An Interesting Problem - Windows to openSuse (via VNC): No Connection - Dynamic IP only.....

English Network/Internet
#1

Hi there!!!

I have a very strange problem here. I am at this moment living in a dorm on campus up in Edinburgh, Scotland. The ISP is Freewire (fyi).

Qualifications in Regard to UNIX use:

  • Noob to Amateur knowledge
  • have only used ubuntu/debian before…

The Problem:
I can’t remotely access my openSuse install (11.3 KDE) from my windows machine via a 5-port switch (installed VNC on openSuse using Swerdna’s Guide)…I am not very good at using a UNIX terminal, and thus can’t verify if the vncserver (on the openSUse box) is running.

Aggravations:

  • I have no keyboard,mouse,or screen (not usually, I go to one of the Computer Labs and just plug in there, but then no internet!!!).
  • am trying to setup a file server + torrent(seeding/downloading) + http downloads via webUI
  • I only have a 5-port switch…no router + my ISP only functions via IPv4 authentication (i.e. I need to use there Dynamic IP address)

I would very much appreciate if someone could give advice, direct to external guides, or any other type of feedback, THANKS!

#2

To check if the “server” is running a vnc desktop, run this command on the server in a console window:

vncserver

You should get a return like this:

New ‘X’ desktop is computername:1

Starting applications specified in /home/john/.vnc/xstartup
Log file is /home/john/.vnc/computername:1.log

If you don’t, then vncserver is not working.

Now look at this fragment in the return “computername:1”. Here, “computername” is the hostname of the server and the integer “:1” is the port number of the new running server. If you get an integer larger that 1, like 2, then the vncserver was running already before you ran the command “vncserver” and the answer to your question (was the vncserver running) is “yes” it is running. If you get an integer equal to 1, then the vncserver was not running already when you ran the command “vncserver” and the answer to your question (was the vncserver running) is “no” it was not running.

To shutdown the extra server that you started to see what was happening, run this command:

vncserver -kill :x

(where x is the port number that was generated by your experiment).

I don’t fully understand what your next question is, so let me ask you one: Are you always going to access the server just on the local LAN (i.e. not across the internet) and thus are you seeking to address it like this in your viewer:

vncviewer computername:1
#3

To check if the “server” is running a vnc desktop, run this command on the server in a console window:

vncserver

You should get a return like this:

New 'X' desktop is computername:1

Starting applications specified in /home/john/.vnc/xstartup
Log file is /home/john/.vnc/computername:1.log

If you don’t, then vncserver is not working.

Hmmm…I did try that, however I had been in SU mode, so the original setting went in the to Root Home directory, and thus needed to restart the process. However I did not think to check like that, I though every time one did that another parallel instance of the server would be created (i.e. the another extra port created).

Now look at this fragment in the return “computername:1”. Here, “computername” is the hostname of the server and the integer “:1” is the port number of the new running server. If you get an integer larger that 1, like 2, then the vncserver was running already before you ran the command “vncserver” and the answer to your question (was the vncserver running) is “yes” it is running. If you get an integer equal to 1, then the vncserver was not running already when you ran the command “vncserver” and the answer to your question (was the vncserver running) is “no” it was not running.

Exactly…when I did

vncserver

it just created new one…hmmm

To shutdown the extra server that you started to see what was happening, run this command:

vncserver -kill :x

Ok will try that soon. Thanks.

I don’t fully understand what your next question is, so let me ask you one: Are you always going to access the server just on the local LAN (i.e. not across the internet) and thus are you seeking to address it like this in your viewer:

vncviewer computername:1

Only for the moment, however YES in future I want my server to be accessible over the internet (via VNC or SSH, HTTP (for the webUI), and (s)FTP). I talked to a friend of mine regarding that and he said that the ISP is a bit strange and that DDNS might not work. He didn’t say why though…hmm

Well Thanks a lot swerdna, also nic website some really good stuff there, I also used your RDP/XRDP article as well, however I have not tried it yet…thanks again

#4

Ok I checked the vncserver using

vncviewer 192.168.2.5:1

and it worked on openSuse.

