Comments on How To Install VNC Server On Ubuntu 14.04

This "tutorial" was clearly written by a linux nerd who has never had to deal with another human being in his life. While it does a good job of explaining absolutely nothing, it misses out on crucial details, like how to actually enter data into vi. Note: vi was not written by a human being. Therefore, human beings are incapable of understanding its utterly byzantine interface and backwards approach to data entry.

Next time you have the urge to write more tutorials, please kill yourself instead.

The tutorial was written assuming you have Linux running on a machine that doesn't have a GUI.  If you're already using a headless Linux box via ssh, it's not unreasonable to assume that the reader knows how to use vi.

 Having said that, I'm not going to disagree that if you don't know anything about vi and you launch it, you're now in a world of pain. 

I've just followed the tutorial to set up a VNC server, and I'm glad the author will live to write other helpful guides

I was surprised to see vi being used for editing.  The occasional script editor like myself is better served by nano, because the vital keystroke commands are always displayed on screen.

I am commenting merely to say, you, sir (Not a loser lin...) need to go dance through a field of flowers and enjoy life. As others said, clearly, if you have a headless *nix install, you know what to do, or at least how to recognize an editor command and know how to use it, or an alternate (nano), like I did.

 As far as the guide, it was perfect, exactly what I needed. A few simple commands just to get VNC installed, and a great refresher guide for those, like me, who dont always work with Linux so tend to forget the simple stuffs.

I have to agree, I hate vi more than anything, I can't understand why we are here in 2015, and old dogs are still up to their old tricks. Learn some new tricks!

I haven't used vi for years, and avoid it like the plague.

When following these, simply replace "vi" with "nano" and you will be much happier.

I suggest to these authors to do the same, and it will improve their user feedback, and limit frustration. It sucks if you take the time to help people, then lose all of your effort because of an antiquated and frustrating line editor.

No one is born knowing this kind of stuff.  Vi, like many other unix technologies has to be learned.  I had a similar reaction many years ago with my first introduction to vi but like everything else I don't know, I studied it and learned it.  As the saying goes, better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.

Wonderful in explaining all the steps. It was easy to follow and I am going to try.

...

...

...  

Wow... Speechless. Im absolutely speechless.

 ** starting up windows 7 ** 

This  /.vnc/xstartup configuration worked for me:

Nathan

I'm setting up Ubuntu Studio to run as a headless software synthesizer. This helped a lot. Thanks very much!

Hello, Thank you so much for this great post. 

I do follow all your steps, but I can not access to my Ubuntu (EC2 Amazon) via VNC viewer. I use Mac OS (10.9.5) + RealVNC (version 5.2.2) and I have already created a security group on Instance EC2 in order to enable port 5901.

I got error every time I try to connect to my Ubuntu.

If I input DNS public like ec2-aa-bbb-ccc-ddd.ap-southeast-1.compute.amazonaws.com into VNC viewer, then I always got error as "The connection was refused by the host computer".

If I input Private IPs:port like aa.bb.cc.dd:5901, then I get error as "Timed out waiting for a response from the host computer". 

The VNCServer has installed successfully as I get some message as below:

--command:

myuser@myserver:~$ service vncserver start

-- result:

Starting VNC server: 1:myuser Password: 

A VNC server is already running as :1

-- command: myuser@myserver:~$ service vncserver stop

Shutting down VNCServer: 1:myuser.

//// Could you please give me an advise? I spend a lot of time to read a lot of tutorial, but I still can not access to Ubuntu via VNC. 

Best and Regards, 

DUC 

hi,

why if I add a second user following the instructions in this guide TightVNC and VNCviewer give me this error: Error in TightVNC Viewer: Unable to establish connection . Persistent refusal of the target computer. ?????

This error is given to me also in the first user, that work correctly before I've put the second user!!!!

If I delete the second user, the first user return to work correctly!!!

any advice???

thanks!

ubuntino88

The server won't start when attempting to use sudo service vncserver start.

The error I get is the following: /etc/init.d/vncserver: 2: /etc/vncserver/vncservers.conf: VNCSERVERARGS[1]=-geometry 1024x768: not found

I tried to put 800x600 and get the same error (with different geometry).

My google-fu fails me on this one, anyone have any ideas?

did you put -geometry 1024x768 in quotes? like so:

VNCSERVERARGS[1]="-geometry 1024x768"

? that could be a problem if you didn't...

Oh, vnc4server, tightvncserver it's old development and not actual. Good practice is TigerVNC (http://tigervnc.org/)

Interesting and funny but useless comment... :-)

The set of instructions provided by the autor are 100% correct, the use of one or another editor is an unimportant subject, it doesn't actually matter what editor you use, instead of VI, I used one of my choice to get the same things done. and everything works as explained.

