Accessing Linux through Exceed

[Khalid A. Al-Tayaran]

Hi all,

I recently, (at home) connected to my Win2000 PC a Linux Machine (Mandrake 9). I can open a telnet session and use Exceed termnial also. But I cannot get Exceed to open the X window system to run the graphical user interface (GNOME or KDE). At ny office work place I can use Exceed to access HP-UX 11.0 WITH X window system. Please need some help.

[Kodjo Agbenu]

Hello Khalid,

I guess you are using XDMCP for that connection (X Display Manager Control Protocol). To read more about it, read the manpage of "xdm" on any Unix-like system.

XDMCP implements security mechanisms that are disabled by default on Hp-ux 11.00, but enabled on Linux.

On your Mandrake system, you will then have to disable that security before being able to connect.

=> Edit /etc/X11/xdm/xdm-config. Make sure that the DisplayManager.requestPort variable is set to 177 instead of 0.

=> Edit /etc/X11/xdm/Xaccess. There should be a line with a single star "*" at beginning.

* #any host can get a login window

You can also enable the line :

* CHOOSER BROADCAST #any indirect host can get a chooser

=> This applies only if you are using gdm (Gnome Display Manager) : edit /etc/X11/gdm/gdm.conf (may be also located in /etc/opt/gnome2/gdm/gdm.conf). In the [xdmcp] section, make sure that "Enable" is set to "true" and optionally "HonorIndirect" too.

=> This applies only if you are using kdm (KDE display manager) : edit /usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc. In the [Xdmcp] section, make sure that "Enable" is "true" and "Port" is "177".


After you applied that changes, close all graphical connections, open a telnet or local console and kill the xdm (or kdm or gdm) process. It will be automatically restarted with the new settings.

Then you will be able to use Exceed.

Good luck.

Kodjo

[Khalid A. Al-Tayaran]

Thanks Kodjo Agbenu

Sorry for the late response.....

I'm impressed with the your solution's details. You seem a Linux guru.

I did everything you mentioned but still cannot connect (Exceed XDCMP times out) except for the

CHOOSER BROADCAST #any indirect host can get a chooser

, it was already enabled.

Instead of killing xdm I restarted Linux but no effect appeared.

I had a difficult time connecting the two machines in the first place. I found out I needed to install telnet to mandrake since it was not allowing windows to connect to it. I think there's still something in Linux that's refusing the connection from Windows/Exceed.

Please help.

[Kodjo Agbenu · Accepted solution]

Hello,

On you Linux box, check :

netstat -a | grep xdm

Another thing : make sure that firewall rules do not block xdmcp connections :

iptables -L

At last, check /var/log/XFree86.0.log.

Post the results of that investigations.

Good luck.

Kodjo

[Chakravarthi]

Linux can support all of the common Unix X protocols. So you can run xdm (X display manager) under Linux and Exceed should offer options to broadcast or query for "managed displays" (which should find any Linux box running xdm). This networking function of xdm is really more core to its operation than the simple GUI login that most Linux users think of when they talk about xdm.


to troubleshoot xdm

Refer the following link

http://mail-index.netbsd.org/port-amiga/1999/02/18/0001.html

[Heiner E. Lennackers]

Hi,

I do not know anything about the Mandrake distribution, but some distributions have their xdm/kdm/gdm preconfigured to start the X server with the -nolisten tcp option for security reasons. With this option the X server will ignore all remote access request.
You should take a look at /etc/X11/gdm/gdm.conf or the equivalent files for xdm and kdm .

Heiner

[Khalid A. Al-Tayaran]

Hi,

Thanks guys, I got it!!

Kodjo Agbenu you earned youtr points but:

First:
netstat -a | grep xdm

no result!

Second:
[root@mandrake /]# iptables -L
bash: iptables: command not found

it seems iptables is some where under /usr I did not use it anyway.

Third:
/var/log/XFree86.0.log has driver and specs information only nothing concerning security. I also have /var/log/XFree86.1.log and X/var/log/Free86.9.log. I did no modifications here.

It seems that the restart and a shutdown also did not start xdm or gdm. So I just typed xdm then gdm and Exceed got the Linux server. It worked fine and I can select GNOME, KDE and other windows managers...

Thanks team,,,,,,,,,, you did I great job.

[Khalid A. Al-Tayaran]

Hi,

I did not try this:

Look at swremove

for example:

B.11.00.20.09 HPUX 11.0 Support Tools Bundle, Mar 2002
B.11.00.56.5 Quality Pack for HP-UX 11.00, March 2002
B.11.00.0203. Hardware Enablement Patches for HP-UX 11.00, March 2002


Note: Quality Pack and Hardware Enablement Patches must be installed/removed together.

Again, I did not try this, if someone has comments or notes for us beginners please let us know.

Good luck.

[Khalid A. Al-Tayaran]

Hi,

Sorry the above post was misplaced......

I ment here to fux the typing mistake in the last line...

Thanks guys, I got it!!

Kodjo Agbenu you earned youtr points but:

First:
netstat -a | grep xdm

no result!

Second:
[root@mandrake /]# iptables -L
bash: iptables: command not found

it seems iptables is some where under /usr I did not use it anyway.

Third:
/var/log/XFree86.0.log has driver and specs information only nothing concerning security. I also have /var/log/XFree86.1.log and X/var/log/Free86.9.log. I did no modifications here.

It seems that the restart and a shutdown also did not start xdm or gdm. So I just typed xdm then gdm and Exceed got the Linux server. It worked fine and I can select GNOME, KDE and other windows managers...

Thanks team,,,,,,,,,, you did a great job.

[Lake N]

Khalid and Kodjo, Thanks so much for posting what you guys have done here to solve the problem. I have been searching for the solution for a long time and you guys have it. Thanks to Kodjo for posting the solution and thanks to Khalid for follow up and let us know what works and what not (which is the most important).

Lake