Where Do I Begin?
The TightVNC Server and Viewer use special data encoding techniques designed to.
01 – chrome remote desktop Free Windows Android iOS. Securely access your computer from. robg adds: For those who don't know, VNC is a way to control one computer's GUI from another location. RealVNC is the official home of the software, but they don't offer a Mac server (just PC/Unix servers and clients). Redstone Software, though, makes an OS X VNC server called, simply enough, OSXvnc. Install the VNC Server software and assign a VNC password on the client computer. Make sure the client’s firewall has the VNC port open (TCP 5900). For more detailed instructions on steps 1–2, see the documentation that came with the client operating system, VNC software, and firewall software.
So you have a MacStadium hosted server and you're all ready to do something with it. The first question on your mind is probably 'How do I control this thing?'
Nearly all modern servers are 'headless' (meaning they have no dedicated monitor, keyboard or mouse) and are controlled over a network using remote desktop software. This article will cover four popular (and free!) remote control programs as well as the pros and cons of using each of them.
VNC, Generally SpeakingMac OS X comes preinstalled with a remote control package called VNC (for Virtual Network Computing). In a just-out-of-the-box Mac Mini this feature is disabled, but since you need a way of connecting to your server to set it up, MacStadium has already enabled the screen sharing feature in the Sharing preferences panel which allows you to make a VNC connection from the get-go. All you will need are a VNC client, the IP address of the server and the password. The last two are supplied in an e-mail from MacStadium after you sign up.
VNC was originally developed for use on Unix systems but has now expanded to include a client and server version for virtually all popular computing platforms. This makes cross-platform remote control a simple matter, since a VNC client running on a PC can easily connect to a VNC server running on a Mac, for example. Of course, the devil is in the details and not all VNC implementations are 100% compatible. Mac to Mac sessions are probably going to be pretty reliable due to the same version of VNC code being used on both sides of the connection. PC or Linux to Mac connections have been known to occasionally exhibit buggy behavior but in most cases you will have no trouble getting it to work if your software is up to date.
Because it is based on an open-source project, VNC development was subject to 'forks' where different groups of programmers began with the same base code and then created different versions of the tool to suit their needs. This means that not only is VNC available on several different platforms, most platforms have more than one version with slightly different feature sets. Fortunately most of these features can be automatically negotiated during the connection process, so as a VNC user you usually do not care much which specific version of server you are connecting to - for the most part it Just Works. For this article I am going to discuss the two most popular VNC clients as well as two alternatives to VNC.
RealVNC
RealVNC is the closest thing we have to a standard VNC client due its long history and close association with the original code base. Today there are three versions of it, one that is free and two more that are for sale. Because I am discussing only free software in this article I am going to gloss over the Personal and Enterprise versions of RealVNC and focus on the Free edition, but it’s worth knowing that these other versions can be had for a nominal fee.
Where the paid versions of RealVNC are capable of encrypting the session data, this is the not the case with RealVNC free. That means that unless you take additional precautions, RealVNC free will transmit your keystrokes and screen images across the network in an unsecure manner, which could in theory expose them to a hacker. In practice (and especially when connecting to another computer on your own local network) this is not such a great danger, but where data must be transmitted over the public Internet and where security is a primary concern this sort of unencrypted communication should be avoided. All connections to MacStadium will have to traverse the Internet.
In my testing I used the latest RealVNC client available from the website (5.0.1 at the time of this writing) and I had no trouble connecting to the Mac on the first try. With older versions of RealVNC some people have had trouble establishing the connection (usually with a “connection refused” error) but most were able to get it working by clicking on Options and setting Colour Level to Full.
Video performance in VNC is pretty fast when connecting Mac to Mac, slightly less so when connecting from a PC. RealVNC is a good choice when you need a small, simple client just to make the initial connection to the server. For better security, performance and features there are plenty of other options that make this program seem a little outdated.
![Vnc For A Mac Vnc For A Mac](/uploads/1/1/8/5/118506726/416385994.png)
UltraVNC
UltraVNC is a newer fork of the original VNC codebase that adds video compression to improve performance, a nifty graphical toolbar and an optional encryption module. It also seems to be a bit more stable than RealVNC. If you don’t already have the RealVNC client installed, this version is preferable to RealVNC just for these few additional features. Note that the encryption module will not work with the pre-installed OS X server though – you would need to install a different VNC server (such as Vine) on the Mac in order to take advantage of that feature. Check out the video below to compare the video performance of these two versions of VNC. The difference is small but noticeable. If you have to pick one or the other to download you might as well get the one that is slightly faster, right?
![Vnc For A Mac Vnc For A Mac](/uploads/1/1/8/5/118506726/194364043.png)
TeamViewer
TeamViewer is commercial software that is free for personal use. The developer has thoughtfully included numerous nag screens to make sure you remember that commercial use is not allowed, but they still operate on the honor system and they make no attempt to verify the nature of your use.
The standout features of TeamViewer include automatic firewall traversal, a contact list, and built-in video chat, but the feature that really sets it apart from the rest of the programs in this lineup is the end-to-end encryption of every keystroke, screen image and mouse movement that goes across the network. If security is a primary concern then TeamViewer is definitely the best choice for you. Unfortunately the additional CPU overhead of encryption makes the video performance of this tool visibly worse than the others, as you can see in the video. For applications that require high frame rates such as playing video or games, this program is not going to be ideal.
Splashtop
This brings us to the final program that we will discuss, Splashtop. This program is newer than the others and it concentrates on bringing excellent video performance, the likes of which have never been seen in a remote control program before now. With a solid network connection you can reasonably expect to see videos playing on the remote desktop with frame rates comparable to videos playing on your local machine. That’s a pretty impressive trick at the moment.
