EMACS (remote GUI apps)

Fri Jan 21 11:22:40 MST 2011

So something like this

X11
pros:  easy, single app
cons:  VERY slow, insecure
prereqs:  Xserver on your desktop listening on tcp port 6000+display number.

X11+ssh
pros:  easyish, single app
cons:  slow (though my experience is faster than standard X11), reasonable
amount of overhead on the wire
prereqs:  SSH server on host node.  SSH client on desktop.  Xserver on
client node (tcp listening not necessary)

VNC
pros:  easy, fast
cons:  full desktop, insecure
prereqs:  VNC server on host.  VNC client on desktop.  Able to hit TCP port
5900 (or whatever you're using) on host node, or initiate a listen on client
and send it from host to client on port 5700 or whatever you're using (or
was it 5800?).

VNC+ssh
pros:  fast-ish
cons:  full desktop, tends to be laggy in my experience.  more complex setup
prereqs:  SSH server on host node.  VNC server on host node.  SSH and VNC
client software on desktop

VNC+http
pros:  simple for desktop, insecure
cons:  full desktop, more server software, java client, somewhat complex
setup
prereqs:  VNC server software that has http ability with the jar in
question.  Web browser with java on desktop

NXserver
I haven't used it

Personally, I use SSH to get onto the commandline.  If I need an app, I use
the display tunnel to shoot it back to myself, and if I need a full desktop
for some reason (to keep apps up, whatever), I bring up an X session in an
xvfb and then shoot myself a VNC session over the ssh tunnel.  Not secure,
and requires a somewhat fast network, but it has the advantage of being
incrementally complicated.

On Fri, Jan 21, 2011 at 9:42 AM, Lisa Kachold <lisakachold at obnosis.com>wrote:

>
>
> On Thu, Jan 20, 2011 at 3:37 PM, Matt Graham <danceswithcrows at usa.net>wrote:
>
>> From: gk <gm5729 at gmail.com>
>> [snip]
>> > I'm wondering [if a GUI Emacs can] be backgrounded like Screen or
>> > Tmux and then reattached if something needs to be done remotely.
>>
>> Sort of, but it's not great in most circumstances.  If you can deal with
>> having 2 X servers allow TCP, and compiling and running xmove, you can
>> take an
>> X app using the Display of one box, then move it to the Display of another
>> box.  The downside is that graphics performance slows to a crawl for just
>> about everything, especially programs using GTK for some reason.
>>
>> Running a VNC server like TightVNC is a bit faster, and is better for many
>> uses since you don't need X and all its baggage, just a VNC client, which
>> is
>> available for many platforms.  It's still slower than I'd like, and you
>> can
>> get odd problems like keys getting stuckkkkkkk.
>>
>> The fastest remote-access GUI I've used across a slow link is NXServer and
>> NXClient.  This is not Free speech, but it's free beer.  If you really
>> need it
>> to be fast and accessible from anywhere, though, screen plus your favorite
>> console editor is still the best choice.
>>
>> Comments, suggestions, and flying attack porcupines welcome.
>>
>
> Great post!
>
> I fully agree that VNC is vastly superior in speed alone to the full blown
> X of our old Sun/Linux (Dot Com startup - dial up ISP administration) days,
> with all it's snafus (ever had your X session highjacked<http://www.cas.mcmaster.ca/wiki/index.php/The_Mitnick_attack>by the Support staff (you managed)?  No? I have..... [very funny you
> guys])...
>
> However, our concept of speed cannot be considered without also,
> considering, in a non-linear way, security?  We assume that you architect
> OSI security protection (VLAN exclusion or strict network switch port ACL
> controls) since VNC password exchange can easily be snooped<http://www.realvnc.com/pipermail/vnc-list/2003-September/040950.html>,
> not to mention all command intercepted!
>
> X is incredibly insecure and network taxing, as well as limited.  And SSH
> with screen, with console editor is better, although still MITM<http://www.signedness.org/tools/>able (and who limits SSH between servers and the support staff?
> http://www.signedness.org/tools/
>
> SSLStrip will take your local https back to text, not that you are using
> webmin or anything <http://g0tmi1k.blogspot.com/2010/04/video-pwnos.html>?
>
> But, yes, we like it fast, from our slow Cox Wifi connections, which cantrivially be brute forced<http://www.aircrack-ng.org/doku.php?id=cracking_wpa>by our neighbor kids....hopefully they won't get a clue what all those root
> Nix commands mean?
>
>
>> --
>>
>> Matt G / Dances With Crows
>> The Crow202 Blog:  http://crow202.org/wordpress/
>> There is no Darkness in Eternity/But only Light too dim for us to see
>>
>> ---------------------------------------------------
>> PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss at lists.plug.phoenix.az.us
>> To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change your mail settings:
>> http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss
>>
>
>
>
> --
>
> (503) 754-4452
> (623) 688-3392
>
>  http://www.obnosis.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------
> PLUG-discuss mailing list - PLUG-discuss at lists.plug.phoenix.az.us
> To subscribe, unsubscribe, or to change your mail settings:
> http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/mailman/listinfo/plug-discuss
>

-- 
James McPhee
jmcphe at gmail.com
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.PLUG.phoenix.az.us/pipermail/plug-discuss/attachments/20110121/3cc648c3/attachment.html>