Remote Desktop to Linux from Windows

So here is a problem I was having I needed to access my Linux (Backtrack 5r2) Lab environment remotely over the internet but securely and  wanted to do so via windows 7 in this case. Now windows to windows is very easy look at Gtalk http://www.google.com/talk/ and combine it with GBridge http://www.gbridge.com/ both are free you simply install GTalk and then GBridge or two or more computers and use the same Google account for each computer. Then through GBridge you can create secure remote desktops to your systems for free. If I get some requests I can post a tutorial on how to but for now lets get back to the problem at hand. You see GTalk and GBridge DO NOT work on Linux :(  


I know depressing.....well fear not there is a "cheap" solution. You can use a program called Real VNC http://www.realvnc.com/index.html now let me say right off that if you want the encryption and faster connection speeds you will need to be a yearly $30.00 per computer licence. Annoying yes but not horrible and the connections are not bad (not as fast as GBridge) but still acceptable.

Now I encountered a few minor issues which I overcame and even thought Real VNC does a good job at illustrating  how to's I thought I would do this version which is a bit more detailed. Now please note your installation WILL vary depending on your router/firewall however the concepts and principles will be the same, so lets get started.

These are your options from the site. I recommend you start with the free version to get your configurations correct. Then once you have successful internet connections then you can change licenses to the Personal or if you want the Enterprise. Personally I found the personal version to be sufficient for my needs.

Now there are two (2) pieces: viewer and server. The viewer is like it sounds it is used to connect tot he server piece. So in thus case the Linux box you want to connect to is the server and the computer you want to connect from is the viewer. The viewer controls the server. So you only need a license for each SERVER you install. Thus when you get your license key, you will enter it into the server piece.

Here are the windows options for download.....


To be continued.....