Using Pandora from Windows (with SSH and X11 forwarding)


PowerGod

PowerGod

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Yesterday I found this interesting guide

http://mysysadminlife.blogspot.it/2012/01/easy-x11-forwarding-using-cywin-putty.html

and so I thought to follow it... but with bad results...

After I started the Cygwin/x server, I logged in the Pandora with putty, then I tried to start some PNDs but received error messages regarding the DISPLAY wasn't found...

So (and from here goes BAD) I tried to issue "startx", and it was telling me that the X server was already used... so I used "startx -- :1" and seemingly it was starting another session, but still Cygwin wasn't receiving graphic...

so, again, I tried "startx -- :2", and did some export of $DISPLAY to try to change the value, but Cygwin was still waiting...

Then I needed to stop all this mess, and rebooted the Pandora, BUT It started to asking me the ID and Password, that I always keep disabled, and it wasn't accepting them... so I rebooted in CLI and logged, but I wasn't able to use startx because of permission issues... so I started startx with sudo, but the only working key was the pandora button (even the touchscreen was disabled)...

After like 1 hour of CLI playing, I reflashed, so now all is working as it should.

Is there someone who was able to use the Pandora with graphic mode in SSH without messing with the firmware after that ?

I think I will make a Super Zaxxon SD to make some trials when I will find the time.
 
You shouldn't start X, you need to enable X forwarding in your ssh session. No idea if putty can do that.
 
I followed the tutorial and it worked !?

Work nicely, that's a cool trick :)

(as said in the tuto, in the cygwin setup.exe, you have to install "xinit" in the X11 section, it's not installed by default).

In putty, just "mousepad &" for example after logged in, and you have a new windows with Mousepad.
 
_wb_ said:
You shouldn't start X, you need to enable X forwarding in your ssh session. No idea if putty can do that.
Click to expand...
Putty can, just look at the tutorial i linked ;)

ptitSeb said:
I followed the tutorial and it worked !?

Work nicely, that's a cool trick :)

(as said in the tuto, in the cygwin setup.exe, you have to install "xinit" in the X11 section, it's not installed by default).

In putty, just "mousepad &" for example after logged in, and you have a new windows with Mousepad.
Click to expand...
Have you tried launching PNDs ? I tried only to launch those

(and I had xinit cause I followed the tutorial LITERALLY)
 
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I tried "pnd_run path/to/some/package.pnd" but they all fail at "start the application". Like, it cannot fork another script ?
 
:(  using the Panda in this way should be faster and more comfortable than VNC... we must make this work !!  :D
 
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Agreed.

For now, I use a PuTTY for some large command line, and I do most editing of files using Notepad++ and accessing Samba share on the Pandora. This way I can have real keybord/mouse, huge screens (I have 3), and still doing all on the Pandora, like the compile and testing. Plus, the Putty is handy when some fullscreen SDL or GLES games just hang, I can kill it without hard booting.

But some X would be nice too, sure, just not sure many thing will work with the sudenly large screen...
 
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while trying the solution I went AGAIN in the BAD situation I described in the first post... but this time I KNOW where is the problem, so DON'T MESS WITH THIS FILE !!

 ~/.Xauthority

It is needed for the X11 forwarding but if it's permission changes you will lose the xfce login on the Pandora itself...

EDIT: RESOLVED by deleting ~/.Xauthority*
 
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DONE !!! STARTED GEANY IN MY DESKTOP !!!  :D

I explain a bit:

.Xauthority files contains a generated key that gives the permission to get data from the X server.

The problem in this case is that the .Xauthority files are searched in the HOME directory, but PNDs sometimes changes the HOME in it's appdata folder, so the file is not found and the permission denied.

THE SOLUTION:

Just copy all the .Xauthority files in the appdata of the application you want to run before launching the PND !!!  :D

I will explain all the procedure better in the first post when I have a little time  ^_^

EDIT: THIS IS SOOO F***ING GREAT !!  :lol:

EDIT2: I'm browsing the web with Pandora Firefox on Windows !!!  :D

EDIT3: games are a "no go" for speed issues, anyway I'm watching SORR that started fullscreen on my PC, the best thing is that I can still use the Pandora while I use the Pandora with the PC !! :D
 
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Yeah, it worked ! I'll make my future PND compatible with that trick. I modified Arora and it launched with a "pnd_run" command form putty. I'll modify codeblocks and so on with that...
 
The new build on the repo of cataclysm.roguelike include an automatic copy of the .Xauthority files, anabing it to launch on the PC.

It works, but the OpenGL Catatiles is slower on my PC than on the Pandora... Here is screenshot of the catatiles on the Pandora 130217-172519.png, and on my PC X11-forwarding.png(I have 3 screens, so the screenshot is a bit large). Fun experiment anyway :)

I'll enable more of my next PND the same way...
 
Yeah, some apps are really slower on the PC launched in this way... I wonder why... I can understand a slowdown if an app is used fullscreen at a resolution higher than 800x480, but if the window is small that should use the same resources... 

anyway I don't really know how the hw accelleration works with an external X client...
 
PowerGod said:
Yeah, some apps are really slower on the PC launched in this way... I wonder why... I can understand a slowdown if an app is used fullscreen at a resolution higher than 800x480, but if the window is small that should use the same resources... 

anyway I don't really know how the hw accelleration works with an external X client...
Click to expand...
I think it's network bandwith problem. The OpenGL is the one on my PC I think, but all command and data comes from the Pandora, using Wifi. But it works, and that's cool.
 
Interesting to know as i plan this kind of feature in my next SOLEIL releases.
 
I just found that Putty is not needed... you can just use openssh directly from Cygwin itself, you just have to set the DISPLAY var...

So after starting the X-Server you can open a Cygwin console and type this:

DISPLAY=localhost:0.0 ssh -Y username@address
example: DISPLAY=localhost:0.0 ssh -Y johnsmith@192.168.0.2

@lingenfr: maybe one day I'll find the time to make some cool guides, but I'm still learning and sometimes I find much simple solutions, so it's better wait a little for now
 
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A close second would be editing your first post so the instructions are all in one place. Regardless, thanks for your work.
 
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