XFCE4 in WindowsXP

[ac_dispatcher]

Well at work we have this software for Windows called Exceed basically its a PC Xserver. I can run our HP Unix stuff on windows. Well I wanted to do it at home. Excced is not free - time for google.

 

I found Cywin

 

# Cygwin is a Linux-like environment for Windows. It consists of two parts: A DLL (cygwin1.dll) which acts as a Linux emulation layer providing substantial Linux API functionality.

# A collection of tools, which provide Linux look and feel.

 

The Cygwin DLL works with all non-beta, non "release candidate", ix86 32 bit versions of Windows since Windows 95, with the exception of Windows CE.

What Isn't Cygwin?

# Cygwin is not a way to run native linux apps on Windows. You have to rebuild your application from source if you want to get it running on Windows.

# Cygwin is not a way to magically make native Windows apps aware of UNIX functionality, like signals, ptys, etc. Again, you need to build your apps from source if you want to take advantage of Cygwin functionality.

 

So here is my story on how I got XFce4 to work on my Windows XP via ssh to my Gentoo Laptop. I also have openbox working on Cywin witout ssh'ing

 

 

OK found this web site to help me out:

http://www.cs.wcupa.edu/~rkline/cygwin-install.html

 

To make it work for me I stopped at at step #14 -

 

You can start an emulated X server on your windows box and forward the display to a Linux machine of your choice through secure shell. Here are the steps.

 

  1. Go to the Cygwin/X site: http://xfree86.cygwin.com/.

 

      Note: The site http://www.cygwin.com provides essentially the same services as the Cygwin/X site; the difference between the sites is that the software package defaults are set differently in the installation executable.

  2. Go to the Downloading and Installing section. Select the setup.exe link. Download this cygwin network-installation executable.

  3. Double-click on setup.exe to run it.

  4. Click Next in introductory window.

  5. Take the defaults (i.e., just click Next) in the Choose A Download Source to install from the internet.

  6. Take the defaults in the Select Root Install Directory.

  7. Take the defaults in the Select Local Package Directory.

  8. Take the defaults in the Select Your Internet Connection (unless you know of a better choice).

  9. Pick a site of your choice in Choose a download site.

  10. Select Packages: Keep Clicking the View button until it becomes Full. Add the following packages by clicking on the entry in the New line, changing it from Skip to a software version number. You may add others if you wish. You can always go back and install software later.

 

binutils

clear

gcc

gcc-g++

inetutils

lftp

make

more

nano

ncftp

openbox

openssh

openssl

rsync

sharutils

unzip

vim

X-startup-scripts

wget

zip

 

      Hit Next to do the download/installation. Download time will depend on the network speed. The installation goes pretty fast.

  11. Create Icons: as you wish. You probably want to at least create icon on desktop.

  12. Cygwin installs into the directory c:\cygwin with subdirectories: bin, etc, home, lib, tmp, usr, var and the files cygwin.bat and cygwin.ico. The desktop icon created by installation is just a shortcut to cywgin.bat.

  13.

 

      After installation is complete, run Cygwin from your desktop icon. The first time you do this the skeleton files are copied into your directory.

      You are positioned in your home directory which whose path name is: /home/YOUR_LOGIN but is actually the directory c:\cygwin\home\YOUR_LOGIN.

  14. Edit ~/.bash_profile in your home directory (which is c:\cygwin\home\YOUR_LOGIN\.bash_profile) At the end of the file add the line:

 

export DISPLAY=localhost:0

 

      Exit the shell and restart Cygwin. Test the DISPLAY setting:

 

export | grep DISPLAY

 

OK so far ? Here is where I have to change some other stuff:

 

Find where you installed Cywin. I did it on C:\Cywin

 

You need to edit the file startxwin. Its located in: C:\Cygwin\usr\X11R6\bin\startxwin.bat

 

I had to change some stuff in it to make it work:

 

REM out the xterm line:

REM run xterm -sl 1000 -sb -rightbar -ms red -fg yellow -bg black -e /usr/bin/bash -l

 

Change the run xwin line to:

run xwin -clipboard -silent-dup-error -fullscreen -trayicon -screen 0

 

Change run twm to:

run openbox

 

Save then close.

Double click startwinx.bat and openbox should start up for you. The only way I could exit it was cntrl-Alt-Back

 

Now if that worked try this. Did you see that icon on you desktop? double click it. We need to edit some files now:

 

On your Windows/Cywin box

Edit the system file /etc/ssh_config — the Windows path for this file is c:\cygwin\etc\ssh_config. At the bottom of the file add the line:

 

ForwardX11 yes

ForwardAgent yes

 

--I used nano to do this. If you installed nedit above you can use that too

 

Now go to your Linux box:

edit your /etc/ssh/sshd_config file. Add:

X11Forwarding yes

X11DisplayOffset 10

X11UseLocalhost yes

 

All set? Now on you Linux box:

#/etc/init.d/sshd stop

#etc/init.d/sshd start

 

Now on your Windows box without Cywin running yet double click the Desktop icon.

 

type: startx

then minimized that box a new xterm should open with X

in that new xterm box type:

 

#ssh -X -Y -l (your login) (linux box ip address)

enter password

 

in your ssh type:

$xterm&

 

See if a new xterm opens. Did it?

 

Now this part may differ for each Linux Distro. Here is what I did. I have XFce4 on my Gentoo box. So I typed:

$/etc/X11/Sessions/XFce4

 

and I now have XFCe4 running on Windows :D

 

Accoring to the Cywin website you can get other apps to work via source. Seems like a new toy for now.

 

Notes:

If you did not delete your install files you can add programs aftet the fact. Just start up the install program again and select them.

 

Some other good sites to help

 

Users Guide

http://cygwin.com/cygwin-ug-net/

 

Home Page:

http://www.cygwin.com/

 

 

Two Pics for ya: Openbox running and XFce4 running via ssh

[Darkelve]

Now all you have to do is to get rid of the xp-taskbar and window decorations :D

[ac_dispatcher]

:P :P