Any way to control a Windows desktop from Linux, remotely?

[movEAX_444]

There are some things I do in Windows every day which I do not wish to reboot my Linux box (dual booting) to do. I have another Windows box on my network which is always on. Is it possible for me to control this box from my Linux machine?

I am using a laptop and do not really want to mess with wires or buy anything (KVM) -- I am looking for a software solution, I don't care if streaming the desktop is slow.

[Hayl]

there is a linux client for the Windows Remote Desktop protocol.

just enable it on your windows box (and set-up a user) and then install rdesktop on your linux box.

http://rdesktop.sourceforge.net

it is as simple as:

rdesktop somebox.somewhere.net

or even

rdesktop 192.168.0.50

for a Gtk GUI front-end install

http://www.nongnu.org/grdesktop/

it may even already be installed depending on what distribution you run.

[Megahurts]

There are two things that you need here;

Firstly you'll need a connection between your Linux box and your Windows box - This will either need to be wired ethernet or wireless ethernet. If your laptop is reasonably new it should at least have a built in ethernet port as I would guess you desktop does as most newer motherboards appears to come with them on-board these days. If that's the case then all you need is a ethernet cross-over cable to connect between the two as well as some basic knowledge of setting up the network connections in Windows and Linux. A crossover will eliminate the need for a hub/switch etc and should be reasonably inexpensive. If you are lucky your laptop may have a built-in wireless adaptor too, if thats the case then you'll need either a PCI or USB wireless adaptor for your desktop. If you are even luckier your linux distro will have already detected your wireless card (Ubuntu did on my IBM T41) so all you'll need to do is set-up a wireless connection on the windows PC.

Secondly you will need some remote desktop software, WindowsXP supports the RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) natively and most distro's carry RDP complient clients, Or you could use VNC, which is pretty easy to setup and also allows you to password protect the session as well as use web-browser to control the remote desktop, which is useful if you have a cable/dsl connection and want to be able to access your box from work etc.

Unfortunatley you will need some form of connection between your two boxes.

[psych-major]

Assuming both of these computers are on the same network, the Linux laptop will have desktop sharing built in. If you use Kde, look in the kde menu under Internet...Remote Desktop Connection.

On the Windows machine, you will need to install the Windows version of TightVNC.
When you install it, enable and start the VNC server service, and enter a password when prompted. There will be a VNC status icon in the system tray, and the Windows PC is all set.

Now back at the Linux Laptop, launch the Remote Desktop Connection program. In the "Remote desktop" field of the dialog box that comes up, type vnc:/192.168.0.xxx (Substitute the IP of your windows box)
Click the connect button, then OK, then enter the password and click OK. You should now be remotely viewing/controlling your windows box!

[soulestream]

www.realvnc.com


client/server for windows and linux


soule

[tcarradine]

I also prefer vnc... if you're really going to be remote though, you should consider tunneling through ssh (for windows try http://sshwindows.sourceforge.net/) to keep it secure.

Tim

[psych-major]

www.realvnc.com


client/server for windows and linux


soule

This is already running under the hood in my distro/desktop (Slack/KDE)

And on the Windows side, I have found TightVNC to be a little faster than realVNC, and the developers claim it's more secure, but I only use it inside my firewall so I don't care about that as much.

[tcarradine]

i actually used tightVNC on my windows boxes for some time for that same reason but ended up finding no real preformance difference... also, using the same vnc client on my windows and linux boxes has been easier to support (learning one set of administration tasks). although the two programs similar they are certainly not the same (realVNC's use of F8 vs tightVNCs right click comes to mind) and if anything i've found it easier to control compression settings in realVNC than in tightVNC...

all this of course IMHO

Tim

[psych-major]

I know what you mean, as my former employer used realVNC.

I use the built-in remote desktop on my Linux box, so it's different than the Windows boxes anyway.

[tcarradine]

I know what you mean, as my former employer used realVNC.

I use the built-in remote desktop on my Linux box, so it's different than the Windows boxes anyway.

i keep the realVNC clients for both windows and linux on a little thumb drive... its been a life saver even in the smallest situations (like working on a small client network of 6 machines... we were setting up a new mahcine and needed to copy settings from one of the existing machines onto the new one... i'm to lazy to even running across the room anymore...)

open source software is all about making life easier... but if it gets much better at it than already is I wont have a job anymore!

Tim

[psych-major]

Ditto on that!!!

[soulestream]

i like it for working on boxes at home too, cuts down on monitors.

[psych-major]

Especially for my headless Slackware fileserver in the basement!

[knute]

I love vnc. It was fun to be sitting in front of my linux box, installing software on 3 or 4 of about 10 computers at the same time.

It would freak people out, cause the other guy that actually owned the place, would sit down at one, and do the installs, then go on to the next, while I sit at one, and do ALL of them.

I figure, if you've got a network, you may as well use it!

[psych-major]

I used it at a bank where we used it to manipulate servers at all the branches. Saved a LOT of driving time!