VNC Server

RDPClient works if Network level authentication is switched off though the pointer seems not to show.

If I’m only connecting to a Windows PC on my own network then I still think that causes a security issue so not sure I like leaving it that way.

Has anyone tried checking with Andy Sellors if he is still active in the RISC OS community and if RDPClient can be updated. I think source code was available upon request?

I’ve set RealVNC up on the laptop, but launching Avalanche just produces a black window

Doesn’t RealVNC require a license key?

I’ve tried TightVNC and that works Ok here to Windows 10 1909 though I did have change the configuration to get the pointer to show.

I think Adrian Lee’s new VNC application may be on the list of items to purchase once it is avilable and we can resume normal service again.

I tried to ask Andrew a couple of years ago (but got no reply), and someone else had a go at recompiling the source code from the site, but couldn’t get it to build effectively. It kind of worked but only if you could live with an inch wide window! I think he asked a few people for ideas, but the conclusion was there was something very ‘custom’ about it.

This would only have produced a version with sound working properly. It wouldn’t have been an update.

I did mention RDP to Adrian Lees at the SouthWest show and it’s on his list as a potential enhancement to evince, but without guarantee. I believe it’s mentioned on his website.

Update: I installed TightVNC on the Win7 laptop and was prompted by the helpful webpage to set up port forwarding on the BT router which I had not done hitherto. I selected ‘VNC’ for the Pi and ‘Virtual Terminal Server (TELNET)’ for the Windows machine, fired up Avalanche on the Pi and it worked instantly. I also installed DFMirage on the laptop, and that does seem to speed things up helpfully. Thanks to all for the advice.

Version 0.21 now available.

http://www.phlamethrower.co.uk/riscos/vnc_serv.php

• Improved scroll wheel handling; horizontal scrolling is now supported, and scroll events will now prefer to send the events to the OS’s WindowScroll module (only falling back to manual scrolling if WindowScroll isn’t present)
• Improved mouse cursor image handling – in most situations the server should now send a cursor image/shape to the client as soon as the client connects, instead of (e.g.) requiring the user to click on an empty area of the pinboard to trigger a shape change

The scroll handling is improved wimpscroll -Speed now has an effect but I can’t say that I can see any difference in the pointer appearing. I don’t use UltraVNC viewer full screen so that may be a factor. One oddity is first use after starting vncserver on my armx6 the pointer does not appear when I connect but if I click on the background and restart the viewer it does. There’s also a problem with the pointer disappearing sometimes when entering/leaving another windows window but I wouldn’t expect that to change from your description of the changes. It’s a shame I can’t get the viewer to leave the windows pointer on screen and ignore the riscos one.

Thank you: nice enhancements.

Congratulations on VNCserver. It was one of my great frustrations that the Iyonix was the only machine that I couldn’t control remotely. With older versions of VNCserver, it fell over almost immediately even using 256 colours instead of 16M.

However when I got the ARMx6 minim, VNC server 0.19 on onwards worked like a treat, from RealVNC on Windows and Remmina on Linux.

I’ve just tried 0.21 on the Iyonix and that seems to be rock stable too (although very much slower, as expected). It might have made a difference that I’ve recently upgraded to RISC OS 5.24 on the Iyonix, but I will still like to give credit to VNCserver.

One oddity is first use after starting vncserver on my armx6 the pointer does not appear when I connect but if I click on the background and restart the viewer it does.

After starting the server the pointer needs to change shape once in order for the server to capture the shape data – but after that it should be fine, no matter how many times you reconnect. So if you’re starting it manually, just remember to click on the desktop or in a filer window or something. If it’s in your boot sequence then I suspect it’ll be fine (hourglass, mode changes, etc.)

I suppose I could add a fudge to work around it – have the server start the hourglass when it starts, then cancel it a second later. Although really the VNC client should be able to cope with the lack of cursor image! (RealVNC just shows a dot if it hasn’t received the shape data yet)

I’ve just tried 0.21 on the Iyonix and that seems to be rock stable too (although very much slower, as expected). It might have made a difference that I’ve recently upgraded to RISC OS 5.24 on the Iyonix, but I will still like to give credit to VNCserver.

The older versions definitely had much worse performance.

Version 0.22 now available.

http://www.phlamethrower.co.uk/riscos/vnc_serv.php

• Removed the configuration *Commands and moved everything over to a TOML-based configuration file
• Added support for configuring the server/session name
• Added support for having multiple clients connected at once (and ‘allow_exclusive’, ‘multiple_connections’, ‘broadcast_clipboard’ config settings)
• Added support for listening on multiple ports (each with their own configuration)

Let me know if you run into any problems – there were a number of bits that needed tweaking to get multiple connections working properly. (And apologies to anyone who’s using Steve Potts’ frontend app, since that’ll almost certainly be broken by the switch over to a config file)

Great work, Jeffrey. The multiple connections works well. Just one thing though, moving the mouse on one connection, it is mirrored on the original screen, but not on the second VNC connection. There the pointer remains static in the last place it was put. Not a big deal functionality, but looks a bit odd.

moved everything over to a TOML-based configuration file

Isn’t that basically the format used by Confix?

Is there a way of defaulting to info at the end of the module -if the config file was not there?

Perhaps if the module is loaded into Zap – text info at the end of module could be changed.

If the Iyonix graphics card wasn’t working – would the module still work?

Anyway – of the RO devices being able to output a text mode through the Serial port?

Version 0.22 now available.

Excellent. I like the config file. It saves me editing the module to get the server name to appear in the Avalanche window title.

Also, prior to 0.22, I was sometimes seeing a 256 greys window in Avalance. I have not seen that with 0.22

Just one thing though, moving the mouse on one connection, it is mirrored on the original screen, but not on the second VNC connection. There the pointer remains static in the last place it was put. Not a big deal functionality, but looks a bit odd.

That’s a limitation of the VNC protocol – the server can’t tell the client to move its mouse pointer.

It might be a bit of an awkward change to make, but I could have it send the pointer image as part of the main screen image.

Isn’t that basically the format used by Confix?

No; it looks like there’s a number of differences. I wonder how tricky it would be to update Confix to allow TOML to be used.

Is there a way of defaulting to info at the end of the module -if the config file was not there?

No.

If the Iyonix graphics card wasn’t working – would the module still work?

I don’t think so. The OS would need some changes to make sure it can still provide a basic framebuffer if there isn’t a proper video driver active.

Also, prior to 0.22, I was sometimes seeing a 256 greys window in Avalance. I have not seen that with 0.22

Interesting – I’ve never encountered that myself, and I don’t think I’ve done anything which could have fixed a bug like that.

Nota: when I copy from some applications (Messenger), Windows does not see the data in its clipboard.

The copy and paste is magical, it really helps making it easy to work with RISC OS and Linux at the same time.

Also, prior to 0.22, I was sometimes seeing a 256 greys window in Avalance. I have not seen that with 0.22

I spoke too soon. But, I have no idea if this is a server isuue or an Avalanche issue. All I do know is the window is then unusable as well as all grey.

But closing and re-opening the session almost always is OK second time around.