GNOME session won't start in VNC

erget · February 2, 2012, 11:25am

Hi all,

I’m not sure if this is the right forum, but I figured the question fits best here:

I use SSH and VNC to access my work computer from out and about, which means often. SSH works fine, no problems there. VNC works fine too, as long as I’m using KDE. But since I use a tablet with a touchscreen I prefer the large, shiny buttons, etc. of GNOME when I’m not sitting at an actual computer and need a GUI.

If I run GNOME from my computer locally, everything works fine. If I try to start a GNOME session using VNC, though, this is what happens:

I get what I think is a TWM environment with a popup that says only “Failed to load session “gnome””
I’ve tried to start gnome-session from the terminal and I get the following:

lee@pc19453:~> gnome-session
gnome-session-is-accelerated: No composite extension.
gnome-session-check-accelerated: Helper exited with code 256
gnome-session [21435]: WARNING: Session 'gnome' runnable check failed: Exited with code 1

That seems strange, right? Especially since GNOME is runnable, I know that because I can run it when I’m physically in front of the computer.

Contents of ~./vnc/xstartup:

#!/bin/sh

xrdb $HOME/.Xresources
xsetroot -solid grey
gnome-panel &
exec gnome-shell &
#startkde &

I put in gnome-panel to see if that would start - I’d read in a thread somewhere that that could be keeping gnome-shell or gnome-session from executing - but it didn’t change anything. Nicely enough, though, it does give me a gnome-panel in TWM, which is kind of what I want, but then again not really. I have tried swapping gnome-shell for gnome-session, but no dice.

Some more info:

I’m not logged in locally, so I don’t think it’s a profile issue
If I comment out the gnome lines in ~/.vnc/xstartup and uncomment the KDE line, KDE starts just fine
Every time I edit ~./vnc/xstartup I restart the VNC server, so that’s not the problem.

Any clues? I’d be really excited if I could use gnome in VNC. Thanks a bunch!

erget · February 4, 2012, 12:16pm

Push - anybody got any ideas?

glistwan · February 4, 2012, 1:01pm

Sorry not me KDE only here.

Best regards,
Greg

erget · February 5, 2012, 12:11am

I can definitely understand that, I also prefer KDE when I’m working directly at the computer

Is this perhaps the wrong forum? Is there a SUSE forum for GNOME questions somewhere?

Best,
Daniel

glistwan · February 5, 2012, 5:47am

No I think You’re at the perfectly correct place. The problem is that most likely no one that has seen this thread so far knows what your problem might be.

Best regards,
Greg

pistazienfresser · February 5, 2012, 7:34pm

If I click on the tag vnc under the last posting
I get this as 8th result:
http://forums.opensuse.org/english/get-technical-help-here/applications/451175-cant-get-gnome-session-work-vncserver.html

Is this solution not (still) working?

Good luck
Martin

erget · February 5, 2012, 8:20pm

Sadly, no - I’ve tried using exactly that xstartup file with the same results as otherwise.

My gut says that GNOME’s not able to access my X server, but why I don’t know. A monitor’s attached - I use the computer a couple times a week at my desk there. But oftentimes I use it from elsewhere, which is why I’ve got this whole concern with GNOME in the first place.

Anyway, thanks for the tip, but the problem’s still there Any more ideas?

Best,
Daniel

robin_listas · February 5, 2012, 9:23pm

On 2012-02-05 20:26, erget wrote:

> Anyway, thanks for the tip, but the problem’s still there Any more
> ideas?

Sorry, I do not use VNC nor see a need for it in Linux.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.4 x86_64 “Celadon” at Telcontar)

erget · February 6, 2012, 9:20am

I use it because I make a lot of maps and need to see them… Normally I make them in a terminal, but then I also need to put them together and proof them graphically. I also work on some web UI’s and for that I need a real desktop browser.

glistwan · February 6, 2012, 9:29am

For running the some GUI apps alone (not the whole desktop) X11 forwarding over ssh should be sufficient and is very easy to configure IMHO. (changing simply one parameter in the server and client config) If You’re accessing your linux machine from windows You also need to install Xserver for windows in order for X11 forwarding to work but that’s as simple as downloading Xming install and clicking next.

Sorry but that’s the best advice I can give You

Best regards,
Greg

erget · February 6, 2012, 9:35am

Thanks, that is a great tip and I use X forwarding any time I work on a real computer (normally I’m accessing my Linux machine from another Linux machine). My specific issue here is working with a tablet. It’s just unbeatable when I’m working from underway because it’s battery holds for a good couple of days. The only problem is that Android doesn’t have an X server (there’s only one site that advertises it and the site seems to be dead for quite some time). So I’m stuck working with VNC on my Android - at least until the Spark comes out (assuming that it’s got an X server! I hope so! ). That’s why I’d like to get the more touch-friendly GNOME running in VNC.

