Remote desktop solution

[James Gray]

On Tue, 7 Jun 2005 10:08 pm, Dennis Kaarsemaker wrote
> * Some schools use linux systems, ssh -X combined with jailed accounts
>   solves the problem here

Indeed - bit of a no-brainer :)

> * Some others are willing to install a windows X server, so the ssh
>   solution works here too (By the way: what is a nice, preferably free
>   X-server for windows?)

Cygwin.  I've used this before and  it's really quite easy to install and use.  
Just write a shell script to do all the command line fru-fru that Windows 
users seem hard-pressed to remember ;)

> * And now the hard part: schools that do not want to install an X
>   server. A proposed solution here is VNC, but that will be very
>   clumsy since a user needs to be logged in locally to start the VNC
>   server.

Have a search through the archives at www.slug.org.au.  Jeff Waugh posted an 
article a while ago that outlines how to spawn multiple user sessions of VNC 
from inetd.  Jeff is also an Ubuntu and Gnome guru/developer/ghod and will be 
happy to help if you run into problems.

>   Are there any other options available here?

Whether you use Cygwin/VNC/FreeNX - the bottom line is the Windows sites will 
have to install or configure *something*.  Pick the solution that makes your 
life as stress-less as possible.

HTH,

James
-- 
When there are two conflicting versions of the story, the wise course
is to believe the one in which people appear at their worst.
  -- H. Allen Smith, "Let the Crabgrass Grow"