[ale] Something faster than X-Windows but more secure than VNC server?

[Horkan Smith]

1) Some versions of VNC server/client to support SSH connections internally - see the -via option for Debian's xvnc4viewer app.

For low bandwidth connections, I tend to reduce the color space by default and only up it when I'm reading something that needs it.

2) Failing that, you can also set up a basic ssh tunnel (see the ssh -L lport:host:rport option) for the port in question.  You can even use the vncserver -localhost option on the VNC server to make it harder to access the server port from other interfaces.  On a laptop running Arch, I use something like:

$ ssh -f -L 5910:vncserverhostname:5900 -g hostthatcanseethevncserver sleep 20
$ vncviewer :10 -shared -name my_vnc_session -compresslevel 9 -quality 2 -encodings "copyrect tight"

3) As Jim mentioned, you could also try freenx; I need to spend more time trying that out myself.

later!
   horkan

On Tue, Sep 30, 2014 at 05:39:36PM +0000, Lightner, Jeff wrote:
> Basic question:
> Can anyone suggest something faster than X-Windows but more secure than VNC server?
> 
> Details:
> We have applications that run as X applications.   The vendor is used to running this in VNC Server but that isn???t very secure.
> 
> We instead gave X access on MS-Windows desktops using Exceed or Cygwin/X and the applications are exported back to the users??? desktop.   Since we???re doing this via ssh X tunneling it is encrypted.
> 
> The users continually complain that this is too slow for their needs.   We did initially give a single VPN session access to a remote consultant using VNC because it was clearly too slow going over the multiple hops it took to him in Pennsylvania.
> 
> Now I???m being asked to either turn on VNC Server for the users to access internally or propose an alternative solution.
> 
> Is there such a thing as a host based service like VNC Server but that makes an encrypted connection to the users??? desktop so that only the display is being sent encrypted rather than having to draw on the desktop.  Is there a way to make the VNC connection encrypted?
> 
> Jeffrey C. Lightner
> Sr. UNIX Administrator
> 
> DS Services of America, Inc.
> 5660 New Northside Drive NW
> Suite 250
> Atlanta, GA  30328
> 
> P: 678-486-3516
> C: 678-772-0018
> F: 678-460-3603
> E: jlightner at dsservices.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
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-- 
Horkan Smith
678-777-3263 cell, ale at horkan.net