Unfortunately there are a couple of downsides to this program. The first problem is a conspicuous lack of encryption, similar to my beef with the free VNC apps. The second problem is that the developer seems to be in the process of publishing a new version and has for some reason removed the old Windows client [edit - it's back now] from their own web site without adding a new one. The iPad client is there for download, no problem. The server side app, or as Splashtop calls it “The Streamer” is also available from their site, but the Windows client is nowhere to be found on splashtop.com (this may have changed by the time you read this). Not to worry though, dear reader, because we have located a link for the Windows client so you can download it right here.
Conclusion
To summarize, you will need a VNC client of some type to establish the initial connection to your Mac Mini, but once you are connected you can take the opportunity to install a server for any other remote control product that suits your taste. Our recommendation is to use UltraVNC initially and then install either TeamViewer (if security is you primary concern) or Splashtop (if performance is more important). Once this has been set up you will probably want to disable screen sharing (aka the VNC server) in the Mac system preferences so that no one is tempted to try to hack your VNC password.
I hope you are now feeling more familiar with your options for connecting to your MacStadium server. This is by no means an exhaustive list of remote control clients – there are tons more available of varying quality and weight and new remote control programs are being written all the time. It is probably worth trying a new one every once in a while to see if the state of the art has advanced since the last time you installed one, because these utilities are improving by leaps and bounds every day.
If you have any questions about remote controlling your MacStadium server please feel free to leave them in the comments. Thanks for reading, and be sure to come back for more tips on how to get the most out of your hosted Mac!
Skip to end of metadataGo to start of metadataThis article explains the process of enabling ssh and VNC access on a macOS device, and accessing the computer from a Windows computer
Set up Remote Login (ssh) on your Mac
- On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Sharing, then select Remote Login.
- Select the Remote Login checkbox.
- Specify which users can log in:
- Only these users:Click the Add button,then choose who can log in remotely. Users & Groups includes all the users of your Mac. Network Users and Network Groups include people on your network.
Turn on screen sharing (VNC) on your Mac
- On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Sharing.
- IfRemote Managementis selected, deselect it.
- You can’t have both Screen Sharing and Remote Management on at the same time.
- Select the Screen Sharing checkbox.
- To specify who can share your screen, select:
- Only these users:Screen sharing is restricted to specific users.
- click the Add buttonat the bottom of the users list, then do one of the following:
- Select a user from Users & Groups, which includes all the users of your Mac except sharing-only users and guest users.
- Select a user from Network Users or Network Groups, which includes users and groups with network server accounts. Network users and members of network groups can use their network name and password to connect to your Mac for screen sharing.
- Click Computer Settings, then select the following:
- VNC viewers may control screen with password:Other users can share your screen using a VNC viewer app—on iPad or a Windows PC, for example—by entering the password you specify here. If you select this option, you should create a very secure password.
- This is required to be able to connect via TightVNC or RealVNC on a Windows device
- This is required to be able to connect via TightVNC or RealVNC on a Windows device
Setting Up PuTTY
If you want to know how to tunnel VNC through SSH, it’s recommended you usePuTTYto make the connection to your SSH server.
PuTTY offers a graphical user interface that can easily be configured to allow you to tunnel other software, like your VNC viewer, over the connection.
- To start, download PuTTY and open the client.
- The main Session menu allows you to type your macOS computer's hostname (i.e. ENG-ANC123456D). Type your SSH server address in the Host Name (or IP Address) text box. If your SSH port is different from the standard port 22, type this in the Port box.
- You’ll also want to save this session, so in the Saved Sessions text box, add a suitable name for your SSH connection, then click the Save button.
- In the left-hand menu, expand the Connection tab, then do the same for the SSH. Click on Tunnels.
- In the Port forwarding section of the Tunnels menu, you’ll be providing the details to allow PuTTY to tunnel your VNC connection over SSH. In the Source port text box, type 5900. In the Destination text box, type your remote address:5900, using the hostname of the remote desktop PC or server. For instance, ENG-ANC123456.coeit.osu.edu:5900 would be suitable. (IP address may be used instead of hostname, but the hostname is preferred because the IP may change)
- Return to the Session section, click on your saved session name under Saved Sessions, then click Save to save your settings.
- With your PuTTY settings ready, make the SSH connection by clicking Open at the bottom. You’ll be required to insert the username and password required to make your SSH connection as PuTTY makes the attempt.
- Once the login process is complete, you’ll be given access to the SSH terminal window for your remote desktop.
Vnc For Mac
With the SSH tunnel to your remote desktop server active, you’ll now be able to make a VNC connection. You can use any VNC client you choose, but this guide will run through how to connect usingTightVNC, a popular and free VNC client for Windows and Linux.
You can minimize PuTTY while the connection is active.
Vnc For A Mac Shortcut
Connecting Using TightVNC
If your SSH connection is active, connecting using TightVNC is pretty simple. This assumes that your VNC server is running on your remote PC or server.
- Open TightVNC to begin. In the Connection section, type localhost::5900 or 127.0.0.1::5900 into the Remote Host text box. PuTTY is monitoring this port and will automatically forward this connection, when the attempt is made, to your remote server.
- You can configure your VNC connection further by clicking Options but, if you’re ready to connect, click Connect.
- You’ll be asked for your VNC server password (the password you set above in the Setup Remote Login setps), so provide this in the VNC Authentication pop-up window, then click OK.
Vnc For A Mac Download
If your SSH connection is working correctly, TightVNC should load your remote VNC desktop window, ready for you to use.