This step contains two installations: first, the GNOME desktop environment group; second, the VNC Server package. Both are installed using yum, which is available on your Linux dedicated server.

To Install GNOME and VNC

1. Log in to your Linux dedicated server as root user via SSH (Secure Shell Protocol).
2. Type the following, and then press Enter. The process takes a few minutes to complete:
   yum -y groupinstall "GNOME Desktop Environment"
3. Type the following, and then press Enter:
   yum -y install vnc-server

TIP: Using yum makes these installation steps quick and clean.

Your desktop environment is now installed and so is VNC, which you use to access it.

Here are the configuration steps required to access your desktop through VNC.

To Configure a VNC User

1. Log in to your Linux dedicated server (via SSH) as the user you want to use to access VNC.
2. Type the following, and then press Enter:
   cd ~/
3. Type the following, and then press Enter. You are prompted to enter and confirm the VNC password for this user:
   vncpasswd

   NOTE: When you access the desktop through VNC, use your VNC password to establish the VNC connection, and then the user's password to access the desktop environment.

To Edit the VNC Configuration File

This process configures VNC to further secure connections to the desktop, set the base size to render the desktop, and identify the port to be used for remote desktop connections.

1. Log in to your Linux dedicated server as root user via SSH.
2. Using any plain text editor, open /etc/sysconfig/vncservers.
3. Add the following two entries to the file and save it. IMPORTANT: Replace "yourvncuser" with the user name you want to use to access the desktop:

   VNCSERVERS="1:yourvncuser"
   VNCSERVERARGS[1]="-geometry 1024x768 -localhost"
   

   These settings configure the following:

   • 1 — This indicates the port used for the VNC connection. Only the last digit is entered and the first three are implicit. For example, 1 defines port 5801. 9 indicates use of port 5809.
   • 1024x768 — This sets the size that VNC renders your desktop. You can optionally change it.
   • -localhost — This option limits VNC to allow only local connections. This setting makes the VNC connection more secure when used in conjunction with an SSH tunnel. SSH tunnel setup is in the next section.
4. Type the following, and then press Enter:
   /sbin/service vncserver start
5. Type the following, and then press Enter:
   /sbin/service vncserver stop

To Edit the VNC Startup File

1. Log in to your Linux dedicated server (via SSH) as the user you want to use to access VNC.
2. Using any plain text editor, open ~/.vnc/xstartup.
3. Uncomment the following lines:

   unset SESSION_MANAGER
   exec /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc
   

4. Save the file.

   The resulting file should look like this:

   #!/bin/sh
   (while true ; do xterm ; done ) &
   # Uncomment the following two lines for normal desktop:
   unset SESSION_MANAGER
   exec /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc
   
   [ -x /etc/vnc/xstartup ] & exec /etc/vnc/xstartup
   [ -r $HOME/.Xresources ] & xrdb $HOME/.Xresources
   xsetroot -solid grey
   vncconfig -iconic &
   xterm -geometry 80x24+10+10 -ls -title "$VNCDESKTOP Desktop" &
   twm &
   

To Start the VNC Server and Verify That It's Running

1. Log in to your Linux dedicated server as root user via SSH.
2. Type the following, and then press Enter.
   /sbin/service vncserver start
3. Type the following, and then press Enter.
   /sbin/chkconfig vncserver on

   TIP: Use this last command at any time to verify that the service is started. After a reboot, for example.

You've now completed configuration of VNC. The next step is to set up the secure SSH tunnel to access your Linux desktop.

To securely access your desktop, you need to use an SSH tunnel to your server. The easiest method is to use PuTTY and save the configuration for use each time you access the server.

To Configure a Secure Connection to Access the Linux Desktop

NOTE: These instructions assume that you have a stored PuTTY session to connect to your Linux dedicated server. If you do not, consult PuTTY help documentation to create a session.

1. Open PuTTY, select the saved session, and then click Load.
2. In the Category section, from Connection click SSH, and then click Tunnels.
   
3. Type and enter the following, and then click Add:
   • Source port — Type 580, plus the port you specified in the VNC configuration file. Because we used port 1 in that example, here we would enter 5801.
   • Destination — Type 580, plus the port you specified in the VNC configuration file. Because we used port 1 in that example, here we would enter 5801.
4. Type and enter the following, and then click Add:
   • Source port — Type 590, plus the port you specified in the VNC configuration file. Because we used port 1 in that example, here we would enter 5901.
   • Destination — Type 590, plus the port you specified in the VNC configuration file. Since we used port 1 in that example, here we would enter 5901.
   
5. In the Category section, navigate to Session, and then click Save.

Each time you access the Linux remote desktop, you open the SSH tunnel you configured in Step 3, and then open an Internet browser that has Java applets enabled to log in to VNC.

To Access the Linux Desktop

NOTE: These instructions assume that you have a stored PuTTY session to connect to your Linux dedicated server. If you do not, consult PuTTY help documentation to create a session.

1. Open PuTTY, select the saved session, click Load, and then log in to your server. This opens the SSH Tunnel that you configured in Step 3.
2. Open an Internet browser session, type http://localhost:580n (where n is the port you specified in the VNC configuration file, and then press Enter. The Connection Details window opens.

   TIP: The completed URL looks like this: http://localhost:580n — where n is the port number you configured in Step 3.

3. Click OK. The VNC Authentication window opens.
4. Enter the password you configured in Step 2 for your VNC user name, and then press Enter.
   

This opens a secure connection from your Linux server to your desktop and you should see a screen similar to the one below.

After completing the process, you might want to remove the GNOME desktop environment group and VNC Server package. Both are removed using yum, which is available on your Linux dedicated server.

To Remove GNOME and VNC

1. Log in to your Linux dedicated server as root user via SSH (Secure Shell Protocol).
2. Type the following, and then press Enter. The process takes a few minutes to complete:
   yum groupremove "GNOME Desktop Environment"
3. Type the following, and then press Enter:
   yum remove vnc-server