I want to do away with my Windows Server at home and replace it with Linux. I've pretty much got all services covered for the migration but one - Terminal Server.

This is important because I had to implement Websense at work and, though I could get around it, they would hang me if they found out. So I need a way to remote control my home server (from a Windows XP Pro station at work) and freely browse those "blocked pages" (not just porn mind you.)

VNC is Painfully slow and not secure enough a replacement IMHO. I don't want to have to start adding fat clients on my work PC either.

Any Suggestions?

VNC is Painfully slow and not secure enough a replacement IMHO.

TightVNC over ssh? I don't know how easy that is to set up from Windows, though; I've never had a problem using ordinary VNC over ssh from Linux.

Peter

VNC is Painfully slow and not secure enough a replacement IMHO.

How do you mean VNC is painfully slow? I'll agree that with a Windows server it's slow -- it's the nature of Windows. With a Linux server it's pretty quick.

Having said that, VNC on Linux is still pretty slow over a cable connection (from work to home -- i.e. the screen updates are going the "wrong" way) -- XP remote desktop is faster.

You could use TightVNC, as Peter suggests, which might help.

Tunnelling it using ssh is a viable option.

I don't want to have to start adding fat clients on my work PC either.

I presume this comment isn't aimed at VNC? The client's exceedingly lightweight.

I'd ask this question, though: why do you need to see your home desktop from work at all? You can get a shell on the remote machine using ssh (use PuTTY as the Windows client), which may be all you need.

If you have to use a graphical application, consider using ssh to forward the X11 connection back to your display at work -- this is relatively easy if both ends are running Linux (or other *nix), but should be possible with judicious application of Cygwin on the Windows end. This violates your "fat" requirement, though.

As for the security, this is easy -- use ssh.

As far as ``remote control'' of a Linux server, you don't need any graphical utility. Install a secure shell server on the Linux machine and use a secure shell client on your windows machine. Putty can fit on a USB keychain drive.

As for browsing, install squid on your home Linux machine, forward port 3128 over ssh to that machine (ssh -L 3128:localhost:3128 your.machine.com) and set your browser's proxy to localhost:3128. That's what I do.

How do you mean VNC is painfully slow?

I have A DSL connection with only a 328K max upstream. You are correct in that I haven't played much with VNC on Linux. But loading anything besides TWM as the desktop just kills the connection.

I presume this comment isn't aimed at VNC?

Correct.

but should be possible with judicious application of Cygwin on the Windows end

Yeah, Cygwin is the Windows client I was hoping to avoid. X forwarding over SSH isn't bad as far as speed goes. I was just kind of hoping that there was an 'all in one' alternative.

Good answer!!!

I'm trying that now.