Best,
Daniel

pistazienfresser · February 6, 2012, 11:57am

Hi Daniel, it’s only me again…

Searching for “gnome-session-is-accelerated” gives me for example this:
Gnome 3 Standard mode not working (on FedoraForum.org starting with 2011-11-22) or
More GNOME Shell Customization (blog.fpmurphy.com in May 2011 about the system of graphics software and hardware working together in GNOME3)
So maybe there is something going wrong with the 3D hardware acceleration?
Is your system trying to use the 3D hardware acceleration of your tablet or has no access to the 3D hardware acceleration of your bigger computer (server)?

Have you tried using the (forced) fallback mode of GNOME3 (normally automatically used for systems with not enough capaticities for 3D hardware acceleration - a bit like GNOME 2.x)?

On behalf localizing the problem a bit:
Have you tried access to the same VNC server with an other VNC client (a normal computer/laptop that could use GNOME3 in a locate session)?

Just a bit amateurish (I am only a lawyer :shame:) guessing…

I wish you good luck (and maybe an other, better guess[er])

Regards
Martin
Martin

robin_listas · February 6, 2012, 2:53pm

On 2012-02-06 09:26, erget wrote:
>
> I use it because I make a lot of maps and need to see them… Normally I
> make them in a terminal, but then I also need to put them together and
> proof them graphically.

You do not need VNC to see your graphics program. This ability is native to
Linux.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.4 x86_64 “Celadon” at Telcontar)

robin_listas · February 6, 2012, 2:53pm

On 2012-02-06 09:36, erget wrote:
> My specific issue here is working with a tablet. It’s
> just unbeatable when I’m working from underway because it’s battery
> holds for a good couple of days. The only problem is that Android
> doesn’t have an X server (there’s only one site that advertises it and
> the site seems to be dead for quite some time).

/That/ is a good reason.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.4 x86_64 “Celadon” at Telcontar)

malcolmlewis · February 6, 2012, 3:27pm

erget:

glistwan;2437797 Wrote:
> For running the some GUI apps alone (not the whole desktop) X11
> forwarding over ssh should be sufficient and is very easy to configure
> IMHO. (changing simply one parameter in the server and client config)
> If You’re accessing your linux machine from windows You also need to
> install Xserver for windows in order for X11 forwarding to work but
> that’s as simple as downloading Xming install and clicking next.

Thanks, that is a great tip and I use X forwarding any time I work on a
real computer (normally I’m accessing my Linux machine from another
Linux machine). My specific issue here is working with a tablet. It’s
just unbeatable when I’m working from underway because it’s battery
holds for a good couple of days. The only problem is that Android
doesn’t have an X server (there’s only one site that advertises it and
the site seems to be dead for quite some time). So I’m stuck working
with VNC on my Android - at least until the Spark comes out (assuming
that it’s got an X server! I hope so! ). That’s why I’d like to get
the more touch-friendly GNOME running in VNC.

Best,
Daniel

Hi
There is a Xvnc:X/X11 server with vnc backend on the Apps Market?
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.theqvd.android.x

Installed it fine on my Transformer tablet…

Have you tried teamviewer?

–
Cheers Malcolm °¿° (Linux Counter #276890)
openSUSE 12.1 (x86_64) Kernel 3.1.9-1.4-desktop
up 1 day 17:47, 3 users, load average: 0.11, 0.06, 0.05
CPU Intel i5 CPU M520@2.40GHz | Intel Arrandale GPU

martin_helm · February 6, 2012, 5:03pm

Am 06.02.2012 15:27, schrieb malcolmlewis:
> Hi
> There is a Xvnc:X/X11 server with vnc backend on the Apps Market?
> https://market.android.com/details?id=com.theqvd.android.x
A very nice program, installed it on my tablet now. Thanks for the info
about it.

erget · February 6, 2012, 5:47pm

Hi,

That’s some great info. I have to admit, though, if I’m already working graphically I do like to have a complete environment. It would be realky nice to have GNOME running. I don’t understand why it doesn’t work - I think that somehow GNOME has a problem using any session other than :1.

On another note, though, that app for Android seems really cool. How does it work? Do I just need to forward the right ports and then when I open a program in e.g. sshDroid it pops up in the VNC monitor?