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Can I use X-Win32 for remote hosts that are not running an X Server

X-Win32 is used to run X Client applications from a remote UNIX, Linux, or BSD host and have them be displayed on your Windows machine.

It is a common misconception that the remote host (e.g. Red Hat Enterprise Linux, SuSE, Debian, Ubuntu, HP-UX, IBM’s AIX, or Solaris) must be running an X Server in order for X-Win32 to connect and display applications. Typically, the thing people are looking for here is a graphical login screen on the remote host’s console instead of a text-based login screen. It turns out that the remote host does not have to be showing a graphical login screen in order to run most X-Win32 sessions.

When you run X-Win32 on your Windows machine, you are running an X Server that serves up your monitor, keyboard, and mouse to any X Client that requires the use of these devices. When you run applications on your remote host that will be displayed through X-Win32 (e.g. cadence, xterm, dtterm, konsole, emacs, etc.), these applications see only X-Win32 as their X Server; they do not even inquire as to whether the remote host is running an X Server or not.

Thus, it is entirely possible to run your X Client applications (as well as regular terminal-based applications) through rexec, rsh, and StarNetSSH sessions even when the remote host is not showing a graphical login prompt. The only requirement is that the remote host must have at least xterm, dtterm, konsole, or gnome-terminal installed so that you can run at least one terminal window from which to run either terminal-based applications or graphical X Client applications. Just use X-Config’s Session Wizard to create a new rexec, rsh, or StarNetSSH session for your remote host and you should be all set.

Xdmcp sessions are the only type of X-Win32 session that cannot be used when the remote host is not showing a graphical login screen. This is because the X Display Manager (e.g. xdm, dtlogin, kdm, or gdm) process must be running in order for the remote host to accept Xdmcp connection requests; typically, the X Display Manager will manage the console on the remote host as well, so you will see a graphical login screen on the remote host when the X Display Manager is running. However, the X Display Manager is not forced to manage the console of the remote host, so it is possible that Xdmcp connections will work even in some cases where the remote host does not show a graphical login screen on the console.

For Linux administrators, this means that your Linux machines can be in runlevel 3 (reached via init 3) instead of runlevel 5 (reached via init 5) if all you need is support for rexec, rsh, or StarNetSSH sessions; this can save a significant amount of memory and CPU usage on the Linux machine.

Category:FAQ
Category:Sessions



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