RemoteDekstop/VNC possible in version 1.2-6?

[Hoff]

Please post your requirements, details of your software and hardware configuration, and please do not post any proposed solutions, nor any proposed features, or proposed answer, and please avoid any references to VNC in this description.

Just the background and the problem statement, please.

I might suspect there is a solution here with X. What are you working with here for the application and the display (and related versions and applications), and what are you trying to do? It's entirely feasible to toss the whole DECwindows X11 login display over to a remote box, for instance. Which seems pretty close to what you want.

VNC might well be a most excellent and common solution, and it might well be the best solution. But for the time being, a VNC-based solution isn't available here. Short of VNC hardware or the virtual widget support available on recent Integrity rx-series Itanium boxes, that is.

I'm probably just being dense here, but I don't understand what's going on nor what the application operations and application requirements are. (And yes, I do know from VNC and ARD, and use it all the time.)

[MathewA]

i will try to collect all the necessary information tomorrow (with the commands posted earlier) and then post those and a description of what it is is am trying to accomplish :)

[MathewA]

OK.
Here is what I have so far.

>show sys/proc=decw*
--> OpenVMS V7.3

>ucx show version
--> Compaq TCP/IP Services for OpenVMS Alpha Version V5.1 on a digital Personal Workstation running OpenVMS V7.3

>ucx show serv
--> FTP
--> TELNET

[MathewA]

what i want:

i want to redirect all I/O (graphics, keyboard, mouse) from the local system running the above openvms to a remote computer.

i need to be able to see and control all programs that were started locally on my remote computer. i also need to be able to control those programs even if they were started locally and not via my remote connection.

i also need to be able to open and close that remote connection as i will be using it from more than one computer (not simultaniously) and need to be able to see the programs I started from remote computer A on my remote computer B after connecting remote computer B.

i hope you guys know what i mean :-)

[Willem Grooters]

Do you really require a graphical interface?
Most - if not all - of your requirements can well be done without. In that case, a proper terminal emulator will do the job as well. VMS is not bound to a graphical interace, you can control the system completely from a character cell interface.
Unless, of course, the programs you run require a graphical interface. In which case, an X-windows server on your side would connect you to the VMS system.

[Joseph Huber_1]

Do I see it right: You are not able or not allowed to make substantial changes to the applications ?
From Your description the applications is distributed over several programs/processes, but the GUI part can only have a single instantiation, i.e. can't run at the same time on diffrent displays, right ?

In this case a VNC type access is the only solution (with the VMS/DECW version upgrade needed).

On the other hand, if the application can be distributed so that the GUI can be started on several displays, or stopped and restarted without terminating the whole application, then a "classic" X11 way is possible: just login from a remote X11 desktop and start the GUI there.

[MathewA]

ok, the measurement-program is started via the command prompt and then appears as a gui.

all measurement are then started via this gui and i can see the progress of the measurement in this gui.


so i need to be able to see this gui.

i need to open the program with the gui locally, so i cannot just open a session and start a new gui-session of the program because i need to be able to see the gui-session already running so i can see how far along the measurement is.


so:
- i open the program on the local machine (gui appears)
- i start the measurement and walk back to my office
- from my office i want to connect to the remote machine and see how far the measurement has gotten which means i need to see the program i started locally (its gui)

[Hoff]

Ok, we're going to try something tricky.

From your Unix box...

Launch an Xterm.

From the Xterm, issue ssh -Y into the OpenVMS box.

Invoke your application.

Do you get a display?

[Hoff]

ps: You're going to be buying a hardware VNC, as I suspect you're not in a position to change the software.

That'll require you to identify the graphics interface, as graphics hardware this far back may or may not have an interface compatible with a hardware VNC solution.

[marsh_1]

hi,

why don't you try brian reiters suggestion, use telnet as the protocol as your version of tcpip does'nt support ssh. hoff has already posted up links on decwindows.

hth