From 51fe480c81cf542459c64345242d0259c34f845a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "W. Trevor King" Date: Sun, 17 Oct 2010 20:50:45 -0400 Subject: [PATCH] Add Xephyr post. --- posts/Xephyr.mdwn | 43 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 43 insertions(+) create mode 100644 posts/Xephyr.mdwn diff --git a/posts/Xephyr.mdwn b/posts/Xephyr.mdwn new file mode 100644 index 0000000..433b8fa --- /dev/null +++ b/posts/Xephyr.mdwn @@ -0,0 +1,43 @@ +We run [Ubuntu][] on a lot of the department computers, and some +things are easier to configure via their appropriate GUI than they are +from the command line (sigh, :p). I don't have to do this often, so +often I don't remember the interface, or even the name, of the app +required for the particular configuration I'm try adjust. Ah, I think, +if I was only sitting in front of the computer in question rather than +logging in via [[SSH]], I could click on the *Preferences* dialog and +it would be right there. Wait, why should it matter what computer I'm +sitting in front of? Enter nested X servers such as [Xnest][] and its +successor [Xephyr][]. + +The problem with running a remote desktop or windows manager is that +when you fire up your local X server, you usually also fire up a +windows manager to manage it. If you try to run a remote windows +manager, there will be two managers trying to manage one server, which +can be problematic. Xephyr lets you start another X server nested +inside a window of your main X server, and you can then start the +remote windows manager in the Xephyr window. Basic usage looks like +this: + + home$ Xephyr :1 -ac -screen 800x600 2>/dev/null & + home$ export DISPLAY=:1 + home$ ssh -YC hop1 + hop1$ ssh -YC hop2 + ... + hopN$ ssh -YC target + target$ gnome-session + +Don't forget to kill the Xephyr process once you're done with it. + +Of course, with all the X forwarding, it doesn't actually matter which +host Xephyr is running on. However, it may be easier for you if you +only have to install it on your main computer. See Igor Ljubuncic's +[Xephyr tutorial][] for a more detailed explanation of the whole +process. + +[!tag tags/linux] +[!tag tags/tools] + +[Ubuntu]: http://www.ubuntu.com/ +[Xnest]: http://packages.debian.org/lenny/xnest +[Xephyr]: http://www.freedesktop.org/wiki/Software/Xephyr +[post]: http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/xephyr.html -- 2.26.2