X Windows: Remote X to Windows with Xming

Plain Ol' Vanilla Remote X Session

1) Install Xming and Xming-fonts

 * Download from sourceforge.net/projects/xming[1]

2) Add the Linux machine's DNS name(s) and IP address to the C:\Program Files\xming\X0.hosts file. File should contain:

   LinuxBox.mydomain.com
   LinuxBox
   192.168.1.25

3) Start Xming on your Windows machine (NOT XLaunch)

4) Start the connection: Connect to the Linux machine via ssh/telnet/rlogin/whatever and run:

    DISPLAY=WINDOWS_IP:0;export DISPLAY;APPLICATION_YOU_WANT_TO_RUN &
    
    EXAMPLE: DISPLAY=192.168.1.10:0;export DISPLAY;xterm &

5) Minimize the SSH/telnet session, do not close it. If you close it, your X connections will close.

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Remote X11 Over SSH

On the remote machine (Linux):
1) Ensure that X11Forwarding is enabled in /etc/ssh/sshd_conf on the remote machine.

On the local machine (Windows):
2) Install Xming and Xming-fonts

 * Download from sourceforge.net/projects/xming[2]

3) Add the Linux machine's DNS name(s) and IP address to the C:\Program Files\xming\X0.hosts file. File should contain:

   LinuxBox.mydomain.com
   LinuxBox
   192.168.1.25

4) Start Xming on your Windows machine (NOT XLaunch)

5) Install Putty (if it's not already installed) onto your Windows machine.

  * Download from www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/[3]

6) Open putty and fill in the “Host Name” box.

7) Ensure that SSH is checked and that the port is correct (probably 22).

8) Under Category > Connection > SSH > X11 check the “Enable X11 forwarding” box.

9) Click the “Open” button to start the connection.

10) Log into the remote machine as you would do in a normal SSH session.

11) Start the X application from the command line, a window should open on your local machine with the application.

12) Minimize the SSH session, do not close it. If you close it, your X connections will close.

(It's a regular SSH session with putty but with X11 forwarding enabled.)

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PROBLEMS

PROBLEM: "Xlib: connection to YOUR_IP refused by server"
FIX: Check the Xming log, it probably contains "Xming.exe: client 4 rejected from IP YOUR_IP". If so,

• close Xming
• Make sure that the DNS names and/or IPs are in the C:\Program Files\xming\X0.hosts file
• restart Xming

FIX2: If problem is not fixed, restart Xming with the -ac option.

PROBLEM: The application starts but then I get a font error(s).
FIX: Install the Xming-fonts onto your Windows box.

PROBLEM: When starting Xming, a Windows Security Alert pops up saying Windows Firewall has blocked this program.
FIX: Change Windows Firewall setting to allow Xming.
FIX2: Disable Windows Firewall by going to Services, setting Windows Firewall to MANUAL START and then stop the service.

PROBLEM: Cannot connect to Xming and I have checked all of the above.
FIX: When starting Xming as display 0, Windows Firewall does not complain. Check to see if Windows Firewall is blocking the connection.