NX is a server/client solution for connecting to your X11 desktop from another machine. It's the UNIX equivalent of Microsoft's Terminal Services and Remote Desktop Connection. The server component is available for a number of Linux distributions, and for other UNIX platforms too. The client is available for all the server platforms, and for Microsoft Windows.
One of NX's great strengths is its built-in compression support. This makes it possible to remotely use your X11 desktop over low-bandwidth links (802.11 WiFi, cable and broadband, and satelite links) with little or no loss in performance. To see for yourself, NoMachine offer remote access to their
The latest version of NX - currently in beta testing - will allow you to reconnect to an NX session you previously used. Think
NX is a commercial product. To use the NX Server on Gentoo Linux, you must first purchase an NX Server license from
There are three different editions of NX Server available: personal, small business edition, and enterprise. The only difference that I know of between the different editions is the number of users that each edition supports. Please make sure that you buy a license for the right edition!
When you purchase your license, you will be asked which operating system you are buying for. Unfortunately, the NoMachine website doesn't list Gentoo Linux as one of the choices. Please buy a license for 'RedHat 9.0'. We use the 'RedHat 9.0' binaries for NX on Gentoo Linux.
At the moment, NX is only availble on the
I'd like to thank Gian Filippo Pinzari and all the staff at NoMachine for their help and support in bringing NX to Gentoo Linux.
Just to be clear: I am not an employee of NoMachine, and I'm not connected with the company in any way. I'm just a
Before installing NX Server on Gentoo Linux, please make sure you have chosen the correct edition for yourself or your organisation. You should have received a license key file when you purchased your license. Hang on to that key - you will need it shortly.
There are three different ebuilds in Portage, one for each of the different editions of NX Server. To install the correct edition, please run one of the following commands:
emerge -u nxserver-personal (for NX Server Personal Edition) or emerge -u nxserver-business (for NX Server Small Business Edition) or emerge -u nxserver-enterprise (for NX Server Enterprise Edition)
Portage will automatically download, compile and install NX Server and all its dependencies. When Portage has finished, there will be a message on your screen explaining any manual configuration you have to do to complete the install.
Please refer to the documentation on the
If you wish to upgrade to a later version of the
emerge -u nxserver-personal (for NX Server Personal Edition) or emerge -u nxserver-business (for NX Server Small Business Edition) or emerge -u nxserver-enterprise (for NX Server Enterprise Edition)
Portage will automatically download and install the latest available version of your edition of NX Server for you. If there are any manual configuration steps required at the end of the installation, Portage will display a message telling you what you need to do.
If you wish to change from one edition of NX Server to another (for example, from Personal to Small Business), please run the following commands:
rm -f /usr/portage/distfiles/nxserver*.rpm emerge -C nxserver-personal emerge -u nxserver-business
The
You can report bugs about NX Server on Gentoo Linux to
No matter what edition of NX Server you have chosen, NX Client can talk to them all. To install NX Client, please run these commands:
emerge -u nxclient env-update source /etc/profile
Portage will automatically download, compile, and install NX Client and all its dependencies. When Portage has finished, there will be a message on the screen explaining any manual configuration you have to do to complete the install.
NX Client lives in
To use NX Client on Gentoo, simply run this command from your favourite xterm:
nxclient
The dialog box that appears should be self-explanatory. If you need any further help, please consult the documentation on the