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Mar
25
My first article on remote desktop became popluar among Linux users
and some Windows people as well. I received many comments on what I had missed from the short list I had compiled. Therefore, I’ve written this updated article that contains additional remote desktop apps that can be used for Linux to Linux / Windows to Linux and also Windows to Mac and Mac to Windows.
Linux to Linux
1) VNC (Virtual Network Computing) is a remote display system which
allows the user to view the desktop of a remote machine anywhere on
the internet. It can also be directed through SSH for security. There
are 3 types of VNC, they are:
1. http://www.realvnc.com/download.html
2. http://www.tightvnc.com/download.html
3. http://www.uvnc.com/
While you’re at it, get VNC Scan from (http://www.vncscan.com/) - a popular Network Administration tool that allows you to remotely manage all of your desktops and servers from a single location.
2) FreeNX is a system that allows you to access your desktop from
another machine over the internet. Some helpful links on how to
install:
1. https://help.ubuntu.com/community/FreeNX
2. http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=97277&highlight=freenx
3. http://freenx.berlios.de/ (FreeNX homepage)
3) The third free application is 2X Terminal Server for Linux.
1. Download at http://www.2x.com/terminalserver/download.htm
2. Forum is at http://www.2x.com/forums
4) XDMCP. The original way of doing this on Linux. This link will
help get you started:
1. http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/XDMCP-HOWTO/intro.html
5) CygwinX. A complete Linux emulation on Windows. You’ll find every
tool and app that you have on Linux on Cygwin.
Get it from http://www.cygwin.com/
6) XRDP. RDP server that runs on Linux, thus allowing you to use
Windows Remote Desktop Client or rdesktop to connect.
Get it from http://sourceforge.net/projects/xrdp/
7) x2vnc - great little utility that allows you to tie a linux and windows (or anything that can run the vncserver) together with a ingle keyboard/mouse, avoiding the need for a switcher box. Mousing cross screens transparently switches between machines, and cut and aste works.
Get it from http://fredrik.hubbe.net/x2vnc.html
8 ) Xming - t’s a great and lightweight implementation of X11 for
Windows that allows you to connect to a Linux box. You can read about
it at http://freedesktop.org/wiki/Xming
9) KDE Desktop Sharing (formerly krfb) - part of KDE since version 3.1. It is located in the kdenetwork package. If your distribution splits the KDE applications into separate packets, you may find the client as ‘krdc’ and the server as ‘krfb’. Also uses VNC technology.
10) X-Win32 - Top rated PC X server solutions for Windows PCs connecting to remote Unix and Linux host systems. Works well over SSH.
Get it from http://www.starnet.com/products/xwin32/
11) Single Click UltraVNC - In case you would like to remote control without any software installed on the target computer you need UltraVNC SC. The user on the to be controlled computer needs to simply click on a web page and remote controlling begins.
Get it from here http://ultravnc.sourceforge.net/addons/singleclick.html
12) CrossLoop - CrossLoop is a FREE secure screen sharing utility designed for people of all technical skill levels. CrossLoop extends the boundaries of VNC’s traditional screen sharing by enabling non-technical users to get connected from anywhere on the Internet in seconds without changing any firewall or router settings.
Get it from http://www.crossloop.com/
13) Thinstation - Although not a remote desktop app but worth mentioning here. Thin client linux distro for terminals using std. x86 hw. It can boot from network, pxe, syslinux,loadlin, CD, floppy or flash-disk and connect to servers using VNC, RDP, XDM, SSH and etc.
Get it from http://sourceforge.net/projects/thinstation/
14) rdesktop - an open source client for Windows NT Terminal Server and Windows 2000/2003 Terminal Services, capable of natively speaking Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) in order to present the user’s NT desktop. rdesktop currently runs on most UNIX based platforms with the X Window System, and other ports should be fairly straightforward.
Download from: http://www.rdesktop.org/
While you’re at it, get grdesktop from (http://www.nongnu.org/grdesktop/). It is a GNOME frontend, for rdesktop. It can save several connections (including their options), and browse the network for available terminal servers.
15) ssh -X - You can check out this great article written by a slashdot user sometime ago.
Read it here http://slashdot.org/~Trolling4Dollars/journal/69740
Windows to Mac / Mac to Windows
1) RDP Client for Mac allows you to connect to a Windows-based computer and work with programs and files on that computer from your Macintosh computer.
2) OSXVnc - Vine Server is a full featured VNC server for Mac OS X providing remote access to the GUI, keyboard and mouse using Vine Viewer or any other VNC client.
Download it from http://www.redstonesoftware.com/products/vine/server/vineosx/index.html
3) Chicken of the VNC - A VNC client allows one to display and interact with a remote computer screen. In other words, you can use Chicken of the VNC to interact with a remote computer as though it’s right next to you.
Download it from http://sourceforge.net/projects/cotvnc/
Unfortunately I was not able to find too many available to connect to Mac from Windows other than VNC. I think Windows need to support RDP into Mac. Many people would benefit from this.
If I am missing anything from the list, please let me know.
Comments
8 Comments so far
[…] be used for Linux to Linux / Windows to Linux and also Windows to Mac and Mac to Windows…. Continue reading… Previous Submit […]
Thanks from all of us at CrossLoop for bringing us to your readers.
If you or your readers have any questions on CrossLoop, please feel free to email me anytime.
I am also happy to inform you that we do intend to bring CrossLoop across Linux and Mac as well.
Please bear with us as we are a small team.
Thanks
Nice list - last thing missing though is a hint which solution is free as in beer, free as in speech and not free at all.
[…] To see an even larger list of remote desktop applications available, please read Remote Desktop for Linux Reloaded. I ended up writing second article on the subject because of so many comments and feedback on this […]
What I’d really like to see is a Linux to Windows app. I’m wanting to run something like ‘damn small linux’ off a pen drive and be able to then remote into a windows based PC. This way I can pop into an internet cafe and access my PC at home to do my banking and other private correspondence without leaving any trace or footprint on the host PC. This would save me the need to carry a laptop when traveling over extended periods of time. Any ideas?
Have you heard of CoRD? it is a windows RDP client for OSX, I use it from home to manage the Windows systems at Work, Can’t say I’ve thoroughly tested it but it seems to work great!
It is not clear if any of these applictions enable multi sessions. Using to remote control is one thing. To open multiple sessions each providing simultaneous individual desktop environments of its own to each user is another.
Which of these server side applications can dish up multiple desktop sessions?
laelmon