VNC performance

[thebigfatgeek]

I appreciate the posts, perhaps I need to define my problem better  :oops: 

I have Ubuntu running as a headless machine on a remote PC connected via ethernet to my local ADSL router. I connect to the internet via the router on the Linux machine. I have set up Apache2 on the Ubuntu machine with Gallery to do my Photo Gallery and is planning to put up a TikiWiki or phpNuke site next on the Linux machine.

I use a normal PC, via WiFi to the same router, from my study, and need to manage the Linux machine remotely. I like VNC as it helps a new Linux user such as myself to get to grips with the OS, whilst not feeling totally lost. Nothing more frustrating than sitting in front of a screen with a blinking cursor with a lot to do, and not knowing what to do next.

VNC gives me a little more security as I can webbrowse directly on the Linux machine, download software such as Nuke and install it there and then. Using a text terminal for that is a bit difficult unless you know what you are doing.

So, what I want to do is to log into the remote Linux box using VNC from my Study PC. What I get is an "connection Refused" error, and if I look on the Linux box from the root console I cannot see how to start/restart the VNC server.

I have looked everywhere using "find *vnc* / " and manually searching directory listings on the Linux box for the VNC binary, no luck.

I used aptitude to look for the VNC server software but get an UNAVAILABLE message from the Distro Server

My solution would probably be to do some manual tweaking on the Linux box using the console route available to me, but I am lost as for where to start.

I have tried Suse, Debian, Mandrake, Red Hat, Knoppix, DSL, Peanut, Puppy. SME (e-smith) and I do  not know how many other distro's in the past few weeks until I came across Ubuntu. My study looks like a CD factory with all the distro's lying around on my desk.

As for it's suitability as a headless machine, I would not know, but as a South African I appreciate what Mark Shuttleworth is doing, can associate with the principle of Ubuntu whilst at the same time the Ubuntu distro seems to be a nice compact distro, which doesn't have to many packages to confuse a starter like me and it looks nice too! 

I have been using computers since 1983, with DOS 2.1 as my starting point on a 64K (who needs more  :wink: ) dinkum IBM, and have even set up a Red Hat Distro in the early 1990's (ordered the CD's from the States), but I am swamped by the complexity of the new versions of the software, X11 etc etc, and would like to be introduced gently into more "hands-on" computing after many years of being spoonfed through the Windows!

Any help to set-up the VNC server on the Linux box from my study PC using only a root console would be really appreciated. PLEASE, I do not wish to have to go and move the PC to my study (again) to configure VNC locally on the Linux machine, my wife is going to beat me up over the mess this time! :shock: 


Best Wishes

Pieter