Remote desktop connection via x2go
The RBM provides an x2go server for all employees and students of the Institute of Mathematics. x2go is a service that can be used to establish a connection to an X server via the network using a special client. This allows a complete desktop session to be started on a remote computer via a network. The data transfer is compressed so that work can also be carried out on a remote desktop via slow network connections. The following documentation describes the institution of the client application, which is available for Linux, Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X (Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard or older). The application is already installed on the employee and pool clients at the Institute of Mathematics. If a terminal session is to be established from a separate PC, the client application must be installed there.
Downloading the client
Installation instructions can be found here and the client can be downloaded at https://wiki.x2go.org/doku.php/download:start.
Configuration
When you start the x2go client for the first time, a window appears in which you can make session settings.
In the Session name field, select a description for the connection to be configured.
The full name (FQDN) or the IP address of an x2go server must be entered in the Host field.
For employees kepler.math.paderborn University.de is available as an x2go server.
For students sommerfeld.math.uni-paderborn.de is available as x2go server.
The port must be left at the default setting of 22.
XFCE must be selected in the Session type field
Under the Connection tab, you can use the slider to set your own Internet connection speed. The closer the slider is to the Modem setting, the more attempts are made to compress and minimise the data generated. This can also result in a loss of display quality.
You can then finish setting the session preferences by clicking OK. The preset session is then available for selection at the top right edge of the x2go client window. A connection can now be established by clicking and entering the password.
You can access the session presettings by clicking on the three dashes of the selected session on the right and going to Session presettings.
Or by clicking on the menu bar item Session, then
- Session management
- Select the session whose settings are to be edited
- Session management
The desired settings can then be made here.
Mac OS
Do not enter the maths user name in the session preset. This can lead to problems.
The X11.app should be started before starting the x2go client to avoid problems.
Matlab
You can use Matlab by connecting from Sommerfeld to one of the pool computers with ssh and starting Matlab there (via console).
- Connect via X2go via ssh to Sommerfeld.math.uni-paderborn.de
- Open a terminal
- Connect to an active pool computer via ssh (e.g. ssh -X <username>@<name of pool pc>)
- Enter matlab2023b in the terminal
You can find a list of pool computers here.
If there are problems with the display, please install the following packages on your own copmuter:
gsfonts-other
gsfonts-x11
xfonts-100dpi
xfonts-75dpi
Key combinations
There are a number of key combinations available to control x2go.
Ctrl + Alt + T Interrupt the session and deregistration from the server. During an interruption, all processes remain active and can be continued when you log in again. Please note that interrupted sessions cannot always be resumed without errors.
Ctrl + Alt + F Switch between full screen and windowed mode
Ctrl + Alt + M Maximise or minimise window
Hints
If you have problems with x2go, please note the following:
- Use the latest version of x2go available via the package management of your operating system or the x2go website
- Use the resource-saving environment XFCE (the use of KDE has been deactivated)
- Please do not perform any computing or memory-intensive activities on Sommerfeld
tcsh
x2go expects bash as the default login shell. Unfortunately it is not possible to connect using tcsh as the default login shell.