Remote GUI access with VNC
SHARING
Once you only needed a command line to access remote computers, but today’s networks sometimes require a graphical connection. The VNC protocol provides a practical cross-platform screen sharing solution. We’ll take a close look at VNC and show you some leading no-cost VNC applications.
I work in a data center with hundreds of machines spread over two buildings. Usually we can perform the necessary management functions for the Linux and Unix systems using ssh; however, in a number of cases, a tool we need may not have a command-line interface, or the remote system may be running some version of Windows that requires access to the GUI. Virtual Network Computing (VNC) is a popular alternative for sharing screens on heterogeneous networks. VNC beha-vior is slightly different from the X Windowing system. One difference is that VNC shares the entire desktop. A user on one machine can see the current desktop of a user on another and control the mouse and keyboard of the remote system. This feature is useful for a range of activities, such as accessing a work computer from home, working with students in a training environment, providing tech support, or annoying your son while he’s playing video games.
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Red Hat Releases RHEL 10 Early
Red Hat quietly rolled out the official release of RHEL 10.0 a bit early.
-
openSUSE Joins End of 10
openSUSE has decided to not only join the End of 10 movement but it also will no longer support the Deepin Desktop Environment.
-
New Version of Flatpak Released
Flatpak 1.16.1 is now available as the latest, stable version with various improvements.
-
IBM Announces Powerhouse Linux Server
IBM has unleashed a seriously powerful Linux server with the LinuxONE Emperor 5.
-
Plasma Ends LTS Releases
The KDE Plasma development team is doing away with the LTS releases for a good reason.
-
Arch Linux Available for Windows Subsystem for Linux
If you've ever wanted to use a rolling release distribution with WSL, now's your chance.
-
System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 7
With scores of bug fixes and a really cool workspaces feature, COSMIC is looking to soon migrate from alpha to beta.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 Available for Installation
The latest release of OpenMandriva has arrived with a new kernel, an updated Plasma desktop, and a server edition.
-
TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes
One of the most popular Linux-based NAS solutions has rolled out the latest edition, based on Ubuntu 25.04.
-
Fedora 42 Available with Two New Spins
The latest release from the Fedora Project includes the usual updates, a new kernel, an official KDE Plasma spin, and a new System76 spin.