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I have a Slackware Linux server that doesn't have a monitor. It doesn't run any GUIs.

Is there a way to remotely access the screen? I always use SSH, but there are times where the SSH services fails and I can't do anything (nor even tell what the problem is).

I use Teamviewer from my Windows computer to other PCs, but is there anything I can use to remotely view this from a Windows machine?

I also want to see what it's doing at boot, before the SSH service starts.

Zeno
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4 Answers4

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If iLO/DRAC is present, use them. IF not, you can equip your host by so called IP-KVM. If your host is virtual, probably you can access it via some kind of VNC.

Kondybas
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Look into NoMachine NX Free Edition. It will provide an optimized remote session over SSH and has clients for Macintosh, Windows and Linux.

http://www.nomachine.com/download.php

ewwhite
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    This wont help if ssh dies. NoMachine uses ssh. – phemmer Mar 31 '12 at 22:50
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    Then you need some form of out-of-band management. http://serverfault.com/questions/235976/ilo-and-drac-equivalents - If the SSH daemon is failing, there are other configuration issues with this setup that need to be addressed. – ewwhite Mar 31 '12 at 23:15
  • I have to question the barrage of upvotes on this. Question says: **It doesn't run any GUIs** – Jeff Ferland Apr 01 '12 at 04:18
  • NX doesn't require that you run a GUI on the server. You can have the X libraries present and get multiple full GUI sessions remotely even if you're in runlevel 3 on the actual target computer. Also, the OP changed the question and requirements following my answer. This is really a question about out-of-band management. – ewwhite Apr 01 '12 at 04:37
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With any server, if the service fails you lose access. If SSH is failing, I'd be concerned about configuration mistakes or hardware issues. Adding another service isn't a solution for this problem.

If your server is real hardware, consider setting up an external serial console and using that as the kernel's console interface. If its a VM, the hypervisor's console feature.

Jeff Ferland
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  • I should have been more clear. I also want to see what it's doing during boot, before the SSH service starts. – Zeno Mar 31 '12 at 23:09
  • External consoles will provide that. Otherwise, use dmesg. – Jeff Ferland Mar 31 '12 at 23:22
  • What do you mean by "external consoles"? dmesg won't work, because the machine isn't even fully booted yet. – Zeno Mar 31 '12 at 23:28
  • @Zero, if you have virtual machine, the **console feature of the hypervisor**. If you don't, a **KVM over IP** or **serial console server**. – Jeff Ferland Apr 01 '12 at 02:36
  • How do I KVM over IP? – Zeno Apr 01 '12 at 02:49
  • @Zeno: in this context, KVM means 'Keyboard, Video, Mouse'. there are KVM switches that let you use a single console set for several boxes (handy in a server room), KVM extenders that let you access a box that is several meters away (instead of under your desk), and KVMoIP that do the same over the internet. If your server is hardware (not virtual) and you're not in the same building, you'll need one of these. Some mainboard include some feature like HP's ILO or Inte's IPMI, to remotely handle hardware issues. sometimes it includes KVMoIP – Javier Apr 01 '12 at 03:07
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If you just need to view the console messages, you can use netconsole to send them to a syslog server running on your windows box.

sciurus
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