[FreeNX-kNX] Frontend for Terminal Services

[Doug Burks]

On Mon, 27 Sep 2004 15:57:39 +0200, Luca Corti <cortez at tiscali.it> wrote:
> This is not completely clear to me. How the nx server knows about the
> rdp one?

The NX server doesn't know anything about the RDP server.  It just has
nxdesktop, which can connect to any available RDP server requested by
the NX client.

> I've got nxdesktop correctly installed on the nx server.

Good.

> I'm using the nomachine client for windows.

OK.

> > -Start the NX Connection Wizard.
> > -NX Connection Wizard Welcome screen appears.  Click Next.
> > -Session screen appears.  Enter the requested data and click Next.

I should have added more detail here.  On the Session screen:
Session is the name that you want to call the session.
Host is the hostname or IP address of the *NX Server*.
Port is the SSH port of the *NX Server*.  This should normally be 22.

> > -Desktop screen appears.  Click the first drop-down box and select
> > Windows.
> > -Settings window appears.  Type the hostname of the Windows Terminal
> > Server.  (The FreeNX server has to be able to resolve this hostname.) To
> > keep this first test as simple as possible, leave the rest of the
> > options at their default ("Show the Windows login screen" and "Run
> > desktop") and click OK.
> 
> Ok, I've configured this, but how can the client know that I want to
> pass through my nx server instead of directly connecting to the windows
> server? Also, on which port should I connect? SSH (22) or TS (3389) ?

The NX client is unable to directly connect to the Windows Terminal
Server, as it doesn't know how to speak RDP.  It MUST connect to the
NX server (which we configured on the Session screen), which uses
nxdesktop to speak RDP to the Windows Terminal Server as requested by
the client.  On the "Windows - Settings" window, it is not necessary
to include a port number; nxdesktop assumes port 3389.  The only port
number to enter into the client is the SSH port of the NX server,
which is entered on the Session screen.

> I can't connect to the server. I get "NX server has refused the
> connection" the and in the details window:
> 
> NX> 203 NXSSH running with pid: 1640
> nxssh: connect to address ip.address.ofmy.termsrv port 22: connection
> refused

It appears that you entered ip.address.ofmy.termsrv on the Session
screen.  Thus, the NX client is trying to connect directly to your
Windows Terminal Server, which does not have SSH (or NX) running.  On
the Session screen, make sure that you enter the hostname or IP
address of the NX server instead.
 
> Why the ssh port on the windows host should be open?

The SSH port doesn't have to be open on the Windows Terminal Server;
only on the NX server.

> If I change the target port to 3389 I get "Connection error":

Port should be the SSH port of the FreeNX server (normally 22).

> NX> 203 NXSSH running with pid: 3608
> NX> 200 Connected to address: ip.address.ofmy.termsrv port 3389
> 
> I fear I miss something. I thought the setup was something like:
> 
> client (nomachine client) -> frontend (freenx) -> backend (termsrv)

Yes, that diagram is exactly right.

> with the client knowing nothing about the backend windows host.

The client MUST know about the backend windows host because it has to
tell the NX server what Windows host it should connect its nxdesktop
to.

> thanks
> 
> Luca

Another way of going about this is to create a normal NX session and
then reconfigure it for Windows Terminal Services:
-Create a Gnome or KDE session to the NX server itself.
-Test to make sure that you're able to connect to the NX server and
get a GNOME or KDE session.
-Logout of the NX session.
-At the NX Login window, click Configure.
-Under Desktop, click the drop-down box and change from Unix to Windows.
-Click the Settings button.
-"Windows - Settings" appears.  Enter the hostname or IP address of
the Windows Terminal Server and click OK.
-Back at the main configuration window, click Save, and then click OK.
-Back at the NX Login window, click the Login button and see if you
get connected to your Windows Terminal Server.

Hope that helps,
Doug