By Joe Casad
Control has always been easy with Unix-based systems like Linux. In the old days, simple tools let the user open a remote connection for command-line access. The rise of the graphic interface brought new complication to this simple formula.
In recent years, the economies of thin-client alternatives have added emphasis to the long-neglected terminal service model, and virtualization has focused renewed attention on the task of reaching other systems from a single keyboard and mouse.
This month's cover story examines some tools and techniques for remote control, screen sharing, and terminal service. We start with a look at the VNC (Virtual Network Computing) remote access protocol. We'll show you how VNC differs from the X Window system, describe some tips for working with VNC, and review some popular no-cost VNC applications, such as TightVNC, RealVNC, MetaVNC, and UltraVNC.
The next article in this month's cover story takes a close look at NoMachine's NX technology - an innovative protocol for cross-platform terminal connections. NX offers fast performance even over slow networks. We'll show you how NX works, and we'll examine a pair of free NX tools: NoMachine's Free edition and the community-based FreeNX project.
The next article describes Rdesktop, an open source tool for accessing Windows Terminal services using the RDP protocol. You'll learn why you don't really need a Windows client to interact with a Windows terminal server.
The final article in this month's special collection looks at the Linux Terminal Server Project (LTSP) and describes how to set up your Linux system as a terminal server.
Today's remote access applications offer economy and convenience; and, like almost everything else in open source, the tools you'll need are mostly available for free.
If you administer remote systems on a heterogeneous network, if you are looking for new thin client techniques, or even if you just need to access your office computer on a business trip, read on for more about remote control, screen sharing, and terminal service. We hope you enjoy this month's cover story.