• VNC with multiple instances of an app

    From Groo Vee@21:1/5 to All on Sun Dec 6 21:14:14 2020
    I have a server which I'd like for people to VNC into. Now when Guy 1 logs into it, he/she must do so WITHOUT LOGGING IN (ie. there's some kind of "default user" which it defaults to if no one says otherwise), and then they can start apps (indeed, one
    must autostart - how do I do that?). Now if Guy 2 logs in, they must do the same, but they must able to start another INSTANCE of that app (that Guy 1 started), ie. the 2 apps must run INDEPENDENT of one another (imagine guy 1 starting Firefox and
    surfing site1 and guy2 starting Firefox as well and surfing site2). What's the quick way to do this?

    Thanks.

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  • From Lew Pitcher@21:1/5 to Groo Vee on Mon Dec 7 15:25:33 2020
    On Sun, 06 Dec 2020 21:14:14 -0800, Groo Vee wrote:

    I have a server which I'd like for people to VNC into. Now when Guy 1
    logs into it, he/she must do so WITHOUT LOGGING IN (ie. there's some
    kind of "default user" which it defaults to if no one says otherwise),
    and then they can start apps (indeed, one must autostart - how do I do that?). Now if Guy 2 logs in, they must do the same, but they must able
    to start another INSTANCE of that app (that Guy 1 started), ie. the 2
    apps must run INDEPENDENT of one another (imagine guy 1 starting Firefox
    and surfing site1 and guy2 starting Firefox as well and surfing site2). What's the quick way to do this?

    Nope. There's no "quick way".

    In order to ensure that the VNC sessions for "Guy 1" and "Guy 2" do not overlap, you need some way for the /system/ to distinguish between "Guy
    1" and "Guy 2". And, that requires that each of them "LOG IN".

    Now, the login /does not/ have to be the traditional userid/password type
    of login. But, if it isn't, then you will have to develop your own login solution.

    Let me repeat that: YOU will have to DEVELOP your own LOGIN SOLUTION.


    Luck be with you
    --
    Lew Pitcher
    "In Skills, We Trust"

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  • From Jorgen Grahn@21:1/5 to Lew Pitcher on Mon Dec 7 19:56:31 2020
    On Mon, 2020-12-07, Lew Pitcher wrote:
    On Sun, 06 Dec 2020 21:14:14 -0800, Groo Vee wrote:

    I have a server which I'd like for people to VNC into. Now when Guy 1
    logs into it, he/she must do so WITHOUT LOGGING IN (ie. there's some
    kind of "default user" which it defaults to if no one says otherwise),
    and then they can start apps (indeed, one must autostart - how do I do
    that?). Now if Guy 2 logs in, they must do the same, but they must able
    to start another INSTANCE of that app (that Guy 1 started), ie. the 2
    apps must run INDEPENDENT of one another (imagine guy 1 starting Firefox
    and surfing site1 and guy2 starting Firefox as well and surfing site2).
    What's the quick way to do this?

    Nope. There's no "quick way".

    In order to ensure that the VNC sessions for "Guy 1" and "Guy 2" do not overlap, you need some way for the /system/ to distinguish between "Guy
    1" and "Guy 2". And, that requires that each of them "LOG IN".

    Now, the login /does not/ have to be the traditional userid/password type
    of login. But, if it isn't, then you will have to develop your own login solution.

    Let me repeat that: YOU will have to DEVELOP your own LOGIN SOLUTION.

    You have to wonder, if Guy 1 and 2 are different people and have to do
    stuff INDEPENDENTly, maybe they should be different Unix users after
    all. The mechanism was invented for precisely that situation.

    /Jorgen

    --
    // Jorgen Grahn <grahn@ Oo o. . .
    \X/ snipabacken.se> O o .

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  • From Joe Beanfish@21:1/5 to Jorgen Grahn on Tue Dec 8 15:05:11 2020
    On Mon, 07 Dec 2020 19:56:31 +0000, Jorgen Grahn wrote:

    On Mon, 2020-12-07, Lew Pitcher wrote:
    On Sun, 06 Dec 2020 21:14:14 -0800, Groo Vee wrote:

    I have a server which I'd like for people to VNC into. Now when Guy 1
    logs into it, he/she must do so WITHOUT LOGGING IN (ie. there's some
    kind of "default user" which it defaults to if no one says otherwise),
    and then they can start apps (indeed, one must autostart - how do I do
    that?). Now if Guy 2 logs in, they must do the same, but they must able
    to start another INSTANCE of that app (that Guy 1 started), ie. the 2
    apps must run INDEPENDENT of one another (imagine guy 1 starting Firefox >>> and surfing site1 and guy2 starting Firefox as well and surfing site2).
    What's the quick way to do this?