I have the ip (192.168.2.5) as static in YaST. I connected the pc to my network (found an old router that works) and tried connecting (via Win tightvnc client) to openSUse, didn’t work…

what could be the problem?

am going to try and use Windows Linux RDP Remote Desktop Connections using openSUSE as Client or Server (terminal server) instead and see if that works. However my goal is to have VNC…so that I can use linux as well as windows to access the openSuse remotely.

#5

ok, i went ahead a tried to do some stuff, however I was reading some interesting threads in here in the forums: Network Card (eth0) Is Not Running and OpenSUSE 11 - No internet connection and network is unreachable (trying to connect to LAN/Internet).

SO my nic is the RTL8111/R8168B from Realteak that everyone has been complaining about. I tried to install the realtek drivers from here Realtek. However i was unable to install it succesfully (i.e. I did not have make installed, nor do I have the kernel-source avalible).

So now I have a nic with no working driver: in YaST → Hardware Information → Under ‘Network Card’ → ‘Drivers’ → ‘Active: NO’ furthermore I can not access the internet here (unless I take it to my room, which means no monitor/keyboard/mouse…haaaaaaaaa >:( aggrivations :’( )

What can be done to fix this and thus get tightVNC server working???

#6

Well strangly enough, after a reboot, the NIC is running again.

in Hardware Information under YaST: ‘Drivers’ -> ‘Active: YES’ and ‘modules’ -> modprobe r8169

does this mean that my install actually worked or is it just using an older/different driver???

also ifconfig:


eth0
Link encap: Ethernet  HWaddr 6C:F0:49:DF:47:E4
inet addr: 192.168.2.4  Bcast: 192.168.2.255  Mask: 255.255.255.0
UP BROADCASTING MULTICAST  MTU: 1500  Metric: 1
RX packets: 0  errors: 0  dropped: 0  overruns: 0  frame: 0
TX packets: 0  errors: 0  dropped: 0  overruns: 0  carrier: 0
collisions: 0  txqueuelen: 1000
RX bytes: 0 (0.0 b)  TX bytes: 0 (0.0. b)
Interrupts: 27  Base address: 0x8000

thanks…

#7

If you have a static IP and you have vncserver running, then you should first get a connection on the LAN and worry about connecting from the internet later.

  • I didn’t ask yet, exactly what command do you use to start the server?

Also, please run some tests now. Open a console window and run these commands on the server and report back.

  • rpm -qa | grep vnc
  • cat /home/john/.vnc/xstartup
  • cat /etc/sysconfig/SuSEfirewall2 | grep FW_CONFIGURATIONS_EXT=

And finally, did you say the vncviewer works when you run it on the server?

#8

I didn’t ask yet, exactly what command do you use to start the server?

I used your guide: TightVNC (VNC Xvnc) on openSUSE as Client or Server (Remote Desktop Connections) and registered vncservice.sh with the cron daemon using:


#!/bin/sh
rm /tmp/.X11-unix/X*
dbus-launch vncserver

and in crontab -e under the local account (not root):

@reboot /home/your_name/bin/vncservice.sh

it works.

OK, so regarding your tests, the first one (rpm -qa | grep vnc):

tightvnc-1.3.9-110.1.x86_64
xorg-x11-Xvnc-7.5_1.8.0-9.4.x86_64

cat /home/master/.vnc/xstartup:


#!/bin/sh
/usr/bin/startkde

cat /etc/sysconfig/SuSEfirewall2 | grep FW_CONFIGURATIONS_EXT= :

FW_CONFIGURATIONS_EXT="xorg-x11-server"

and YES, vncviewer on the server works, however I have not been able to establish a LAN connection (even though all the settings are right…regarding my router that is) to check if it works over my LAN network.

thanks again for your help…:slight_smile:

#9

This test: cat /etc/sysconfig/SuSEfirewall2 | grep FW_CONFIGURATIONS_EXT=
shows that you have enabled “vnc server” in the Firewall Allowed Services. Go back and take that out and in its place put VNC (reference link)

#10

PS just checking, you haven’t literally used “your_name” in the line @reboot /home/your_name/bin/vncservice.sh, have you? You’ve substituted a oyur correct username I hope.

#11

Regarding connecting from a client computer on the LAN, are you using a windows client or a Linux client?