Xstart Session Properties

Owned by NetSarang Support
Apr 30, 2019
3 min read

The following are descriptions of connection-related items in Xstart session properties. The items are displayed in the [General] tab of the Xstart session properties dialog box.

Host
Enter the remote UNIX/Linux host name or IP address. It is faster and more stable to enter an IP address than a host name, because Xstart does not have to connect to a name server.

Protocol
Select a protocol for remote host connection. Xstart supports SSH, TELNET, RSH, REXEC, RLOGIN and LOCAL protocols. Before selecting a protocol, be sure to check whether or not the remote host supports the protocol.

SSH is a protocol for secure connections with a remote host. SSH provides Public Key User Authentication, powerful data encryption, and X11 forwarding functions. Using the SSH protocol, a remote X application can be executed securely using the powerful encryption, even in a network environment vulnerable to security. Additionally, SSH allows for convenient connections to a host located on the other side of a firewall. A user on a private network can thus run an X application on another network using the X11 forwarding function.

TELNET is a legacy protocol for using a remote terminal. It is supported by most servers, such as UNIX, Linux and VMS. It is not typically utilized in modern systems because of its weak security.

RSH is a simple protocol for connecting with a remote host and running a designated command. It does not require a password and should be used cautiously when security is a concern.

REXEC is a protocol for running a command in a remote host. Although the functions are almost similar to those of RSH, REXEC requires a password for connection.

RLOGIN is a simple program for connecting with a remote host and obtaining login shells. Although similar to TELNET, RLOGIN authenticates users in a similar method to RSH.

LOCAL is for running an X application installed on a user's PC, not a remote host.

  • Note
    For TELNET, RSH, REXEC, and RLOGIN, the latest UNIX/Linux versions do not permit connections with the default configurations.

Setup
Open the Protocol Setup dialog box in relation to the protocol selected and set the connection port, timeou,t and options by protocol.

User Name
Enter the remote host user account.

Authentication
Select an authentication method among Password, Public Key, Keyboard Interactive, GSSAPI and PKCS11. If the selected authentication method is not supported by the SSH server, a dialog box asking about the user authentication method is displayed during connection.

  • Note
    If the PC running Xshell is utilizing an Xshell supported Kerberos module, Xshell can only automatically authenticate to the SSH server if GSSAPI authentication is selected.

Execution Command
Enter a command to be executed in the remote host.
For example, if a user executes xterm, the execution command is as follows:
/usr/bin/X11/xterm –display $DISPLAY
The "$DISPLAY" variable is converted to an appropriate value by Xstart. In general, it is converted to "192.168.1.100:0.0" when the IP address of your Windows is "192.168.1.100". To designate the value directly, the following command is executed:
/usr/bin/X11/xterm –display 192.168.1.100:0.0
Additionally, the '$PCADDR' variable and the '$DISPNO' variable can be converted. In this case, the execution command is as follows.
/usr/bin/X11/xterm –display $PCADDR:$DISPNO
If a user's PC uses several IP addresses, Xstart automatically changes them to appropriate values.
If utilizing the SSH protocol, the DISPLAY is automatically set according to the X11 forwarding protocol, so the '-display $DISPLAY' option is not required. In this case, attempting to change the $DISPLAY variable via the command box will be ignored by Xstart.

Registered Command (Direction Key Button)
Click this button to select a predefined command on a menu. By selecting a command on the menu, users can enter a long commands with just a single click.
Select [Add/Remove] to display the Registered Commands dialog box. In the dialog box, register frequently used commands.

Show connection status window
Select this option to check the connection status or messages transferred from a remote host. This option is useful when diagnosing why Xstart fails to run an X application. While the connection status window allows for simple input/output, it is not suitable for terminal work related to the connection status or error messages.