    Nope. There's no "quick way".

    In order to ensure that the VNC sessions for "Guy 1" and "Guy 2" do not
    overlap, you need some way for the /system/ to distinguish between "Guy
    1" and "Guy 2". And, that requires that each of them "LOG IN".

    Now, the login /does not/ have to be the traditional userid/password type
    of login. But, if it isn't, then you will have to develop your own login
    solution.

    Let me repeat that: YOU will have to DEVELOP your own LOGIN SOLUTION.

    You have to wonder, if Guy 1 and 2 are different people and have to do
    stuff INDEPENDENTly, maybe they should be different Unix users after
    all. The mechanism was invented for precisely that situation.

    /Jorgen

    So often people come and ask too specific a question instead of saying
    what big picture they're trying to accomplish and asking how such is done.
    This one sounds to me like creating a multi-seat kiosk type thing but
    with remote seats.

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  • From Lew Pitcher@21:1/5 to Joe Beanfish on Tue Dec 8 16:36:17 2020
    On Tue, 08 Dec 2020 15:05:11 +0000, Joe Beanfish wrote:

    On Mon, 07 Dec 2020 19:56:31 +0000, Jorgen Grahn wrote:

    On Mon, 2020-12-07, Lew Pitcher wrote:
    On Sun, 06 Dec 2020 21:14:14 -0800, Groo Vee wrote:

    I have a server which I'd like for people to VNC into. Now when Guy 1
    logs into it, he/she must do so WITHOUT LOGGING IN (ie. there's some
    kind of "default user" which it defaults to if no one says
    otherwise), and then they can start apps (indeed, one must autostart
    - how do I do that?). Now if Guy 2 logs in, they must do the same,
    but they must able to start another INSTANCE of that app (that Guy 1
    started), ie. the 2 apps must run INDEPENDENT of one another (imagine
    guy 1 starting Firefox and surfing site1 and guy2 starting Firefox as
    well and surfing site2). What's the quick way to do this?

    Nope. There's no "quick way".
    [snip]
    You have to wonder, if Guy 1 and 2 are different people and have to do
    stuff INDEPENDENTly, maybe they should be different Unix users after
    all. The mechanism was invented for precisely that situation.

    /Jorgen

    So often people come and ask too specific a question instead of saying
    what big picture they're trying to accomplish and asking how such is
    done.

    I've heard it called "solving the wrong problem" or "the XY problem",
    where, in trying to solve one, overarching issue, the questioner asks
    about the solution to a secondary issue that occurs with their "solution"
    to the primary issue.

    This one sounds to me like creating a multi-seat kiosk type thing but
    with remote seats.

    I concur. I can't think of many scenarios in which the OP would require multiple, independent, and (seemingly) anonymous VNC connections to run a (preselected) application. A multi-seat kiosk sounds plausable, for the
    OP's question.

    --
    Lew Pitcher
    "In Skills, We Trust"

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  • From Groo Vee@21:1/5 to Lew Pitcher on Tue Dec 8 23:29:41 2020
    On Tuesday, 8 December 2020 at 22:06:22 UTC+5:30, Lew Pitcher wrote:

    (preselected) application. A multi-seat kiosk sounds plausable, for the
    OP's question.

    I'm not too sure what a "multiseat kiosk" is, but yes, that SOUNDS like *exactly* what I'm trying to achieve. How do I do it, then? I want to connect to the server from a web VNC frontend, so I need the client IP address to somehow be the "login".

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  • From Lew Pitcher@21:1/5 to Groo Vee on Wed Dec 9 19:08:03 2020
    On Tue, 08 Dec 2020 23:29:41 -0800, Groo Vee wrote:

    On Tuesday, 8 December 2020 at 22:06:22 UTC+5:30, Lew Pitcher wrote:

    (preselected) application. A multi-seat kiosk sounds plausable, for the
    OP's question.

