Date:         Mon, 23 Apr 2001 15:28:39 -0700
Reply-To:     kmself@IX.NETCOM.COM
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
From:         "Karsten M. Self" <kmself@IX.NETCOM.COM>
Subject:      Re: X display error on UNIX (fwd)
In-Reply-To:  <Pine.HPX.4.21.0104231051580.13442-100000@fog.ccsf.cc.ca.us>;
              from pmery@CCSF.CC.CA.US on Mon, Apr 23, 2001 at 11:20:54AM -0700
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on Mon, Apr 23, 2001 at 11:20:54AM -0700, Pamela Mery (pmery@CCSF.CC.CA.US) wrote:

<various issues of broken handling of lack of visual display by SAS>

> Finally, Jonathan suggested setting up an explicit X session.  I may try
> this just for fun:
> 
> "About X on the PC:  running in this mode, SAS is executed on the server
> (I assume a UNIX machine) and displays on the PC.  To do this, the PC must
> supply graphical display services to the UNIX box.  Hence, there are two
> servers;  the UNIX box is the SAS server, running SAS, which the PC is the
> X windows server, running X display software.
> 
> X display software is not native to Windows (although it is available
> native on every UNIX of which I am aware).  You need to get 3rd party
> software.  That is why I said "If the PC has X server software".
> 
> The most common X package for X for Windows is Exceed, from Hummingbird
> Communications:
> 
> http://www.hummingbird.com/products/nc/exceed/
> 
> I've used it with good results.  Here, we use Solstice Client, from
> Sun.  It's out of support, but works, and is free.
> 
> Since SAS runs on the UNIX machine, you don't need PC SAS to run this
> way.  That is the advantage of the setup.  The fact that SAS (or any
> program that uses X display services, which is just about any UNIX
> program that uses a graphical user interface)  can be told to display
> on any machine on the network, without any special coding, is a great
> strength of the UNIX software model."

Other vendor options:  XWin32, by StarNet, is a reasonably priced (about
US$125 per seat) X server that I've demoed.  It's acceptable, and runs
(as do many current X server products) in both "full screen" and
"locally managed" mode.  

    http://www.starnet.com/products/

Full screen projects a Unix desktop onto your local system, locally
managed mingles your X applications with locally served applications --
they behave as though they were running from your local PC.  Both modes
support copy and paste between X and PC applications.

A free 30-day time-limited demo is available for download.


I've also used and would recommend the Hummingbird and Reflection X
products (http://www.wrq.com/), though they are rather more expensive.


Another approach, and one I'd recommend to Pamela look into as it's a
ten minute install she can do herself, is VNC, for Virtual Network
Computer.  

  http://www.uk.research.att.com/vnc/ 

Screenshots:

  http://www.uk.research.att.com/vnc/screenshots.html
  
While HPUX isn't supported from the VNC site, a port is available and
listed from their ports page:

    http://www.uk.research.att.com/vnc/platforms.html

It appears that this is provided as patches -- you will require
development packages on HPUX, and many proprietary Unices don't ship
with same.  

Looks like someone's providing precompiled binaries as well:

    http://www.uk.research.att.com/vnc/contrib/hpux-readme.html


Rather than serve the X session on the PC, VNC maintains the entire
session state on the server.  A viewer application is run on the client,
to display this image -- both native and Java clients are available.
Cut and paste between local and VNC apps is supported.

It's possible to close or move the client independently of the server --
you don't lose session state if your PC crashes, you can move the
display among different workstations, and you can even export the entire
session over the Internet (several ASP solutions are based on VNC).
Note that when forwarding connections over an unsecured network you
should tunnel through an appropriate protocol such as ssh or PVN.

Instructions here:  http://www.uk.research.att.com/vnc/sshvnc.html


Advantages:  portable, stateless, open, no X server required on client.

Disadvantages:  heavier server load, slower than X or native display,
unsecured (though VNC can be tunneled through SSH).

Cheers.

-- 
Karsten M. Self <kmself@ix.netcom.com>    http://kmself.home.netcom.com/
 What part of "Gestalt" don't you understand?       There is no K5 cabal
  http://gestalt-system.sourceforge.net/         http://www.kuro5hin.org

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