x11vnc is a virtual network client that allows you to log into a computer and see the desktop screen from a remote location (remote dekstop). This requires running x11vnc as a server on the server computer, then connecting to the x11vnc server using a host with a remote desktop client (I use Chicken of the VNC).

Installing

Prerequisites

Mac

To install x11vnc on a Mac, you will need a jpeg library, which I was able to download from Fink.

Linux

You can use a package management software like aptitude or yum to install x11vnc. This should resolve dependencies.

Configuring

For the Mac, my configure line looked like:

#!/bin/sh
#
# run configure
# make
# make install

./configure \
 --prefix=/path/to/x11vnc \
 --with-jpeg=/sw

Then run make and make install.

Once the installation is done, add the bin/ directory to your $PATH variable, and open a new shell. Typing "which x11vnc" should print /path/to/x11vnc/bin/x11vnc.

Starting

When you first run x11vnc, you will see a bunch of loud warnings about not setting a password. Follow the instructions given to set a password. This is a password used to access your desktop - without it, anyone who connects to your server can control the screen.

Once you have set your password, create a script for starting x11vnc. Mine looks like this:

#!/bin/sh

sudo x11vnc -usepw -display :0 -ncache 10 -forever

Tunneling Via SSH

Connecting with Chicken of the VNC

Once you've started x11vnc on the remote computer and created an SSH tunnel to your local machine's port 5900 (or whatever port you want your VNC to listen on), you can run Chicken of the VNC to connect the VNC to your local machine's port 5900. Do this by connecting Chicken of the VNC to the host localhost:5900. If you specify the host as localhost and then specify port 5900 in the "port" box, it won't work.

Your VNC server settings should look like this:

400px

X11vnc

From charlesreid1

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