# I can't get FreeNX to authenticate (solved/x2go did better)

## i92guboj

Hi.

I wanted to give FreeNX a try. I've never used it before so assume I know nothing about it. I have a long experience with ssh though, so that shouldn't be a problem, unless there's something specific that ssh needs for nx that I am not aware of.

The server has ssh up and running, on Gentoo, of course. The only unusual thing that I can remember of in it is the port number, which I change every now and then for security reasons. 

The client is the nomachine nx client for windows, version 3.5.0-7. I set a session to connect to my server, which I'll call jesgue.x.org, and it seems to find it, and it gets to the step where it tries to authenticate (so I guess it connects to the ssh server without problems, and ssh is working anyway). It fails to authenticate though, and I have some doubts.

I know that during the install phase, nx creates a 'nx' user. But I am not understanding exactly what this user is for.

When I log using the client (if I could log in at all, that is), do I log in using my regular (i92guboj) id? Or should I use the 'nx' id instead? Should I set up a password for the 'nx' user so I can fill in the password field in the client? or is the 'nx' user for nxserver's internal purposes only? I'd rather use keypair authentication, if possible at all, but all the manuals I find do point me to stuff that seems to be deprecated, or do not match the Gentoo way.

Gentoo installs the keys at /etc/nxserver/, whereas every other doc in the net reffers to stuff under /var/lib/nxserver, that doesn't exist here. Do I have to copy stuff by hand? I've already tried a few things but nothing seems to work. I am sure the solution is right there but I've already lost several hours to this (not to count that I've already tried in other ocassions and it didn't ever work).

The wiki docs for Gentoo seem to no longer apply, because they are talking about stuff that's no longer there, and the nxsetup tool doesn't really do the job, not even with the default key. 

What's worse, I've even tried permitting password logins with ssh, and it didn't work. 

As said, ssh works, as it always did. So, in principle, the problem should be in the nx configuration, either the server or the client.

Thanks for any pointer  :Smile: Last edited by i92guboj on Wed Mar 21, 2012 9:48 am; edited 1 time in total

----------

## i92guboj

Right. 

After all this wasted time I must conclude that freenx is needlessly complex to get running. In less than 10 minutes I've gotten to work x2go (including the time needed to emerge and set it up remotelly and the time you need to install the windows client and configure it). I didn't even need to set the key stuff, since it's reading it from my pageant ssh agent which I had already set up for putty.

Just in case anyone is interested.

In any case, if someone wants to comment about the original problem I am all ears, though I no longer need freenx.

----------

## baaann

IIRC it is the nxsetup script that causes the problems, however it was a long time ago that I did an install, but I remember extensive googling to find the solution. I am currently still using it, but noticed that Voyageur had managed to update the x2go ebuilds and intend to give them a try, especially as FreeNX no longer appears to be actively worked on. Have you tried the file and print sharing, I never managed to get it working with the later iterations of FreeNX?

----------

## i92guboj

 *baaann wrote:*   

> IIRC it is the nxsetup script that causes the problems, however it was a long time ago that I did an install, but I remember extensive googling to find the solution. I am currently still using it, but noticed that Voyageur had managed to update the x2go ebuilds and intend to give them a try, especially as FreeNX no longer appears to be actively worked on. Have you tried the file and print sharing, I never managed to get it working with the later iterations of FreeNX?

 

I didn't test that x2go functionalities since I've configured my remote laserjet printer so I can reach it via the internet, directly. Locally, it's attached via the network interface to my home router, the rest is just redirecting ports and installing the right drivers in the client machine(s). About files, well, I can already reach all my files using winscp via ssh, or filezilla. I also have a dropbox account because some people that I regularly share documents with use that. I¡ve been thinking lately on putting together the pieces for a home server and try owncloud in that, but first I need to get the time to do that hehe.

----------

## baaann

With my current setup I have also shared files and printers, mainly using openvpn to tunnel connections, but I have 4 other users(non-technical) and the locations are not always static. Having briefly experienced(via a distant FreeNX) the convenience and simplicity of the client automatically making the local printers available(along with the local shares), it is something that I look forward to working out of the box again. Owncloud is certainly interesting, but as with you there is never enough time!   :Crying or Very sad: 

----------

## BillWho

i92guboj,

I tried configuring FreeNX last week. My experience was exactly like yours and after almost an entire day I finally gave up and tossed the towel into the ring. 

