X-Win 32

X-Win 32

Version	6.1
Download	OIT
Manufacturer	StarNet

Introduction

X-Win 32 is a program that will allow you to receive and display X-Windows information from other computers. It is especially useful for doing work from your dorm room (or Krzyzewskiville) when the program you need to run lives on OIT's cluster system.

Requirements

You must be using a Windows-based PC and need to be on the Duke network. You will also need some form of terminal program (for example, SSH Secure Shell or FSecure).

Configuration and Use

You should download the program from the OIT site and install. You will need to enter the most current password, which is included in the download. Then:

1. Start X-Win 32
2. Right-click on the blue X to get to X-Config
3. Go to the "Security" tab and click "Add" to add several host names in the form listed below (e.g. teer12.oit.duke.edu). Current valid numbers for machines include:
   1. Carr: carr##.oit.duke.edu (## = 1 to 16)
   2. Hudson: hudson##.oit.duke.edu (## = 1 to 21)
   3. Soc-Psych: soc##.oit.duke.edu (## = 1 to 16)
   4. Teer: teer##.oit.duke.edu (## = 1 to 45)
4. When finished, click "Apply" and "OK" to get out of xconfig

As mentioned, you may want to add several different host in case many people are using the computer you like the most or that particular is down.

Once X-Win 32 is running, you should see a blue "X" in the lower right corner of the PC's window.

Configuration and Use II

If you are not on the Duke network, or are beholden to historical methods of doing things, there is a second way to configure and use X-Win32. Note that this method does work off the Duke Network. Shhhhhhhh.

1. Open X-Win32.
2. Right click once on the X-Win32 icon in the task bar and click X-Config in the pop-up window.
3. Click on the Security Tab. To add machines, click Add and type in the name of the machine (for example, teer22.oit.duke.edu or hudson11.oit.duke.edu). Then click Apply and then OK. Right click on the X in the taskbar and click Reset. You will only need to add a machine once, so you might as well add several Teer and Hudson machines.
4. Open a terminal window using SSH Secure Shell or FSecure. For the host, choose one of the machines you added to the security list in the step above.
5. In the terminal window, type setenv DISPLAY $REMOTEHOST\:0.0 - this should tell the oit computer you are on to send information to your computer. NOTE this step will not work correctly if you are using a router. See the next section for information on that!
6. See if things are working by typing gimp (gimp is an image package that starts up quickly - if it pops up, you can close it easily)
7. If all this works, steps 4 and 5 should work from here on out for that computer.

X-Win 32 with Routers

If you are using a router, your computer is likely receiving an address from that router, then the REMOTEHOST above will actually be the router and not your computer. And unless your router has a screen (and, really, even then), sending graphics to your router will not help. So you need to tell your router to forward all the graphical information to your particular address. Which means the following:

1. Figure out your local machine's address and the router address. The easiest way to do this is:
   1. Go to Start->Run
   2. Type cmd in the Run window
   3. Type ipconfig in the command window
   4. The IP Address is your local machine's address
   5. The Default Gateway is your router's address as seen from your computer
2. Figure out the administrative login and password for your router. The address will generally be something like 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1. The username and password depends on the manufacturer. It's usually something cute like nothing for the login name and admin for the password. Unless you changed it - then you are on your own.
3. Figure out how to forward the contents of port 6000 to your local machine address as seen from your router (probably the 192.168.something.something that showed up as the IP Address above).
4. Follow the steps in Configuration and Use II above.

Note that some routers will release their addresses, especially if the power goes out or you reset the router. Your computer may not always get the same address from the router, so if you had X-Win 32 working once and now it doesn't, do the Start->Run->cmd->ipconfig trick and make sure you are forwarding port 6000 to the correct machine.

Macintosh Users

X-Win 32 does not work on Macs - use the built in X11R6 terminal instead.