{"id":1175,"date":"2014-09-08T11:25:04","date_gmt":"2014-09-08T15:25:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/unixed.com\/blog\/?p=266"},"modified":"2014-09-08T11:25:04","modified_gmt":"2014-09-08T15:25:04","slug":"setup-x11-access-to-the-solaris-gui-gnome-desktop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unixed.com\/index.php\/2014\/09\/08\/setup-x11-access-to-the-solaris-gui-gnome-desktop\/","title":{"rendered":"Setup X11 Access to the Solaris GUI Gnome Desktop"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many of my blog posts come from questions that I receive in the classroom as I travel around the world teaching Solaris, Linux, AIX and HP-UX. \u00a0I tell my students that I learn something in every class that I teach- even when I teach the\u00a0Fundamentals UNIX course. \u00a0 It’s because there are so many different ways to accomplish the same task\u00a0in Solaris. \u00a0Furthermore, those new to Solaris\u00a0system administration tend to ask questions that I may have never thought of. \u00a0Whenever students ask a question, I don’t usually just answer it off the cuff. \u00a0I create slides and write up a procedure on how to perform the task. \u00a0I guess it’s because I love to write, but also, I want to make myself perfectly clear. \u00a0I try to share some of those procedures in my blog postings. \u00a0How many times have you read documentation and that one important step is left out? \u00a0I’ll try not to do that to you in my blog entries and if I do, make sure you call me out on it.<\/span><\/p>\n

This question comes up quite often from new system admins:<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

How do I access the GUI desktop environment on a Solaris 11 SPARC server\u00a0from my Windows, MAC, Solaris or Linux desktop computer?
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Because SPARC based servers are installed using the Oracle Solaris 11 Text Installer (installing the solaris-large-server group of software packages), the desktop environment is not installed. \u00a0Therefore, the only option for connecting remotely to the server is with an SSH client and getting a command line prompt. \u00a0I typically use putty<\/a> for this. \u00a0Another great tool, and there’s a free version, is MobaXterm<\/a>. \u00a0Setting up desktop access using MobaXterm<\/a> is the topic I’ll cover here.<\/p>\n

Students using SPARC servers, especially those new administrators, frequently ask how\u00a0to setup their Windows, MAC, Solaris or Linux desktop to display the Gnome GUI desktop environment when connecting to their SPARC server. \u00a0In otherwords, they want this this screen:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"gnome1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Not this screen:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"ssh\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Here’s how to setup your Windows, MAC or Linux desktop to display the Solaris Gnome GUI environment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Overview of the Setup<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

To accomplish this, you\u2019ll need to follow these three steps:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Install the Gnome desktop environment on your SPARC server.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Note – If you use the text installation method, the Oracle Solaris Desktop package (solaris-desktop) is not installed on your system by default.<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Enable XDMCP connections on the SPARC server.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      XDMCP is a remote desktop protocol used by several UNIX systems, including Solaris. With XDMCP, your desktop computer running X11 can connect to the SPARC server \u00a0(also running X11) and interact with the SPARC server as if you were physically at the SPARC server.<\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Install an X Server program on your desktop.\u00a0 I\u2019ll use the free version of MobaXterm.\u00a0 Download and install MobaXterm (free) on your Windows, MAC, Solaris or Linux desktop from http:\/\/mobaxterm.mobatek.net\/<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

        Step 1 – Install the Gnome desktop environment on your SPARC server<\/span><\/h3>\n

        Log into the SPARC server as root.\u00a0\u00a0 The server needs to have access to a software repository so that you can install the solaris-desktop package as follows:<\/span>
        \n<\/code><\/p>\n

