X starting at startup

[Ted Gould]

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> # First make sure your workstation allows X connections
> # from your server
> bob@workstation $ xhost <server's ip address or name>
>=20
> # Then connect to your server
> bob@workstation $ ssh <server>
>=20
> # Tell the server where to send your X gui widgets
> bob@server $ export DISPLAY=3D"<workstation's IP or name>:0.0"
>=20
> # become root
> bob@server $ su
>=20
> # run your gui tool
> root@server # red-carpet

I don't know if you know this, but I want to mention that in general you
don't want to use generic X connections to share data.  When you do this
you are creating a binary stream between the client and server that is
basically plain text.  So every key you press gets sent across the
network, passwords, what ever.  This is the same reason that XDMCP
(logging in to a host graphically over the network) is a bad idea.  (I
can tell stories about sniffing passwords off of hapless sysadmins in
college using this... :)

While that sounds grim, SSH fixes this problem for you if you allow it
to handle X stuff.  Basically what SSH will do is set up an encrypted
tunnel for the X binary stream to travel across.  I use this even on
local networks, but some have called me paranoid.  Another feature of
SSH that helps here is compression.  SSH will compress the byte stream
so that you applications run a little faster (assuming both machines
have the CPU to handle it).

Probably a better way to do this is:

# Then connect to your server
bob@workstation $ ssh -l root <server>

# run your gui tool
root@server # red-carpet

		Have fun,
			Ted

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