Is there a x11 tunneling over ssh guide for dummies?

ryker · Guru Joined: 28 May 2003 Posts: 412 Location: Portage, IN

I did this a long time ago, and I don't remember it being difficult at all before. I have my desktop linux machine at home with X-org on it. I want to be able to use X programs on my linux box from work on a windows machine. So I installed Cygwin/X and it works fine. Well, glxgears and xclock work in Cygwin. I've tried following the instructions on Cygwins site, but it doesn't work. I've searched the forums and found some threads to help, but i can't get it working. I always get the "Can't open display:" error.
My X server doesn't seem to be registering a DISPLAY variable. When I type "env", there is no DISPLAY variable. So obviously I haven't done something I need to. All of the docs and forum threads I have found assume you have a working DISPLAY variable.
So, is there a nice easy straight forward guide for setting this up?
Thanks
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Leprechaun · Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2005 7:13 pm Post subject:

I also use Cygwin at work to get to my linux box at home. Only too glad to throw my $0.02 in. :-)

My DISPLAY variable on my work machine is set to "127.0.0.1:0.0". What happens if you set DISPLAY manually?

flazz · Guru Joined: 22 Nov 2003 Posts: 496 Location: Florida

/etc/ssh/sshd_config on the x client(the ssh server):

ryker · Guru Joined: 28 May 2003 Posts: 412 Location: Portage, IN

Thanks for the replies. I have the settings in /etc/ssh/sshd_config set properly. I'll try declare -x DISPLAY="127.0.0.1:0.0" tomorrow when I'm at work.
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ryker · Guru Joined: 28 May 2003 Posts: 412 Location: Portage, IN

OK. I still can't get it to work. Here is exactly what I am doing and after I have a few questions.

GOAL: Connect to my Linux box at home from my windows workstation at work and load X-based apps, such as X-chat.
What I have tried so far:
1. Start Cygwin on my windows box.
2. Launch the Cygwin X server by running "startxwin.sh"
3. Verify Cygwin X server is working by starting xcalc.
4. Try to connect to my linux box at home using ssh by typing "ssh -l username -X IPofMyHomeBox (I have also tried -Y instead of -X at this step)
5. Once connected to my linux box at home, I type "declare -x DISPLAY="127.0.0.1:0.0"" in the ssh session to my linux box.
6. I then try to launch xcalc by typing "xcalc" in the ssh session to my linux box.
7. I get the error: "Error: Can't open display: 127.0.0.1:0.0"

I usually don't have X running on my linux box at home. I have tried this both with and without X running.
There was a suggestion to put "X11Forwarding yes" and "ForwardX11 yes" in my sshd_config file. I put both in my sshd_config file on my linux box at home; however, I couldn't find this file in Cygwin on my windows box. Is there a file for the Cygwin ssh that I should add these variables to? Is there something I need to configure for X on my linux box at home, to allow it to send the display to me at work over ssh?

Thanks.
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Trejkaz · Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2005 2:19 am Post subject:

I just tested a similar thing from here, and it works in my case so here's a stab in the dark: I'm running SSH from an XTerm inside the Cygwin X environment. Are you running it from inside or outside?

ryker · Guru Joined: 28 May 2003 Posts: 412 Location: Portage, IN

i'm running ssh from inside cygwin.
Have you configured X in any special way on the remote machine?
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jklmnop · n00b Joined: 18 Jun 2003 Posts: 42

try this...

ryker · Guru Joined: 28 May 2003 Posts: 412 Location: Portage, IN

Antek Grzymala · Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2005 5:25 pm Post subject:

There seem to be a lot of convoluted answers on this thread.

Hope this simple solution will clear things up:

On the server, edit the /etc/ssh/sshd_config and make sure you have:

battra · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 09 Nov 2004 Posts: 77

ryker · Guru Joined: 28 May 2003 Posts: 412 Location: Portage, IN

ryker · Guru Joined: 28 May 2003 Posts: 412 Location: Portage, IN

Antek Grzymala · Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2005 10:58 pm Post subject:

Lews_Therin · l33t Joined: 03 Oct 2003 Posts: 657 Location: Banned

Can you post the entire contents of /etc/ssh/sshd_config of the machine you're logging into remotely?

Antek Grzymala · Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2005 12:26 pm Post subject:

flazz · Guru Joined: 22 Nov 2003 Posts: 496 Location: Florida

i think i had the same problem before.
https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic.php?t=249655&highlight=ssh+pam

ryker · Guru Joined: 28 May 2003 Posts: 412 Location: Portage, IN

I'll try to post the contents of my sshd_config a little later. I'm running something in windows right now. I know the only thing I changed/added was "X11Forwarding yes".
Why do the simplest things never work for me?

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hohlecow · Posted: Wed Mar 09, 2005 11:40 pm Post subject:

did you ever get this figured out? i set it up correctly with my system that was installed about 2 years ago, but the system it doesn't work was based of a 2004.3 install.

the problem i'm running into is i have /etc/ssh and /etc/ssh2, and the /etc/init.d/sshd script wasn't correct for my version of ssh (tried passing parameters to ssh-keygen that it didn't have).

so i copied over /etc/ssh/* from my working system to my non-working system, and its still not working. my old system does not have /etc/ssh2.

just a side thought. what if you compiled OpenSSH with USE="... -X ..."? would that affect whether it can port forward or not? (i didn't think i was going to be needing X on the system until much later in the install)
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ryker · Guru Joined: 28 May 2003 Posts: 412 Location: Portage, IN

I never did figure out what my problem is. I've been playing a lot of Counter-Strike Source lately. So I have been forced to stay in Windows, since it's not available for Linux. I also never posted my sshd_config file.
Here is my sshd_config:

hohlecow · Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2005 1:47 pm Post subject:

i got mine working by remerging openssh, overwriting /etc/ssh/sshd_config, and removing my ssh keys (you may not have to do the last one).

like everyone else has said i uncommented
AllowTcpForwarding yes
X11Forwarding yes
X11DisplayOffset 10
X11UseLocalhost yes

and connected with ssh -X.

i think my original build of openssh was crap. i couldn't restart the ssh server when i was ssh'd in, the init.d/ssh script wouldn't generate keys if they didn't exist (wrong parameters to ssh-keygen), and of course the X forwarding thing. but after a re-compile, everything seems to be working. hope that helps.
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menschmeier · l33t Joined: 15 Dec 2004 Posts: 727

Hi,

I like VNC via a ssh tunnel. That is very easy an give you a high flexibilty - you can access the system even via a java enabled web browser.
Emerge tightvnc and then look there if you like for the ssh tunnel:
http://www.uk.research.att.com/archive/vnc/sshvnc.html

CU
menschmeier
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ryker · Guru Joined: 28 May 2003 Posts: 412 Location: Portage, IN

Well, I took your suggestions and used vnc. Works fine. I never did get X11 tunneling working and I have no idea why. I have gotten it working with other machines. Thanks everyone for the help.
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Athlon 64 3200+, 80G WD sata hd + 200G IDE, 1G Geil DDR400, MSI K8T Neo
IntelCore2Duo 2.0Ghz MSI laptop,100G SATA hd, 2G RAM