        # pkg install solaris-desktop<\/strong><\/span><\/pre>\n
        Note: If your system does not have access to a repository, that’s a topic for another time, but it is covered in my book. \u00a0Add a comment below this post if you would like me to post this procedure. \u00a0Another source of information is\u00a0Oracle explains how in their documentation<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n
        The installation of the solaris-desktop will take several minutes.\u00a0 Here\u2019s a sample installation:<\/span><\/p>\n
        # pkg install solaris-desktop<\/strong><\/code><\/span>\n  Packages to install: 337<\/code><\/span>\n  Create boot environment: No<\/code><\/span>\n Create backup boot environment: Yes<\/code><\/span>\n  Services to change: 14<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n
        DOWNLOAD PKGS FILES XFER (MB) SPEED<\/code><\/span>\n Completed 337\/337 50991\/50991 528.9\/528.9 0B\/s<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n
        PHASE ITEMS<\/code><\/span>\n Installing new actions 82278\/82278<\/code><\/span>\n Updating package state database Done<\/code><\/span>\n Updating image state Done<\/code><\/span>\n Creating fast lookup database working <\/code><\/span>\n Creating fast lookup database Done<\/code><\/span>\n You have new mail in \/var\/mail\/root<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n
        Step 2 – Enable XDMCP connections on the SPARC server<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
        When the installation is complete, enable XDMCP connections by editing the \/etc\/gdm\/custom.conf<\/span> file. Add this line to the end of the file:<\/span><\/p>\n
        [xdmcp]\nEnable=true<\/pre>\n
        Enable xvnc-inetd as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n
        # inetadm -e xvnc-inetd<\/strong><\/pre>\n
        Restart the graphical login service (gdm) as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n
        # svcadm restart svc:\/application\/graphical-login\/gdm:default<\/strong><\/pre>\n
        Check the state of the gdm service by typing:<\/span><\/p>\n
        # svcs -vx<\/strong><\/pre>\n
        The service might be in a maintenance state like this:<\/span><\/p>\n
        svc:\/system\/consolekit:default (ConsoleKit)\n State: maintenance since September 5, 2014 09:11:20 PM UTC\nReason: Restarting too quickly.\n See: http:\/\/support.oracle.com\/msg\/SMF-8000-L5\n See: man -M \/usr\/share\/man -s 1m console-kit-daemon\n See: \/var\/svc\/log\/system-consolekit:default.log\nImpact: 1 dependent service is not running:\n svc:\/application\/graphical-login\/gdm:default<\/pre>\n
        Reboot the server<\/span><\/p>\n
        Verify that all of the services are running normal by typing:<\/span><\/p>\n
        # svcs -vx<\/strong><\/pre>\n
        The following\u00a0output shows that the svc:\/application\/texinfo-update:default<\/span> service is offline*<\/span> \u00a0 This indicates that the service is still starting. Eventually, the svcs \u2013vx<\/span> command should return only a shell prompt when everything is running:<\/span><\/p>\n
        svc:\/application\/texinfo-update:default (texinfo documentation directory update)\n State: offline* transitioning to online since September 5, 2014 09:26:33 PM UTC\nReason: Start method is running.\n See: http:\/\/support.oracle.com\/msg\/SMF-8000-C4\n See: man -M \/usr\/share\/man -s 1 install-info\n See: \/var\/svc\/log\/application-texinfo-update:default.log\nImpact: This service is not running.<\/pre>\n
        When the service is running, the svcs -vx<\/span> command will return only a prompt as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n
        # svcs -vx<\/strong>\n#<\/pre>\n
        Step 3 – Install an X Server program on your desktop<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
        I\u2019ll use the free version of MobaXterm to connect my PC to the Gnome desktop on the SPARC server.\u00a0 Download and install MobaXterm (free) on your Windows, MAC, Solaris or Linux desktop from http:\/\/mobaxterm.mobatek.net\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n
        Another popular free program is Xming<\/a>.<\/p>\n
        After installing MobaXterm, click on the MobaXterm icon to open the program.<\/span><\/p>\n
        Click on the Sessions Icon:<\/span><\/p>\n
        \"mobaterm1\"<\/a><\/p>\n
        Click on the Xdmcp icon:<\/span><\/p>\n
        \"mobaterm2\"<\/a><\/p>\n
        Select the \u201cSpecify server to connect to:\u201d radio button and enter the IP address of the SPARC server:<\/span><\/p>\n
        \"mobaterm3\"<\/a><\/p>\n
        Note: You can also select the radio button to \u201cConnect to any server\u201d and the login prompt should appear.<\/strong><\/span>
        \n Once connected, the following login should appear:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
        \"gnomelogin\"<\/a><\/p>\n
         <\/p>\n
        This same procedure could be setup for providing GUI access to your non-global zones.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
        If you have any questions, please add them in the comments section below and I’ll try my best to address them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
        Many of my blog posts come from questions that I receive in the classroom as I travel around the world teaching Solaris, Linux, AIX and HP-UX. \u00a0I tell my students […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":267,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[44,45,46,47,49,50],"class_list":["post-1175","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-solaris-gui-desktop","tag-desktop","tag-gnome","tag-gui","tag-solaris","tag-vnc","tag-x11"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9J8F7-iX","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unixed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1175","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unixed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unixed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unixed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unixed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1175"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/unixed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1175\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1178,"href":"https:\/\/unixed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1175\/revisions\/1178"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unixed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unixed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1175"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unixed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1175"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unixed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1175"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}