Way, way OT, but....

Hi Richard,

We use software from

to access machines alover the world (ok a couple in Canada sometimes).

We use it on windows IE and FireFox and it is web based.

The free package give you full remote control of th remote machine, except for relaying sound. The paid version give you file transfer and lots of status data.

We use the free version and get stas from windows control panel. We just upload files o out ftp and then access ftp on remote machine.

Take a look at

Hope this works for you

Vertuas

Well, you can use X over SSH, so you log into the remote linux box using SSH and redirect X over the link so that you can connect via the SSH encrypted tunnel. I know windows users who have done this so you can do it from a windows box to a linux box and indeed I've done it myself. I used "putty" I think but to be honest it was such a long time ago I can't really remember. I think the X server on the windows box was part of a package called "cygwin".

An alternative is to run a VNC session on the remote system into which you can log in and run your apps, something like a Gnome desktop will allow desktop sharing so you just leave yourself logged in at work and connect to the desktop session using VNC from windows, again over SSH would be best. VNC is more designed for low-latency networks than X is so it should be much much quicker.

Or instead of ssh you could use X or VNC over a VPN of some kind, easiest way is probably between two decent routers bought on the work account, then you don't have to worry about windows and linux fighting each other.

You should be able to do it all with ssh however, it'll just take a little mind-bending but once you've done it a few times it's second nature.

I personally used to log into my home system from work via an SSH session in to a desktop machine over which I could run a VNC session, and it all worked quite well even over a 1MBit DSL line. I used linux at both work and home though which made it easier.

ive done this a few years back and i think you are correct on both counts..

vnc is easier to set up and there are loads of windows clients. if you google there are a couple of guides for how to turn it on in ubuntu. its a couple of tickboxes i think.

ive never set it up personally but i gather there are a couple of linux/open source vpn servers. ive used openvpn to connect a windows box to a linux one - both windows and linux bits for it are available.

it should work quite well over a 1Mbit line! i use 256kbit lines to get into a couple of sites and there can be 2 of us VPN'd in at the same time running multiuple remote desktop sessions and it is quite happy! most standard adsl lines only offer 256kbit upstream anyhow..

Yes, I've never set them up either between windows and linux, always having used SSH, but I believe it can still be a bit tricky hence the recommendation of a router with the capability. Personally though I'd use the SSH/VNC method as it works well and can be set up to be pretty transparent, e.g. one local machine can be set up to port forward, and an admin can do the authentication then all other users can just VNC to the local box and it'll automatically go through to the remote system without any need for the users to have to go near SSH or know the passwords. Not applicable in Richard's case I don't think.

If you're running a gnome desktop (an image of a footprint in the top left corner) then you enable desktop sharing in system->preferences->

remote desktop, then use a vnc client to connect to the system on the local network, once you've got the hang of that you can then progress to using SSH to connect.

Did you try vmware-server to do the job? I can even sync my ipod to a copy of windows and itunes over USB, serial and parallel ports should be even easier. VMware server is free so no need to shell out any cash and it's easy to set up too. Once you get microcat running under it, to back up the windows system you just shut down vmware and copy the files off to DVD or whatever and even if you change your hardware completely, microcat will come straight up with no bother as it doesn't see the changed hardware.

Also, if it's just the dongle that's giving you grief with microcat then you've obviously bought it legitimately so you could even type "microcat download" or similar into google and get one of the many cracked copies that seem to be floating around. I have no idea if they work, I don't even know what microcat is!

Microcat is just a parts book system as supplied to Landrover franchises and covers all the models, is updated regularly and won't work without the dongle.

Martin

and in order to get it to work without said dongle you have to replace a library file with a 'special version' which I have a copy of Derek

dont think so, but i've sent him an e-mither. should see him over the next couple of days too since he has made some promises to one of my clients (contracts under me for a couple of days per week) and hes gonna be on site fulfilling them since he didnt tell me first ;).

exactly what i have noticed!

you dont need a screen - just install vnc server on the win pc as a service and then use it over vncviewer (you can apt-get this for your linux box). Im about to freecycle a couple boxes out the loft which i think are celeron 500's. no 'doze licenses on them though if thats a problem. might be chucking out a few old p3's (700ish) and the like from work too (also no licenses on the box which is half the reason for chucking) this week.

ubunto has gnome on but they have buggered the footprint off somewhere

- but the options are there like you say but i think you also need to set up some XDMCP stuff. there are loads of howtos if you google em.

XP doesnt especially like serial and parallel! (this is the problem im having with my lamda sensor datalogging!).

Run it under vmware and you can put the dongle on your computer, or download a hacked version, he's paid for it so no problems.

Won't need XDMCP stuff for vnc, that's for attaching to remote X servers so only needed for using remote X rather than vnc.

The real version has prices and ordering too. It is, though, an Abomination Unto Nuggan and very expensive!

Richard

"BeamEnds" wrote........

I know it has the prices and presume that's why it's updated more often but I haven't got a dongle so consequently don't use it, and as you say it's an abomination.

I do still use the microfiches but that doesn't help with pricing or supersession of part numbers but it's better than nowt. I do have quite a few spare fiches for various models and years if you need any.

You wouldn't have a set of side and door stripes for an '89 110" csw and price by any chance?

Martin

BeamEnds> Pargagraph 3/01 Subsection 9 Appendix A of the Plan For BeamEnds> World Domination now needs to be enacted. Basicaly, I've BeamEnds> pretty much moved over from Risc-OS to Ubuntu Linux, and BeamEnds> part of the plan (the bit above) needs to be BeamEnds> enabled. I'll be getting a new PC in the week, and BeamEnds> ideally I'd like to keep that one at home, and move this BeamEnds> one to work. I beleive I could log on the the work BeamEnds> machine from home and work that way (as duplication of BeamEnds> data leads to c*ck-ups) using some form of X terminal in BeamEnds> a sort of client-server arangement. Can this be done BeamEnds> from Windows (The Mem insists on Windows, spit) and/or BeamEnds> Liunx easily overt broadband, and is it secure?

Well I'm sat in front of my Windoze PC at work, and writing this on my Linux PC at home.

There's a bunch of ways of doing it, depending on your employer's level of security and your own requirements for security.

The way I do it:

Windows PC (work) has PuTTY and a free X server installed. I configure PuTTY to connect and tunnel the X windows protocol Then I can run any application displaying to a windows PC. On the Linux box, I just had to install the Open SSH server. I've taken the security one step further and used 1024 bit keys for login authentication, so even I can't login unless I have the password plus the usb key containing the magic code. You can also use a VNC client from the PC and run xvncserver on the Linux box.

'Tother way around (which I don't do) is to use the Linux RDP client to remote control the PC. Again, this can be done over SSH for extra security.

With the right SSH setup, it's pretty much unbreakable - at least sufficiently so that the hackers will move on to an easier target. (I do IT security for a large corporation).

Drop me a note offline if you want details on how to setup the configuration - replace spam with andy in the address above.

Thanks to all - I'll doubltless be back when the new PC arrives and I've buggered everything up!

Cheers Richard