VNC allows you to remotely start a desktop environment on a computer, and interact with that desktop from your local machine. Unfortunately, VNC doesn’t have built-in encryption, which means that all information sent through VNC can be caught by dubious third parties. One solution to this problem comes from utilizing ssh (The Secure Shell) to encrypt the traffic between you and your remote host.

This tutorial will cover the basics of starting a VNC server, wrapping it in ssh, and connecting to your remote desktop securely. In the following examples we will be connecting to mo.ece.pdx.edu using display 44, which means my port number will be 5944 (VNC port numbers are equal to 5900 plus the display number). Where ever mo.ece.pdx.edu is mentioned, one could also use any Ubuntu or Redhat/Centos Linux machine in MCECS.

If you are attempting to make a VNC connection to a firewalled Linux computer, you will need to make sure that your Mac is connected to one of our VPNs. Popular Linux hosts that are firewalled include:

auto.ece.pdx.edu and mo.ece.pdx.edu
Computers in the CS Particle Lab (FAB 88-09)

Remote Desktop Connection For Mac

There are many other Linux computers that do not require you to use a VPN.

On Windows Explorer or MacOS Finder, double-click on the.rdp file saved earlier to invoke an RDP client program (if one is installed on Mac, see below). On the RDP client, click on the Password input field and paste the Clipboard contents. Devices running other operating systems can be connected to your Mac through TeamViewer’s remote access solution. If you wish to have the freedom and flexibility to connect to a Windows or Linux remote desktop from anywhere in the world, then the cross-platform functionality of TeamViewer is your best bet. This remote desktop software is optimised for all operating systems and offers a fully.

Step 1 – Starting the VNC Server on the remote computer

Before we can connect to the remote desktop, we need to start the VNC server on the remote machine. In order to do this, ssh in to the machine where you’ll be accessing the remote desktop. In a terminal, run the following command:

This will start the VNC server on the machine and tell it to only accept connections from the localhost, which is to say from users logged into the machine hosting the VNC server. You will be prompted for a password to log you into your VNC session (This is _not_ like logging in with your MCECS account. This password is arbitrarily chosen by you. It is _strongly_ advised that you not use your MCECS account password here!)

NOTE: This password must be at least 6 characters long!

It will also ask if you want to assign a view-only password. This would be a password you would give to someone if you wanted them to observe your VNC session without being able to interact the desktop. Afterwards, you should receive some output that looks like this:

NOTE: The display number is where your VNC session funneling your desktop. My server was started on display number 44, as it was the next display available. In theory, the display number can be anywhere from 1 to 9999. (for reference, :0 is considered the root display, for displays physically connected to the machine).

Troubleshooting: If you have forgotten your vnc password, or wish to change it use the vncpasswd command. It will prompt you for a new vncpassword and immediately change the vncpassword.

Step 2 – Creating the SSH Tunnel from your computer

Now that we have the VNC server running, we need to create the ssh tunnel from your local machine to the remote host. Log out of your ssh session (don’t worry about vncserver dying when you quit, it’s backgrounded) and reconnect to the same machine with the following commands in a terminal window:

Where cecsuser would be replaced with your MCECS account username.

NOTE: The syntax -L 5944:localhost:5944 is what is responsible for creating the ssh tunnel VNC will be using between your local host and the remote host. In essence, what it’s saying is take everything that is being sent through the remote computer’s port 5944 (the second number) and funnel it into the local computer’s port 5944 (the first number).

Step 3 – Connecting to Linux with VNC

To connect to the VNC session we setup, follow these steps. First, click on the “Go” menu and choose connect to server.

MacOS has a VNC Viewer already built into it. For the Server Address, type vnc://localhost:5944 where 5944 was the port we forwarded above.

If you set up a password for your VNC session (and you should!) it will prompt you to enter it now.

AFinitDataCallback(key: 'ds:18', isError: false, hash: '19', data:'gp:AOqpTOH1n6YYW9stmYO31l-m08dH5ylELf5XzwxIROxh5rQTfX5JpiI4j8G92WoHzsJByvQm9AcGqle6yJ8IDU','Twocheslch',null,2,null,null,null,'app is an amazing audio player. By purchasing this item, you are transacting with Google Payments and agreeing to the Google Payments. It has a simple, and easy to pick up UI, but still leaves an unbelievably large list of features and options that leave the user feeling 100% in control. It can also automatically recognize folders in your devices storage, which is a huge bonus for people who use multiple music players. Jet audio player for mac os high sierra. The only reason it isn't perfect is because you have to pay to get rid.

Remember again, this password should be at least 6 characters!

That’s it! You are now connected to a Linux machine via VNC.

Connect to Windows machine in AWS or any cloud from within MacOS, Linux

RDP clients on MacOS

This is a tutorial on the different ways to “remote into” a Windows instance from a MacOS or Linux machine.

Remote Desktop Connection on Windows machines

Linux Rdp For Mac High Sierra

Remote Desktop Connection is installed with by default on all Windows machines.

Within Start Programs > Accessories, is a RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) client program that can be used without being an Administrator. It uses uses port 3389. The RDP is also known as “Terminal Services”.

If you are running a Windows virtual instance (under VMWare Fusion), etc.,

If you were given a rdp file, click on it because the RDP program is associated with the “rdp” file extension:
ec2-54-219-170-140.us-west-1.compute.amazonaws.com.rdp
This way you see the dialog filled in.

Alternately, open the program manually:

Click the Windows “Start” icon button at the lower left corner (or wherever you moved it).
Click the “Remote Desktop” icon on the Windows 10/2016 Desktop if it’s there:
Alternately, type enough of Remote to see “Remote Desktop Connection” appear for you to click.
Alternately, type mstsc to see “Remote Desktop Connection” appear for you to click.
Either way:
In the “Remote Desktop Connection” dialog, paste into the Computer Name: field the DNS name such as
ec2-54-219-170-140.us-west-1.compute.amazonaws.com
Click “Show Options” for a pop-up:
Type in User Name “Administrator” if you’re using an Amazon EC2 instance, since Amazon EC2 makes use of PEM files for security.
Alternately, if you are working within an enterprise environment, you may need to add a network domain name in front of your assigned named, separated by a “backward slash”. This is because enterprises create for the same person different accounts for internal and external use.
Click “Save”
Click “Connect” to see a “Welcome” screen.
Click “OK” on the Welcome screen.
CAUTION: Remember to Log off, especially if you are sharing a machine with others.

Save rdp file from Amazon

Click the “Connect” icon at the top of the Console.
Click “Download Remote Desktop File” such as:
ec2-54-219-170-140.us-west-1.compute.amazonaws.com.<strong>rdp</strong>
Double-click on the file to open the RDP client.
Back to the dialog:
Click “Get Password”.
Click “Browse…” and select Downloads, the .pem file downloaded earlier.
Click “Decrypt Password”.
Double-click on it to highlight it and press Ctrl+C to copy the string to your Windows Clipboard.
Open a Notepad file and paste it there so you won’t lose it.
Click “Close” to dismiss the dialog.
RDP Client
On Windows Explorer or MacOS Finder, double-click on the .rdp file saved earlier to invoke an RDP