How to Run JDS/Gnome on VNC Server for OpenSolaris

This note explains how to run the Gnome-based Java Desktop System (JDS) in a VNC server in distributions based on OpenSolaris. It is not about using VNC with the Xen-based XVM hypervisor that is also part of recent OpenSolaris builds. Why would you want to run a VNC server?

• I run SXDE in a VMware Fusion VM on my Mac. The VMware tools have a bug that breaks cut and paste on the virtual graphical console. I use Chicken of the VNC which allows me to cut and paste text between Mac and JDS.
• If you run VNC on a remote host running OpenSolaris, you can disconnect and reconnect and still keep your session without logging out.

Starting with OpenSolaris Nevada build 76, a VNC server comes pre-installed with the OS. SXDE 1/08 which is based on at later version also includes VNC. Here is one way to get a VNC server running.

• Create ~/.vnc/xstartup containing:

#!/bin/sh

[ -r $HOME/.Xresources ] && xrdb $HOME/.Xresources
# vncconfig is for cut and paste
vncconfig -iconic &
gnome-session&

-- EdwinGoei - 14 Mar 2008