====== Using VNC on Windows ======

===== Setup =====

Setting up the programs to connect to a VNC server is not too difficult. You will, however, need to download two programs: a SSH client and a VNC client. The SSH client will make a secure connection between your computer and the VNC server and the VNC client will use this connection to draw a display on your screen.



==== Download and install a SSH client ====

In order to use VNC with your SSH client, your SSH client must provide port forwarding. Both Putty and Teraterm Pro will work.

If you do not already have a working SSH connection, please check out our pages on getting and using ssh: [[:sysnews:ssh:windows]]




==== Download and install a VNC client ====

We recommend using [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TightVNC|TightVNC]] as your VNC client because it comes with several features over the official VNC client. TightVNC uses a "tight" encoding by default which efficiently compresses the information which updates your display.

  - Download the TightVNC Viewer binary for Windows from the TightVNC download page: http://www.tightvnc.com/download.php
  - Open the downloaded TightVNC Viewer archive. It will create a new folder with the vncviewer program inside.


===== Connecting =====

Every time you want to make a VNC connection, you must forward a port with your SSH client and then open a session with your VNC client.


==== Port Forwarding - PuTTY ====

  - Run PuTTY.
  - In "Basic options for your Putty Session", enter the host name, "mote.cs.vassar.edu", and choose the "SSH" protocol. Do not "Open" this connection just yet.
  - On the left, find and select the category "Connection - SSH - Tunnels".
  - In the section "Add new forwarded port:", set the "Source Port" to "5901" and set the "Destination" to "mote.cs.vassar.edu:5995". Choose "Local" for this connection if it is not already the default, and click "Add".
  - Open the connection and log in. Leaving PuTTY open, start a VNC session.

==== Port Forwarding - Teraterm ====

  - Open Teraterm Pro by running "ttssh". Teraterm will ask you to make a new connection. Hit "Cancel".
  - Select "SSH Forwarding..." from the "Setup" menu.
  - Click "Add" and fill in "Forward local port '5901' to remote machine 'mote.cs.vassar.edu' port '5995'".
  - Choose 'Ok' to get back to the main, blank, Teraterm window.
  - Choose "New Connection" from the "File" menu. Connect to host 'mote.cs.vassar.edu' using the 'SSH' service.
  - Leave Teraterm open and start a VNC session according to the next session. (It's fine to minimize Teraterm, of course.)


==== VNC Session ====

  - Run the VNC client, vncviewer.
  - Enter "localhost:1" for the vnc server to connect with.
  - A graphical login screen should appear. Log in and start work.
  - When you are finished, just log out of your Unix session as you normally would, close the VNC client program, and exit from your SSH session.

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[[sysinfo:general_linux::vnc|VNC help]] | [[:sysnews:info|User Info]] | [[http://www.cs.vassar.edu|CS Department]]

 --- //[[ben@cs.vassar.edu|Ben Stoutenburgh]] 2012/11/08 16:59//