The computers I was working on dual boot Arch and Gentoo so I decided to give it a try in Arch. I followed the Arch Wiki setup and I had FreeNX up and running within 15 minutes.

When I saw your post here I was hoping that it would shed some light on the installation and setup. I was a little disappointed that there was no resolution, but relieved that I wasn't the only one that couldn't get this thing going.

Thanks    :Cool: 

----------

## i92guboj

 *BillWho wrote:*   

> i92guboj,
> 
> I tried configuring FreeNX last week. My experience was exactly like yours and after almost an entire day I finally gave up and tossed the towel into the ring. 
> 
> The computers I was working on dual boot Arch and Gentoo so I decided to give it a try in Arch. I followed the Arch Wiki setup and I had FreeNX up and running within 15 minutes.
> ...

 

I am sure the problem is with permissions, ownerships and keys, but I really don't care about this thing enough to waste single extra second trying to get it running. It's a pity though that such a stupid thing can render a package like this useless. But I guess, if someone has enough interest s/he will report the bug and get this fixed. If not, well, then, as they say: "alea iacta est".

----------

## Santiago_de_Mayo

I think the problem is bad information on the old Gentoo Wiki.  You don't have to modify anything in node.conf.

Out of the box here's what you have to do as of April 2012

1) Install nxserver-freenx nxclient nx with USE=nx nxclient <- not sure nxclient is necessary, but whatever.

2) run nxsetup without any configuration options <- this is the step that has people screwed up

3) start nxserver (/etc/init.d/nxserver start)

Start your nxclient on your client machine pointing at the proper host and port.

----------

## solamour

I also spent quite a long time fiddling with FreeNX with no luck, but X2go worked pretty much out of the box. But I'm still not fully convinced whether NX is better than, say, a simple VNC. Or just SSH tunnel for that matter. Perhaps NX does make sense for the people who have to rely on graphical desktops, but I don't think I'm one of them. If the network is slow to start with, perhaps SSH, X forwarding, console programs, etc, would be a better choice.

__

sol

----------

## majoron

Actually I'm having troubles to get x2go working on the server side: the connection gets established but it is inmediately closed (tried from Gentoo and Ubuntu clients).

But at least, although I don't really like this nomachine thing, thanks to Santiago_de_Mayo

 *Santiago_de_Mayo wrote:*   

> I think the problem is bad information on the old Gentoo Wiki.  You don't have to modify anything in node.conf.
> 
> Out of the box here's what you have to do as of April 2012
> 
> 1) Install nxserver-freenx nxclient nx with USE=nx nxclient <- not sure nxclient is necessary, but whatever.
> ...

 

I can access the server with a remote desktop.

Best

----------

## majoron

 *solamour wrote:*   

> I also spent quite a long time fiddling with FreeNX with no luck, but X2go worked pretty much out of the box. But I'm still not fully convinced whether NX is better than, say, a simple VNC. Or just SSH tunnel for that matter. Perhaps NX does make sense for the people who have to rely on graphical desktops, but I don't think I'm one of them. If the network is slow to start with, perhaps SSH, X forwarding, console programs, etc, would be a better choice.
> 
> __
> 
> sol

 

I have been looking at these technologies recently but I'm also confused about what's better when. I guess in many cases the reliability and compression algorithm can make the difference. Also the ease of usage.

What I'm mostly sure of is that X forwarding is not always the answer. In my case we need use two X servers: one for heavy 3D OpenGL operations and the other for displaying 2D rendered images. AFAIK that cannot simply be done with plain X forwarding.

Best

----------

## majoron

 *i92guboj wrote:*   

>  *BillWho wrote:*   i92guboj,
> 
> I tried configuring FreeNX last week. My experience was exactly like yours and after almost an entire day I finally gave up and tossed the towel into the ring. 
> 
> The computers I was working on dual boot Arch and Gentoo so I decided to give it a try in Arch. I followed the Arch Wiki setup and I had FreeNX up and running within 15 minutes.
> ...

 

It could be that the problem is related to permissions, etc. But what I noticed is that using the client provided by portage (3.5.x) I could not connect to a server running a different version (4.x), which is not a complete surprise. BUT running the same version on both the client and server (both ends running Gentoo), following what Santiago_de_Mayo wrote, it works relatively well (not as smooth as I expected, though).

Now, if you are happy with x2go, I'll not try to convince you to start using nx, though. Unfortunately I couldn't make it for x2go and have to stick, for now, to nx.

Saludos desde Frankfurt

----------