    I'm not too sure what a "multiseat kiosk" is, but yes, that SOUNDS like *exactly* what I'm trying to achieve. How do I do it, then? I want to
    connect to the server from a web VNC frontend, so I need the client IP address to somehow be the "login".

    You /might/ be looking for "xvnc". I've never played with it, so I don't
    know if it will do what you want, but... a quick look at the manpage (see https://linux.die.net/man/1/xvnc ) implies that
    a) it can run multiple, independent X sessions that externalize through
    the RFB protocol used by VNC viewers,
    b) you can initiate it from inetd, and
    c) you can set it up so that the client(s) don't need to authenticate
    (login, etc.)

    Something like this /might/ work for you.

    HTH.
    Luck be with you.
    --
    Lew Pitcher
    "In Skills, We Trust"

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  • From Groo Vee@21:1/5 to Lew Pitcher on Fri Dec 11 21:12:39 2020
    On Thursday, 10 December 2020 at 00:38:08 UTC+5:30, Lew Pitcher wrote:


    Something like this /might/ work for you.

    Thanks. I'll check it out.

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  • From Groo Vee@21:1/5 to All on Fri Dec 11 21:19:53 2020
    Btw, do I need "inetd" or "xinetd"?

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  • From Grant Taylor@21:1/5 to Groo Vee on Fri Dec 11 23:42:37 2020
    On 12/11/20 10:19 PM, Groo Vee wrote:
    Btw, do I need "inetd" or "xinetd"?

    My understanding is that you need something like (x)inetd to manage the
    VNC port and broker between VNC clients and VNC server processes in a
    dynamic way.

    I believe there must be /something/ doing that brokering. It may not
    /have/ /to/ /be/ (x)inetd. But it will probably have to be something
    that does much the same thing.



    --
    Grant. . . .
    unix || die

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  • From Groo Vee@21:1/5 to Grant Taylor on Sat Dec 12 02:53:57 2020
    On Saturday, 12 December 2020 at 12:12:32 UTC+5:30, Grant Taylor wrote:
    On 12/11/20 10:19 PM, Groo Vee wrote:
    Btw, do I need "inetd" or "xinetd"?
    My understanding is that you need something like (x)inetd to manage the
    VNC port and broker between VNC clients and VNC server processes in a
    dynamic way.

    I believe there must be /something/ doing that brokering. It may not
    /have/ /to/ /be/ (x)inetd. But it will probably have to be something
    that does much the same thing.


    Isn't (x)inetd OBSOLETE? Didn't it get replaced by systemd or something??

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  • From Jorgen Grahn@21:1/5 to Groo Vee on Sat Dec 12 11:53:35 2020
    On Sat, 2020-12-12, Groo Vee wrote:
    On Saturday, 12 December 2020 at 12:12:32 UTC+5:30, Grant Taylor wrote:
    On 12/11/20 10:19 PM, Groo Vee wrote:
    Btw, do I need "inetd" or "xinetd"?
    My understanding is that you need something like (x)inetd to manage the
    VNC port and broker between VNC clients and VNC server processes in a
    dynamic way.

    I believe there must be /something/ doing that brokering. It may not
    /have/ /to/ /be/ (x)inetd. But it will probably have to be something
    that does much the same thing.


    Isn't (x)inetd OBSOLETE? Didn't it get replaced by systemd or something??

    Ask your Linux distribution. In either case, it's going to have a
    default way to say "whenever someone connects to TCP port <NNN>, run
    program <Foo> under <these> conditions". Not even systemd can remove
    that traditional Unix feature.

    /Jorgen

    --
    // Jorgen Grahn <grahn@ Oo o. . .
    \X/ snipabacken.se> O o .

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  • From Grant Taylor@21:1/5 to Groo Vee on Sat Dec 12 12:42:41 2020
    On 12/12/20 3:53 AM, Groo Vee wrote:
    Isn't (x)inetd OBSOLETE? Didn't it get replaced by systemd or something??

    That's why I said "But it will probably have to be something that does
    much the same thing.".

    Aside: I'm not aware of systemd having (x)inetd functionality. But I
    avoid systemd and haven't kept up with it.



    --
    Grant. . . .
    unix || die

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