developers: Virtual Network Computing (VNC).
VNC is a system for controlling a computer remotely and sharing desktops
over a network using a graphical interface. It was created at the Olivetti &
Oracle Research Lab, which was acquired by AT&T in 1999 and closed down
in 2001. Later, several of the members of the development team got together
to create a free and open source version of the code (using the GPL), and
from that base, many different versions have appeared. VNC is widespread in
the Linux world and, to a lesser extent, in the Windows world. Its main
advantage is its widespread nature: Nearly all Linux distros bundle VNC, and
clients are available for a wide selection of platforms.
Configure your firewall to allow connections through port 5900. If this port is
blocked, you cannot use VNC.
To set up VNC on your Ubuntu computer to allow others to access your
desktop, you need to tell Ubuntu who should be allowed to connect to your
session. By default, your desktop is not shared. Open Settings, select Sharing
from the menu on the left (see Figure 19.1), and then change the setting at the
upper right from Off to On.
To access a computer that is running VNC from your Ubuntu desktop, run the
Remmina Remote Desktop Client. The program starts by searching the local
network for shared desktops. If any are found, they are listed. For example,
Figure 19.2 shows Sandra’s computer.