My company is using DigitalOcean as our provider for servers and I was wondering if there is a way to access our servers through a graphical user interface versus using the standard terminal SSH access or using Forklift, Filezilla, etc. In other words is there a way to access the server like a virtual machine?
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I don't know if something like this would help: https://www.tecmint.com/best-remote-linux-desktop-sharing-software/ – C. Rutscher May 26 '19 at 23:13
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1This is not a good idea for a variety of reasons such as the added costs, security issues, and overall inefficiency of using a GUI for management, but you can certainly do it. – Michael Hampton May 26 '19 at 23:48
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How would it be done? – C. Rutscher May 27 '19 at 00:50
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1Using the console? But seriously don't. – Michael Hampton May 27 '19 at 00:50
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How would you recommend accessing the server then? When I use Forklife/Iterm2 it doesn't work as well as a simple GUI interface. How would this be a security concern? – C. Rutscher May 27 '19 at 00:53
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1If you have a problem with ssh, you should fix the problem. The security issues of running a GUI on a server are well known, and you can find those on Internet. – Michael Hampton May 27 '19 at 00:55
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I have no issues with running ssh, but the interface isn't as friendly as running it in a virtual environment. – C. Rutscher May 27 '19 at 00:56
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Also, is there a way to gain this type of administrative access to my phone in a similar way that I can ssh into a server? – C. Rutscher May 27 '19 at 00:59
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You can always install the needed libraries and binaries to run either specific graphical applications or a full desktop environment.
Then simply start an X server on your local machine, SSH in with either the -X or -Y options (to tunnel X back over the SSH connection) and launch an application.
ssh -Y user@remote gedit
X Server - "native" on Linux and BSD. Available "native" via App Store on OS X. Quite a few to choose from for Win32/64 including free options, Free options, and commercial offerings.
You can also forward individual ports or ranges of ports between local and remote (and beyond remote too!). For example, my mail server uses postfix and dovecot with a mysql back end. To really use the mysql instance, I can ssh to the server, forward a local-to-me port to a port on the remote box (or any other box the remote can "see" via network routing), and connect MySQL Workbench to localhost:3377.
ssh -L3377:localhost:3306 user@remotebox
Traffic goes from my localhost port 3377 over the SSH connection to what the remote sees as localhost port 3306, where the MySQL server is listening. (Yes, Putty supports this if you are stuck on windows)
Now TBH... I use port forwarding all the time. Almost required for services that are locked down to listening only on 127.0.0.1. But quick and easy and doable.
But I've only used remote X for novelty purposes.
ivanivan
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I am confused. I am running MacOS. So is there an application that I can download to connect to my server through a desktop environment? The server is an Ubuntu machine that I am renting through DigitalOcean. Also is there a way to get this type of interface to a cell phone as well? – C. Rutscher May 27 '19 at 03:24
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@C.Rutscher - look in the app store for "X11 server" - on older releases that came on CD/DVD it was on the developers stuff disc – ivanivan May 27 '19 at 14:56
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@C.Rutscher - for your phone? Maybe. I've seen X11 servers for Android devices, but not iOS. Then again, while I have an iphone, I'm not an app user... other than a 3rd party music player and a SSH client. – ivanivan May 27 '19 at 14:58
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https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201341 This is what I am seeing for X11 – C. Rutscher May 27 '19 at 14:59
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@C.Rutscher that may be it. Been a few years since I ran OS X ... too much like Linux without being enough like Linux... wiped it and ran Mint on my 27" iMac... – ivanivan May 27 '19 at 15:00
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I am running XQuartz now and it seems to be running like a terminal. How would I gain access to my Ubuntu server via a GUI with it? – C. Rutscher May 27 '19 at 15:06
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@C.Rutscher - https://uisapp2.iu.edu/confluence-prd/plugins/servlet/mobile?contentId=280461906#content/view/280461906 – ivanivan May 27 '19 at 18:51