Remote GUI Access with noVNC

noVNC provides a browser-based VNC client, enabling seamless access to a remote Linux desktop environment. It allows users to run graphical applications on a headless server or a virtualized environment while interacting with them through a web browser. This setup eliminates the need for a local X server and provides a smooth remote desktop experience.

This setup is particularly useful for:

• MacOS users: Running rviz and other GUI applications that require OpenGL, which macOS does not support.
• WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) users: Accessing a full desktop environment within WSL2.
• Remote Access: Connecting securely to a remote machine via SSH tunneling.

This system leverages:

• Xvfb: A virtual framebuffer to create a headless display (:1).
• Xfce4: A lightweight Linux desktop environment.
• x11vnc: A VNC server for remote access.
• noVNC & websockify: A web-based VNC client for browser-based access.

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Setup Instructions

1️⃣ Setup VNC

Run the setup script:

./setup_vnc.sh

This will install all dependencies (if you are sudo) and prompt you to set up a VNC password. If you are on mac this will be setup in docker container. For this you need to install docker.

2️⃣ Start VNC

Run:

./start_vnc.sh

This should output something like:

Started VNC DISPLAY=:1001 SCREEN=10
Local VNC: localhost:11001
Remote NoVNC: http://server-name.ee.ethz.ch:21001/vnc.html

The port is derived based on your UID, thus it will likely be different to what is written in this README!

⚠ Keep this terminal open – closing it with Ctrl-C will stop the VNC session.

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Accessing the Remote Desktop

🔹 Local Access (MacOS / WSL)

If you are running noVNC on your local machine inside WSL or a Docker container:

1. Open a browser and go to:

   http://server-name.ee.ethz.ch:21001/vnc.html
   

2. You should now see the remote Linux desktop.