Now, if happens to you (as happened to me), that vncserver was not what I was actually looking for, here are the set of instructions to undo everything:

vncserver -kill :#           (where # is the current vncserver running)

rm ~/.vnc/xstartup

rm /etc/vncserver/vncservers.conf

rm /etc/init.d/vncserver

update-rc.d -f vncserver remove

apt-get remove --purge vnc4server

apt-get autoremove                                    (just in case)

mv ~/.vnc/xstartup.bak ~/.vnc/xstartup

Still gnome-core, xfce4 and firefox installed initially will remain, it is up to you if you want to remove them as well, those won't harm anyway.

Is not my intention to explain the above commands, just list the set of steps required to undo the install procedure proposed here.

It is supposed that users come here knowing a little bit of Linux

What ARE all those packages installed by the first command. Once I saw everything the first command planned to install, I backed out. The second command worked fine, and the server seems to be installed correctly (though not tested).

So is all that core\xfce4\firefox stuff neccessary?

Have you tried using your VNCclient to login to your VNCserver at port :1? That's what i needed to do.

So, at VNCclient prompt: xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:#

where xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx is your server's ip (on ec2, this will be your public ip or instead just your public dns hostname), and # is your vncServer session you want to connect to - in this tutorial they set up 1:youruser, and so you would want # to be 1 for that user. Hope that helps...

Much appreciated. Your startup script works! I needed that.

THis works splendidly, however, i cannot logout from the session?The GUI just hangs.

Even though some people disliked, I just have to congrat the writer of this tutorial because, after 48 hours of desesperated searching and failed tries, I finally understood and finnished in the first time this installation totally usable. Thanks a lot Mister, and to be more precise, I've only been using Linux for one mounth.

This is a excellant how to instructions.. I am only haveing one issue. The VNC does not start when the system is rebooted. anyway to correct that?

Hi,

I followed these steps, But for me, getting a gray screen only. How can fix this ?

Getting these errors:insserv: warning: script 'K01vncserver' missing LSB tags and overridesinsserv: warning: script 'vncserver' missing LSB tags and overrides

Thats ok, it just means that the start script has no LSB tags. You can ignore that warning.

If you do not know how to use linux, then don't read a guide on how to install "VNC Server On Ubuntu 14.04". vi saves you so much time when dealing with Linux on a day to day basis, something which you clearly don't do. Go back to your OS for people that don't know how a computer really works. You're just interested in the sausage, not how it's made. Oh looks, it's a pretty desktop shortcut - when you click on it, nice things happen...

This was the first time I setup vnc successfully.  Your tutorial worked very well and I had no trouble with it at all.  I use vim instead of vi but effectively it is a good tutorial.  I really appreciate your work.

Thanx a lot, its not easy to find a simple tutorial that does work on linux for alsmot anything.

keep on with the good work

Very useful tutorial - thanks.

I agree with 'Linux, not windows' if you don't know how to use linux - then don't read it, and if you don't like vi - use something else!

Did not work for me at all. I went through this tutorial twice on brand new VMs. The first time, nothing worked at all. The second time it kinda works if I startup the vncserver myself, but if I do it under the second account you had me create then all I got was a gray screen. If I ignored the user you had me create, still not sure why you did that, and startup VNC as the user I originally logged in as. Then I get a UI in VNC but there is nothing there. Nothing shows. I get a mouse and a console window that is blank. The server is pretty much unusable in its current state. I don't think this is a very good tutorial and it seems strange to me to have to go through this much pain simply to install VNC. A whole day wasted. Pretty silly.

Not sure what you did wrong. I just tested the guide and it works out of the box on Ubuntu 14.04, everything shows up on the desktop and mouse and keyboard are working.

Good tutorial! Many thanks for your fine work here.

Thank you 1 million times, bless u :D

It works! Problem solved, it's so easy, thanks thanks thanks :D :D :D

My tightvnc seems to only be listening to port 5901 from localhost, how can I get to to listen to connections from other hosts on the local network to avoid requiring an SSH tunnel?

Wow! It worked as a charm. Many Thanks!!!!

hi..i installed vnc as guided by your tutorial..but when i try to restart..ubuntu is unable to reboot..any suggestions?

Awesome tutorial. Be sure that you helped many many people!

Thanks a lot. It was so much helpful.

You know instead of editing the config files a person could just set up the vnc service via remote ssh command and remote in.  I think it was designed that way on purpose because a VNC server is really insecure.  It has a static type of account that is not linked up to the linux account.