Geek Question - SSH port forwarding Question

[thrytis]

Does the remote desktop client not allow for specifying an alternate port? If not, does the remote desktop server allow you to specify what interfaces it listens on? You could probably do something with a virtual machine too, but then that would be extra software unless you already have it on the machine.

[rjwaldren]

You can give port #'s to RD just like you would in a url (www.example.com:3389 or 192.168.1.100:50001). If your using a linux RD client you may have to use a -p switch to specify the target port.

The FreeNX server only runs on linux, but acts as a relay for VNC or RDP to windows boxes. For general use I find it easier to just go directly to the machine. I've had mixed results with setting RDP relays. Once it's working however it's awesome.

One note, I like to use sketchup, etc while kicked back on the sofa with my underpowered laptop. RDP terminal services on XP do not support 3d, you'll either get very slow response or a blank window where the 3d content should be. Since freeNX uses RDP or VNC from the freeNX server to your target PC, it's performance doesn't help. Vista does serve 3d over RDP, but it's slow over a G wireless link, and worse over a WAN. I rarely sit at one of my PC's in my little geek kingdom. I use a underpowered old laptop as a client and connect with different apps depending on the need. For normal linux admin, straight SSH or VNC. RDP for Windows. But with freeNX I can watch HD content on my linux HTPC on a P3-900/256MB laptop running a stripped down Xubuntu over a wireless link, but it's dependent on an relay server so I rarely use it.

[crokett]

Eric, according to a windows knowledge base article you can. However, trying it here it after changing the listening port on the remote machine it does not work. I've tried it a couple times. The only time I've gotten it to work is when I am tunneling via ssh. Then I don't specify a port, I just tell the client to connect to localhost and ssh does the rest. However I can't have it work that way but break connecting from the local network. And if I leave it on the default, I can't bind the port to establish the tunnel...