Access Linux with GUI

Most modern operating systems support multiple user access and some form of remote access.  The idea of accessing your system remotely is always very intriguing.  It is even more exciting when you access your Windows desktop from Linux or vice versa.  Getting to Linux desktop from Windows has always been tricky, and not for the faint of heart.

Windows has had terminal services since Windows NT 4.0.  It was improvised on Windows 2000, and now it is fully incorporated in Windows 2003.  The end result is user and administrators can now access the Windows systems over the network using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP).  RDP has enhanced display and security, making it easier than ever to access your desktop over the Internet.

The famous X Windowing System or X has been around since early 80's.  It allowed users to access the entire graphical desktop from any X client.  Usually, the X client and server are the same system.  But one could access the system from any other X client.  It's a great client-server system, but it comes with its own set of problems.  The biggest problem with X has been that it is a fat protocol.  Network traffic is usually unencrypted, making it susceptible to sniffers.  Another drawback is that X client cannot resume or suspend an X session, like RDP in Windows.  There are some well known software which allowed X server access on Windows are Hummingbird Exceed, Cygwin/X, WiredX etc. 

NX is a new technology developed by Gian Filippo Pinzari at an Italian company called No Machine.  NX provides stable, fast, secure, and full graphical connections to Linux systems from Windows.  The entire NX experience is remarkable from the start to finish.  The installation of server and client is simple.  Users have to install the NX server on Linux, which runs side-by-side with X and SSH services.  Using the NX client on a Windows system, users can connect to Linux desktop over the internet, without the need of VPN. 

Many see NX as a new rival of X.  Instead, NX uses X and delivers it over the SSH tunnel.  It uses very high compression and caching to save bandwidth.  A very important feature of NX is that it can suspend and resume sessions. 

The core technology and libraries of NX are open source and under GPL, but the server is not free and is commercially available.  The NX client is closed source is available for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and Solaris.  The NX is now the must have tool for Linux users.