tightvncserver - a X server for Virtual Network Computing

tightvncserver [:display] [-name string] [-geometry WxH] [-depth int] [-httpport int] [-basehttpport int] [-alwaysshared] [-nevershared] [-queryhost-name] [-pixelformat [bgrnnn|rgbnnn]] [Xvnc options] [-help]

tightvncserver [-clean]-kill :display

tightvncserver is a wrapper script for Xvnc, the free X server for Virtual Network Computing (VNC). It provides all capabilities of a standard X server, but does not connect to a display for itself. You need a vncviewer to view and control the applications that run on the server.

There are viewers for a variety of plattforms, e.g. X, svgalib and Windows. For Linux and Windows also a server exists. With the built-in Java classes, you can even use a Java capable Internet browser to connect to Xvnc.

tightvncserver

Invokes Xvnc on the next available display and with suitable defaults.

tightvncserver :1

Invokes Xvnc on desktop 1.

tightvncserver -httpport 8080 :1

Invokes Xvnc on desktop 1 and listening on the http port 8080. This is only possible if the vnc-java package is installed.

tightvncserver -basehttpport 8080 :1

Invokes Xvnc on desktop 1 and listening on the http port 8080+displaynumber. This is only possible if the vnc-java package is installed.

tightvncserver -geometry 640x480 -once -httpd /usr/X11R6/lib/tightvncserver

Invoke Xvnc for one session, with a framebuffer size of 640x480. Use the Java classes in /usr/X11R6/lib/tightvncserver (normaly they are in /usr/share/tightvnc-java if you have that package installed).

tightvncserver -kill :1

Shuts down server :1 at localhost.

tightvncserver parses up to three configuration files and then invokes Xvnc with appropriate defaults. You can add further options to the command line, those will be added to the Xvnc command.

Many options are available to Xvnc in order to give as much flexibility as possible to the user. Most of the options are standard options for X server, and Xvnc provides a few additional options dsigned for its special purpose. Those options are not described here, but in tha man page for Xvnc(1x).

tightvncserver parses first the site wide configuratione file /etc/vnc.conf and then the user configuration file ~/.vncrc. This way a user can override or delete the values from the site wide vnc.conf. A user can also trigger the default value when he sets the value to the empty string "".

After that, tightvncserver will parse $XFConfigPath for "FontPath" and "RgbPath" values, if $XFConfigPath is specified $fontPath or $ColorPath are not. tightvncserver will also calculate other default values (for example geometry and color depth).

If the specified or default password file does not exist, tightvncserver will invoke vncpasswd(1x) to create on. A magic cookie will be created and added to the X authority file. After invoking Xvnc, a X session script will be started.

tightvncserver has suitable defaults for all values, so you can try to run it without a configuration file and without command line options.

If you want to know the default values for various options, please look them up in the man page of vnc.conf.

You can add Xvnc(1x) options at the command line. They will be added to the invocation of Xvnc without changes.

-help

Prints a short usage notice to stderr.

-name string

This specifies the name of the desktop.

-geometry WxH

Set framebuffer width & height.

-depth num

Set framebuffer depth. Must be a value between 8 and 32.

-pixelformat format

Set pixel format (BGRnnn or RGBnnn). The viewer can do the conversion to any other pixel format, but it is faster if the depth and pixelformat of the server is the same as the aequivalent values on the viewer display.

-kill :display

uses kill(1) to send the TERM signal to the VNC server with the specified display number and removes the lockfile. This option should be used to cleanly shut down a server started by tightvncserver. Does only work when the server was started with tightvncserver.

-clean

This option can be used in conjunction with

-kill

and will remove also the log file of the server process.

-nevershared

Never allow shared desktops.

-alwaysshared

Always allow shared desktops.

tightvncserver -query hostname

Contact named host for XDMCP

-basehttpport int

The base http port to use for the java client applet (you have to install the tightvnc-java package to make this work). The real port number will be port = base + display num.

-httpport int

The http port to use for the java client applet (you have to install the tightvnc-java package to make this work).

/etc/vnc.conf

Site wide configuration file for tightvncserver. This is the first configuration file parsed for options to control Xtightvnc's behaviour.

~/.vncrc

Configuration file for one user. This will be parsed after the site wide configuration file, and values can be changed here on a per-user base.

/usr/bin/Xtightvnc

The real server. Will be invoked by tightvncserver.

/usr/bin/vncpasswd

Command to create and change password files to be used by the RFB protocol (can be specified with the -rfbauth option).

/usr/X11R6/lib/tightvncserver/

This directory contains the Java classes for incoming Http connections.

Xtightvnc(1x), vncpasswd(1x), vnc.conf(5), xtightvncviewer(1x), svncviewer(1x).

VNC developed at Olivetti Research Labs, Cambridge (now AT&T Laboratories, Cambridge) by Tristan Richardson, Ken Wood, James Weatherall, Andy Harter, Charlie McLachlan, Paul Webster, Quentin Stafford-Fraser and others. This manpage written by Marcus Brinkmann for the Debian GNU/Linux distribution and then later modified to fit the tightvncserver software.