How to connect remotely to any ECMWF Linux-based workstation
Step-by-step guide
This instructions cover ONLY the connections from a ECMWF desktop or laptop connected to the LAN or the VPN.
If you're outside the LAN and can't use the VPN client, then follow these instructions instead: Remote access Suse 13.1 linux desktops
- If accessing from outside the LAN (for instance using one of the Centre's laptops, setup a VPN connection using your user id and activid token
- Open the NoMachine client
- If this is the first time, create a new connection to your workstation. For instance, if the workstation is named "foo":
- Name: "Connection to foo"
- Protocol: NX
- Host: foo.ecmwf.int
- Port: 3389
- Click "OK" to save the connection
- Double-click on the connection icon
- If prompted to accept and save the host key, say yes
- Use your regular login and password
- Follow the instructions
- When finished, just close the window
IMPORTANT
- You will be accessing the desktop layout currently running in your physical desktop, so:
- For a more comfortable user experience, the native resolution of the NX client should match as better as possible with the resolution of the workstation being accessed to
- Everything that was left running (documents, folders, browser windows, etc) will be shown in the NX session
- When the NX session is closed, everything that was left running (documents, folders, browser windows, etc) will be shown in the physical desktop or further NX sessions
- For security reasons, when you access your desktop remotely, the physical screen of your desktop will be turned off
- So, if the remote session is not closed in the remote end, the physical screen of the desktop will remain black. To work around this, take the following steps:
- Start another NX session, for instance from any other workstation of the ECMWF
- This session will take the ownership of the screen
- The previously running session will be terminated automatically as soon as the display is shown in the new one
- Close the newly opened session
- The screen output will be sent back to the physical screen
- If the Linux workstation has two monitors attached, the screen layout may appear incorrectly after disconnecting an NX session. To fix this:
- Click in the KDE start button
- Type "display" in the search box
- Select "display configuration"
- Drag the secondary monitor and drop it back in its intended position
- Click "apply"