How to setup a remote access on a Linux box?

[CougTek]

I have to help a damsel in distress on a Linux box. Problem is, the said person, currently drawning in his own misery, is on the other side of the continent. How can I do something like RDP on his Ubuntu 11.10 box? I also have a Ubuntu 11.10 installation here.

 

[ddrueding]

damsel in distress....dd....fitting

Why is it that people for whom English is their second language are so clever with the little things? My wife does the same all the time.

 

[Handruin]

I have to help a damsel in distress on a Linux box. Problem is, the said person, currently drawning in his own misery, is on the other side of the continent. How can I do something like RDP on his Ubuntu 11.10 box? I also have a Ubuntu 11.10 installation here.

I'm surprised you actually NEED a visual client. Are you not able to fix everything through a putty/SSH connection? Otherwise, I thought VNC was an appropriate visual connection on Linux?

 

[ddrueding]

I've found VNC, and I even found the GUI configuration module that is pre-installed on this version of Ubuntu. Setting it up now and forwarding ports (5800 and 5900, correct?)

 

[CougTek]

If VNC for Linux is like VNC for Windows, it'll lag like Hell. I've found this. I hope we'll be able to do something productive with it.

 

[ddrueding]

Got it and tested it. TightVNC was able to connect no problem. Thanks!

 

[CougTek]

Ok, there will be a slight delay before we can try anything. Back when I first installed my Linux shoebox, I had another monitor with a different resolution, so when I plug the new one, I don't get any picture. I forced a reset and now at the logon screen, I don't remember the username/password combo I used back then.

So, I didn't plan to, but I guess I'll have to re-install the whole thing. Not the evening I planned...

 

[Mercutio]

Can't you boot to runlevel 1 and set your password?

 

[CougTek]

:-?:scratch::dunno:

You might as well have written that in Chinese and I wouldn't have understood less.

I reinstalled and that was the end of it. Next time it happens (and it will ; I always forget my username/password on my Linux boxes), I'll try Googling whatever you wrote there and see if I can make some sense out of it.

 

[Chewy509]

To follow up what Merc said, but with instructions...

When you boot Linux in Single User Mode, you don't need a password.

To access Single User Mode, at the GRUB boot loader, edit the current selection (IIRC, it's 'e' option), and add 'Single' to the end of the line. Exit the edit mode.

Boot into Linux, by pressing 'b'...

Once booted, at the command prompt, type 'passwd' and enter a new root passwd, alternative type 'passwd <username>' to change the specified users password.

type 'reboot' to reboot, and you have now pwned the box...

 

[CougTek]

Thanks.

 

[sechs]

Is there some reason that just xhosting isn't going to work?

 

[CougTek]

Yeah, neither I or the helpless foreigner know how to use it. He set up TightVNC and that's what we use. I've been able to configure his program the way he wanted it to be. He still has other issues, but it's not something I can fix remotely as it probably is hardware-related. And he's probably just as good as I am on that side.

 

[sechs]

Since it's a function of Xwindows, it generally requires less work on the remote end.

http://linux.about.com/library/cmd/blcmdl_xhost.htm

 

[CougTek]

Thanks. I might try that next time.