If you are using Ubuntu 8.04 LTS (Hardy Heron), you will probably need to install another server because of a known bug that stops vino working for most people. Vino is the default VNC server in Ubuntu to share your existing desktop with other users. Note: you must set a password if you want to use the in-built VNC client in Mac OS X.

If nobody else has access to your computer, you might want to skip passwords altogether. Setting a password means that, if anyone did try to connect in that brief interval, they probably wouldn't be able to get in before you noticed and stopped the server.Īlthough passwords add some security, hard-to-guess passwords are as difficult to create as they are to remember. Starting the server in 'once' mode means that people with user accounts on your computer would have to log in to your desktop between the time you start your VNC server and the time you connect from your VNC client. Only allowing local connections means that only people with user accounts on your computer can access your desktop. These three options should give you a secure set-up, so long as they're used with port-forwarding.

Set a password - require people to send a password before they can connect.

Start your VNC server in 'once' mode - tell your VNC server to allow one connection, then block anything after that.

Only allow local connections - only let people connect if they already have access to your computer.

If you want to access your desktop when nobody is sitting at it, these options will be more useful: Requesting access each time will ensure that nobody can connect without you noticing, and view-only access will mean that they can't change anything without asking you to do it for them. Using these two options will give you the most security. As well adding a little security, this avoids problems with both of you fighting over control of the mouse view-only access - allow VNC clients to view the destkop, but not to change anything.Request access each time - pop a window up asking whether to allow each connection as it comes in.If you want to confirm each connection manually, you should look for these options: The safest way to do that is usually to have someone sitting at the desktop deciding who gets to use it, but that's not always practical - for example, if you want to log in to your own computer from somewhere else. The most important thing when setting up a VNC server is to only let the right people access your desktop. This page will discuss each of the VNC servers available in Ubuntu, and ways to configure them for most common uses of VNC. Every VNC server has different strengths and weaknesses and is appropriate for different uses. You will need a VNC server if you want other people to see your desktop. A VNC server is a program that shares a desktop with other computers over the Internet.

Realvnc server ubuntu