separating x client from x server (was: Firestarter VS Shorewall)
On Mon, Mar 05, 2007 at 02:51:48AM +0100, Andreas Duffner wrote:
> hendrik@topoi.pooq.com wrote:
> >You could run X on another system. People tend to forget that X is a
> >networked protocol.
>
> mmm. I am not sure we are talking about the same thing.
> If yes.. then I'd like to learn how to do it the other way.
>
> But to be sure I will tell how I see it. If you still think otherways,
> please point me to some docu. Or at least say so. That would be cool.
>
>
> What I think, how it is (not sure though)
> To export the display of a program you need
> a running X-Server at the computer where the display will
> point to.
Right,
> And where the program runs,
You don't need an X server where the program runs. The X server is the
thing that provides the display.
> you need some X-files
> (no, not the ones with the small grey things from ufos),
> some stuff from X, too.
>
> That is the reason why I talk about ca. 70 MB.
> FireStarter is small. But to start the gui, the
> system wants some other files.
> At least, I thought so until now.
>
> When I say "apt-get install firestarter" it will
> get firestart + needed files.
> And if I have no X related files there, it starts to
> download lots of them.
>
> Do I understand you right, that I do not have to
> download these X-files, if I intend to export the display
> to another computer ?
>
> That would be really nice.
That's right. The program you're running *is* the X client, and
it needs an X server to display its stuff on. Usually it uses the
DISPLAY environment variable to find it.
I used to do this all the time in my full-time job circa 1990. I had my
program, the window manager, and the display all running on different
machines.
However, since then people have become much more paranoid about
security, and now there a hoops you have to jump through to break down
the security barriers to get this to work.
Can anyone enlighten me about the details of doing this on a closed LAN
where there are no particular security problems?
One way that is apparently compatible with today's paranoia appears to
be to use an option on ssh (I believe it's ssh -X) to get ssh to carry
the X protocol. I'm not sure of the details, except that it appears to
require configuration on both the client and server side.
-- hendrik
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