VNC & HTML5: Display the remote desktop via a web browser with Guacamole
Using machines (virtual or not) remote, I often have to use vnc access to desktop, sometimes you need a graphical environment. I learned a few days ago Guacamole, a program that allows you to access the vnc desktop via a standard web browser that supports the HTML5 canvas tag, however.
The program works very well and quickly, the only thing a bit ‘complicated is the installation. First you need to install tomcat6. In fact, the heart that makes the whole thing is a Java application that sends the information to the browser to the desktop. We perform the installation:
# Apt-get install tomcat6 libvncserver0
Now that the web server is installed, you must download it from this link. After unpacking the archive, what we are facing are some xml files (configuration files) and a war (archive containing the application itself). This is the installation procedure:
# Cp-users.xml guacamole / etc/tomcat6 /
# Mkdir-p / var / lib / guacamole
Guacamole.war # cp / var / lib / guacamole /
Guacamole.xml # cp / etc/tomcat6/Catalina/localhost /
The files are now installed on the webserver but you must configure them. In particular, / etc/tomcat6/guacamole-users.xml find the pair user: password is requested that the application opens, it is not the vnc password, a password, but its application. In the file / etc/tomcat6/Catalina/localhost/guacamole.xml instead contains the vnc server information:
The parameters of interest are the three listed above, and are filled with data from the VNC server. In particular, to calculate the door, you need to get started virtual desktop number (: 1 for example) and add it to 5900. In this case, then vnc the server to which you connect is: 1. To start a new vnc server of course you use command:
$ Vncserver
New ‘X’ desktop is home: 1
If this is your first time you start up a vnc server, you will be prompted for a password for access (insert is not required), what must be included in the file guacamole.xml. Now restart the web server:
# Service tomcat6 restart
and colleghiamoci application via our browser (compatible with an eye to the use of HTML5 CANVAS tag, Chromium / Chrome or Firefox are fine 5) using the link:
http://localhost:8080/guacamole/
There will first be prompted to authenticate the program. If you have not changed the username is guacamole-users.xml ‘Guacamole’ and password ‘changeme’, of course is strongly recommended to change it. After entering the password of the vnc server (if of course has been set):
There you now have access to your vnc server is much simpler, in fact, by setting such as Tomcat port 80, you can access the remote desktop in peace even in the presence of proxy lax!
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