Re: [PLUG] Question about Remote Desktop through a NAT

[Eric <eric@lucii.org>]

Very nice solution.  Thanks!

Claude M. Schrader wrote:
> I've actually been thinking about this recently too - its pretty
> straightforward to set up nicely - setting it up will most likely require
> you having ssh access to his machine, so set it up when hes directly
> plugged into the modem:
> -get a dyndns account on *your* internet connection, and forward port 22
> somewhere useful
> -create a passwordless SSH key on his machine, so ssh from his machine to
> yours works sans interaction
> -still on his machine, in ssh_config, set it up so that an ssh session from
> his machine to yours uses the -R flag to reverse port forward 590* from your
> machine, across the tunnel to his. This will enable you to sit at the
> machine that has been ssh'd *to*, and vnc to localhost, which will be
> forwarded to his machine regardless of what his private IP is.
>
> It should take a little legwork to set up initially, but should do the
> trick. To take it one step further - I know on macs you can create .term
> files, so that double clicking on the icon will run a shell command. I
> imagine this is possible on Linux too. If not, you could just set his
> machine up so he pulls up a terminal and types "connect" or some such, and
> it will do the rest.
> Claude
>
> On 13:58 Sat 30 Aug     , Casey Bralla wrote:
>    
>> I'm not sure I can do what I want, but maybe somebody here has some brilliant,
>> yet incredibly elegant and simple idea to help solve my problem.
>>
>> My 82 year-old nerd-wannabe dad (actually, he *was* a nerd when he was
>> younger, but the world moves too fast...) just loaded Ubuntu on his laptop.
>> He often asks for my help, but since I'm 250 miles away, I find that Remote
>> Desktop is my best friend.
>>
>> He often plugs his computer directly into his cable modem, which is great
>> because I can directly access his IP address with VNC.  The problem comes
>> when he hooks up the the internet through his wireless router, which uses
>> NAT.
>>
>> It is possible, of course, to set the wireless router to port forward all
>> incoming VNC connections to a particular NAT'd IP address.  But this seems
>> inelegant to me for several reasons:
>>
>> 1.  Talking my dad through setting up port forwarding on the router will be
>> difficult, since I can't see the setup screens he would be seeing on the
>> router, and he doesn't have a clue about how it works.
>> 2.  The assigned private IP address may change, thus rendering the port
>> forwarding useless
>> 3.  There may be visitors at his house who are accessing the wireless, and
>> then the assigned IP addresses will be assigned to the wrong computer.
>>
>>
>> What I want to do is to have my dad run a "VNC Request" program that will
>> weave it's way through his NAT to my static IP address, establishing
>> a "reverse VNC" so I can then control his desktop.
>>
>>
>> I've done some google searches for this, but haven't found anything.   Is what
>> I want to do even possible?  Does somebody have an other brilliant idea?
>>
>>
>> TIA, and have a great long weekend!
>>
>>
>> -- 
>>
>>
>> Casey Bralla
>> Chief Nerd in Residence
>> The NerdWorld Organisation
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> ___________________________________________________________________________
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-- 
#  Eric Lucas
#
#                "Oh, I have slipped the surly bond of earth
#                 And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings...
#                                        -- John Gillespie Magee Jr

___________________________________________________________________________
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