeNX server. FreeNX client is command-line driven, it's not as easy to use at the moment.

Client installation

Go to the www.nomachine.com and download appropriate version of the client.

Also one can download the 1.5 versions of clients (a snapshot from Jan 06) here locally. (Accessible only inside BNL)
Or I have a local copy of the clients on sc5.starp.bnl.gov

Linux client

sysuser@sc5.starp.bnl.gov:/home/sysuser/Gorbunov/arch/nxclient-1.5.0-141.i386.tar.gz

Windows Client

sysuser@sc5.starp.bnl.gov:/home/sysuser/Gorbunov/arch/Windows/nxclient-1.5.0-138.exe

plus fonts

rpms

Mandrake

/home/sysuser/Gorbunov/arch/rpm_mandrake/nxclient-1.5.0-141.i386.rpm

redhat

/home/sysuser/Gorbunov/arch/nxclient-1.5.0-141.i386.rpm

and two files for debian

/home/sysuser/Gorbunov/arch/deb_sarge/nxclient_1.5.0-141_i386.deb

/home/sysuser/Gorbunov/arch/deb_woody/nxclient_1.5.0-141_i386.deb

I guess you know what to do with rpm files and deb files but I have to explain what to do with *.tar.gz

cd /usr

tar -xzvf /where/you/have/nxclient-1.5.0-141.i386.tar.gz

so you ready to start it!

First thing to do is to establish port forwarding

Normally we have to go through the BNL ssh gateway (rssh.rhic.bnl.gov) to gain access to BNL computers, in a two step process, first ssh to rssh.rhic.bnl.gov, then from there "ssh BNL_host".  To make nxclient connect directly to the Linux server inside BNL firewall with SSH, we'll need to take advantage of the SSH port forwarding feature.

For Linux, this is just a ssh command,

ssh -L 7777:sc5.starp.bnl.gov:22 your_username@rssh.rhic.bnl.gov

Login to rssh.rhic.bnl.gov with the command above (don't forget to put a real user name) and leave the command window open.

Client Configuration

Start nx client with the command /usr/NX/bin/nxclient

the window below will appear on the screen

Picture 1

Login Screen

Specify the username : sysuser

Password for the sc5.starp.bnl.gov

Name the seession : whatever you like

Now it's time to configure the NXClient.  Click "Configure" on the NXclient logon scree, you'll get the configuration screen, as shown below.

Picture 2

Configuration Screen

Now specify host name : localhost

port 7777

Desktop Unix and X window manager GNOME

Display

I used 800x600 , but screen is a bit too small I think .. there are several options available an you can try them to see what fits you best.

Now we have to configure public key!

download one from sc5.starp.bnl.gov

sc5.starp.bnl.gov:/home/sysuser/Gorbunov/arch/client.id_dsa.key to you computer

Clcik “Key” button in the configuration screen

The screen below will appear

Picture 3

Public Key Specification Screen

Click “Import” navigate to where you stored the public key and select the file, click “ok”

then click “Save”

You will get back to the configure menu, click “Save” and “Ok” and then click “Login” on the login menu

After few seconds a new screen appear as shown below :

We need a putty client and Xwindows server (Exceed or similar)

First click on the PuTTY icon, to configure it. Host Name =rssh.rhic.bnl.gov. port 22. As shown.

\

Next click on SSH -> X11 button on the left, Enable X11 forwarding, to localhost:0

Now click on Tunnels, fill in Source port the LocalPortNumber you chose (7777 in this example, this should be the same number that you input in the nxclient configure screen). Click on Add. Go back to the session tab to save the session, so that you don't have to go through all this configuring again every time you use it. Login to your rssh.rhic.bnl.gov account with your userid and passwd. Leave the PuTTY window open.