Micron
26-04-2006, 03:31 PM
We use and recommend RealVNC. The acronym VNC stands for Virtual Network Computing. A VNC setup consists of two pieces, a server component and a viewer component. An interesting aspect of VNC is its capability to be run as a server and client on many different operating systems, including Unix-based systems, Windows, and Mac. VNC clients are even available for devices such as Palm Pilots and Windows mobile devices. In this article I'll focus on running the server and client on the Windows platform. I'll also show you how to access a VNC server through a Java-capable internet browser. You can download RealVNC for free under the GNU General Public License. At the time of this article's writing, RealVNC was in version 4.1.1. The reason is that this version is Free and later versions are not.
Setting Up Your VNC Server
To start out, go ahead and download the RealVNC Free Edition from Here (http://www.realvnc.com/products/free/4.1/download.html). Download the Installer including both Server and Viewer option," as shown below: [We have attached the server and viewer version at the bottom of this tutorial, so you can download it from us if you wish].
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig01.jpg
Though RealVNC has versions for Windows, Linux and Solaris, we'll only be looking at the Windows version. The download is available as both an executable or a zip file. For the purposes of demonstration in this article, I chose the executable. After launching the installer, click Next on the Welcome screen.
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig02.jpg
Next, go ahead and read through the license agreement and, if you agree, indicate that by checking the box and click Next.
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig03.jpg
Next, you'll be asked where you want to install RealVNC. Go ahead and choose a location on your hard drive, usually set to default C:\Program Files\RealVNC
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig04.jpg
or the server side, you can opt for a custom installation, as shown in below. You can choose the VNC server option, or, alternatively, you can also choose the VNC viewer option if want your server machine to act as a viewer as well.
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig05.jpg
Next, the installer will place VNC's shortcuts in the RealVNC group as shown here. As soon as this is finished, go ahead and click Next.
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig06.jpg
By default, the VNC server listens on port 5900. Accordingly, if the computer you are trying to connect to is behind a hardware router, you will need to forward port 5900 to the IP address of the machine you are trying to connect to.
In the subsequent screen, you are given the option to register RealVNC as a Windows Service that can be started when Windows starts. If you keep the 'Start the VNC Server in Service-Mode' (below) option checked, then the VNC Server will run whenever Windows starts up. If this is not what you want, go ahead and uncheck the option.
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig07.jpg
Next, you are given a chance to review your setup options as shown in. After reviewing the installation options, click Install.
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig08.jpg
After the installation finishes up, you will be shown the VNC Properties. In the Authentication tab, click the Configure button next to the VNC Password Authentication Option.
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig09.jpg
Next, specify a password for your VNC server and click OK. This password will be used by VNC clients to connect to your VNC server.
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig10.jpg
To increase performance, you can also click on the Desktop tab and then check the 'Remove wallpaper', 'Remove background pattern', and 'Disable user interface effects' options.
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig11.jpg
Checking these options cuts down the amount of data that is transferred across the wire as your clients interact with the VNC server.
Next, go ahead and click Apply. Believe it or not, you are now finished setting up your VNC server. Note that you should see a VNC icon in your Windows taskbar. If you like, you can double-click on the icon to launch the properties screen for subsequent modification of your VNC server's properties.
Thats the server installation complete.
Setting up the RealVNC Client
Now, on your client machine, you'll need to install a VNC client. As you saw earlier, the server and client can be downloaded as one install. However, the RealVNC web site allows you to download the viewer alone (Below). The size of the viewers is particularly remarkable. For the Windows platform, the client is only 150K and can be run as an executable directly from a removable device, such as a USB key.
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig13.jpg
The VNC viewer for Windows consists of one executable file. It does not require an installation process, as the server side did. After launching the VNC viewer, you will be presented with a 'Connection Details' window as shown below. Go ahead and specify the IP address of your VNC server. If you are trying to access your box over the internet, this IP address will be that of your WAN IP address. As stated earlier, I am assuming that you have routed port 5900 to the LAN IP of your VNC server.
Here we are connecting to a LAN IP address of192.168.0.150. (This is the IP address of the PC you want to connect to).
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig14.jpg
When you click OK, you will be asked to provide the password you specified when you setup your VNC server earlier.
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig15.jpg
At this point, you should be able to use the machine that you set up the VNC server software on through the VNC viewer, just as if you were in front of the computer. Performance will depend on your connection speed. If you are working in a high speed LAN, you'll find that the interaction is quite impressive.
Using Your Internet Browser as a VNC Viewer Given that you are running a Java-compatible browser (for example, Microsoft Internet Explorer or Firefox), you can interact with your VNC server through your browser. This is a particularly powerful tool, since you are not required to install a client. Rather, a Java applet is invoked through your browser to access your VNC server. For you to be able to access your VNC server through a browser over the internet, you have to have ports 5800 and 5900 of your hardware router pointing to the IP address of your VNC server machine.
From your browser, open the following URL: http://<your vnc server ip address>:5800. In this URL, 'Your vnc server ip address' needs to be replaced by either your LAN (if connecting in your LAN) or WAN IP address (if you are accessing your VNC server over the net).
After opening this page, as shown in below you should see a page asking you to enter your password.
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig16.jpg
After entering your password, you will be able to access the computer that you placed the VNC server software on through your browser. It is important to note that this browser-based approach is pretty slow compared to the standard VNC viewer approach. However, it is pretty convenient when you need to get to your box quickly and don't have the option to download the VNC client.
