Title: Set up your system for SSH or VNC access
Course: TAACCCT - Open Source Server Admin.- CIS 235 > Section: Course Content

Set up your system for SSH or VNC access

For many of you, accessing your Linux via vSphere is a good solution, but for a few of you – it’s not your preferred way.   You can set your system to be able to connect to it via SSH (like we have been doing to the common system), or via VNC (which provides access to the GUI interface). You don’t have to do either, but if you wish to, here are the instructions:

Accessing your Linux System graphically via VNC

(Much of this is from the guide at http://www.techotopia.com/index.php/Remote_Access_to_the_openSUSE_Linux_Desktop)

1. Start up the Control Center (in GNOME, click on the Computer icon in the lower left corner)
  1. Type enough of the phrase “Remote Desktop” in the Filter box to have the icon and name appear on the right hand side.
  2. Click on Remote Desktop
  3. Check the following (or make sure the following is checked)
    1. Allow other users to view your desktop
    2. Allow other users to control your desktop
    3. Require the user to enter this password

1. Put a password in the box – this is what you’ll need later iv. Configure network automatically to accept connections

  1. Press Close

1. Next, start YaST (either via the Control Center or via the menu when you click on the Computer)
  1. Type enough of the phrase “Firewall” in the Filter box to have the icon and name appear on the right hand side.
  2. Click on the “Firewall” icon
  3. Click on “Allowed Services”
  4. In the top drop down box (Allowed Services for Selected Zone), choose “External Zone”
  5. In the second drop down box (“Service to Allow”), choose “VNC”
  6. Click Add
  7. Press Next
  8. Press Finish

You will now be able to connect using a VNC viewer.   For Windows, you may want to install TightVNC (http://www.tightvnc.com/), and for Mac OS X, just use Safari (http://www.davidtheexpert.com/post.php?id=5).

You’ll need to know the IP address of your system (which is displayed on the Remote Desktop Preferences page, or read below to determine it via the command shell).

Accessing your Linux System non-graphically via SSH

This is based on: https://en.opensuse.org/OpenSSH

1. Start SSHD on bootup
  1. Start YaST
  2. In the Filter box, type enough of “System Services (Runlevel)” to have the icon and name appear on the right hand side
  3. Click on “Systems Services (Runlevel)”
  4. Scroll down until you see a service named “sshd”
  5. Click on “sshd”
  6. Click on the “Enable” button
  7. Press Ok twice
  8. Press “Yes” to save the changes to the runlevels
2. Allow SSH through the Firewall
  1. In YaST, type enough of the word “Firewall” in the Filter box to bring up the icon and name appear on the right hand side
  2. Click on “Firewall”
  3. Click on “Allowd Services”
  4. In the top drop down box (Allowed Services for Selected Zone), choose “External Zone”
  5. In the second drop down box (“Service to Allow”), choose “Secure Shell Server” f. Click Add
  6. Press Next
  7. Press Finish
3. Start SSH now
  1. Runlevels only affect how the system boots, so SSH is enabled, but not running, to start it immediately…
  2. Bring up a Terminal window
  3. Type “sudo rcsshd start”

Determining your Linux System’s IP address

For both VNC and SSH, you’ll need to know your system’s IP address.  The following is one way

1. Bring up a Terminal window
2. Type “/sbin/ifconfig eth0”

a. Look for the line “inet addr: “the four numbers past it (probably begins with 172.18.) is your IP address

1. Use the IP address when connecting to your system via SSH or VNC

Attached Files: | - Set up your system for SSH or VNC access.docx