Howto install a free NX Server on Debian 4.0
Sunday, 20 May 2007
NoMachine NX is a Terminal Server and Remote Access solution based on open source technologies. It makes it possible to run any graphical application on any operating system across any network connection as if you were sitting in front of your computer.

Besides all the professional NX servers for enterprises, NoMachine also offers a free server, which offers most of the features available in the commercial version. It is allowing 1-2 user sessions suitable for home users and those who are not interested in support.
If you'd like to discover how NoMachine's servers work or are configured, give it a try! The following workshop describes the NX Free Edition installation and usage on a Debian 4.0 server.

 

 

Please check here the features, requirements and the differences between the free and enterprise version.

 

Step 1: Install Debian 4.0

The new Debian distribution is very easy to install. Please create a basic version with Gnome. I recommend reading this article, if you have problems with the installation or basic configuration.

After installalling and rebooting the server, make sure to get the latest updates. Please use the following commands:

apt-get update
apt-get upgrade

 

 Step 2: Installing related software

NX server needs ssh and some libraries to run. These packages are normally not installed during the basic installation process. We’ll use the Synaptic Package Manager to install the necessary packages.

 

 

 

Search for the following packages:

openssh server
libstdc++2.10-glibc2.2  (search for glibc)

and install them.


 

 

 

 

Step 3:  Install and run  Free NX Server

Please download the following packages from the NoMachine Website using wget:

wget http://64.34.161.181/download/2.1.0/Linux-NoXft/nxclient_2.1.0-17_i386.deb
wget http://64.34.161.181/download/2.1.0/Linux/nxnode_2.1.0-22_i386.deb
wget http://64.34.161.181/download/2.1.0/Linux/FE/nxserver_2.1.0-22_i386.deb


Install the packages in the following order: 

 

dpkg -i nxclient_2.1.0-17_i386.deb
dpkg -i nxnode_2.1.0-22_i386.deb
dpkg -i nxserver_2.1.0-22_i386.deb

 

Please watch for errors during the installation process.

That’s it! Start the ssh server and nx server using the following commands:

 

/etc/init.d/ssh start
/etc/init.d/nxserver start

 

 

Step 4:  Run the Client

Please use this link to download and install the nx client for the following operation systems: 

  • Linux
  • Mac OSX
  • Solaris
  • Windows

The next screenshots will show how to use the connection wizard using a Linux NX client:

 

 

 

 

 


Use a valid user on the server.

 

Check the key and  accept it.

 

This short movie clip will show how to establish a connection to the remote server.