Note: On either the server or client versions, you may have to allow the connections to be accessed through your firewall and or router. Your router may need to to access the Port Forwarding option in its menu, to forward the connection to the correct port locations.
Setting Up Your VNC Server
To start out, go ahead and download the RealVNC Free Edition from Here (http://www.realvnc.com/products/free/4.1/download.html). Download the Installer including both Server and Viewer option," as shown below: [We have attached the server and viewer version at the bottom of this tutorial, so you can download it from us if you wish].
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig01.jpg
Though RealVNC has versions for Windows, Linux and Solaris, we'll only be looking at the Windows version. The download is available as both an executable or a zip file. For the purposes of demonstration in this article, I chose the executable. After launching the installer, click Next on the Welcome screen.
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig02.jpg
Next, go ahead and read through the license agreement and, if you agree, indicate that by checking the box and click Next.
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig03.jpg
Next, you'll be asked where you want to install RealVNC. Go ahead and choose a location on your hard drive, usually set to default C:\Program Files\RealVNC
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig04.jpg
or the server side, you can opt for a custom installation, as shown in below. You can choose the VNC server option, or, alternatively, you can also choose the VNC viewer option if want your server machine to act as a viewer as well.
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig05.jpg
Next, the installer will place VNC's shortcuts in the RealVNC group as shown here. As soon as this is finished, go ahead and click Next.
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig06.jpg
By default, the VNC server listens on port 5900. Accordingly, if the computer you are trying to connect to is behind a hardware router, you will need to forward port 5900 to the IP address of the machine you are trying to connect to.
In the subsequent screen, you are given the option to register RealVNC as a Windows Service that can be started when Windows starts. If you keep the 'Start the VNC Server in Service-Mode' (below) option checked, then the VNC Server will run whenever Windows starts up. If this is not what you want, go ahead and uncheck the option.
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig07.jpg
Next, you are given a chance to review your setup options as shown in. After reviewing the installation options, click Install.
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig08.jpg
After the installation finishes up, you will be shown the VNC Properties. In the Authentication tab, click the Configure button next to the VNC Password Authentication Option.
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig09.jpg
Next, specify a password for your VNC server and click OK. This password will be used by VNC clients to connect to your VNC server.
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig10.jpg
To increase performance, you can also click on the Desktop tab and then check the 'Remove wallpaper', 'Remove background pattern', and 'Disable user interface effects' options.
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig11.jpg
Checking these options cuts down the amount of data that is transferred across the wire as your clients interact with the VNC server.
Next, go ahead and click Apply. Believe it or not, you are now finished setting up your VNC server. Note that you should see a VNC icon in your Windows taskbar. If you like, you can double-click on the icon to launch the properties screen for subsequent modification of your VNC server's properties.
Thats the server installation complete.
Setting up the RealVNC Client
Now, on your client machine, you'll need to install a VNC client. As you saw earlier, the server and client can be downloaded as one install. However, the RealVNC web site allows you to download the viewer alone (Below). The size of the viewers is particularly remarkable. For the Windows platform, the client is only 150K and can be run as an executable directly from a removable device, such as a USB key.
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig13.jpg
The VNC viewer for Windows consists of one executable file. It does not require an installation process, as the server side did. After launching the VNC viewer, you will be presented with a 'Connection Details' window as shown below. Go ahead and specify the IP address of your VNC server. If you are trying to access your box over the internet, this IP address will be that of your WAN IP address. As stated earlier, I am assuming that you have routed port 5900 to the LAN IP of your VNC server.
Here we are connecting to a LAN IP address of192.168.0.150. (This is the IP address of the PC you want to connect to).
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig14.jpg
When you click OK, you will be asked to provide the password you specified when you setup your VNC server earlier.
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig15.jpg
At this point, you should be able to use the machine that you set up the VNC server software on through the VNC viewer, just as if you were in front of the computer. Performance will depend on your connection speed. If you are working in a high speed LAN, you'll find that the interaction is quite impressive.
Using Your Internet Browser as a VNC Viewer Given that you are running a Java-compatible browser (for example, Microsoft Internet Explorer or Firefox), you can interact with your VNC server through your browser. This is a particularly powerful tool, since you are not required to install a client. Rather, a Java applet is invoked through your browser to access your VNC server. For you to be able to access your VNC server through a browser over the internet, you have to have ports 5800 and 5900 of your hardware router pointing to the IP address of your VNC server machine.
From your browser, open the following URL: http://<your vnc server ip address>:5800. In this URL, 'Your vnc server ip address' needs to be replaced by either your LAN (if connecting in your LAN) or WAN IP address (if you are accessing your VNC server over the net).
After opening this page, as shown in below you should see a page asking you to enter your password.
http://www.experiencewindows.co.uk/images/vnc/fig16.jpg
After entering your password, you will be able to access the computer that you placed the VNC server software on through your browser. It is important to note that this browser-based approach is pretty slow compared to the standard VNC viewer approach. However, it is pretty convenient when you need to get to your box quickly and don't have the option to download the VNC client.
Note: On either the server or client versions, you may have to allow the connections to be accessed through your firewall and or router. Your router may need to to access the Port Forwarding option in its menu, to forward the connection to the correct port locations.