The tail
can wag
the dog!
If you wish to use a PC, you must
physically sit at that PC, and are limited to what that PC can
do. In
contrast, Unix systems are designed to be
accessed across the network. Whether you're in an airport or
hotel
room, a public library or an internet cafe, or just at home, you
have
the full power of your data center at your disposal.
You can get there from here
There are numerous ways to run remote Unix
sessions, essentially from anywhere in the world. Remote
sessions can
be run either in a
command-line
window,
or with a full
graphic desktop.
This page provides an overview of these two methods. Links to
more
detailed instructions for running remote sessions can be found
in each
section below. In settings such as a university campus, local
PCs may
already be running the necessary software, so you don't need to
install
it.
Command line sessions
Command line sessions can be run from any PC or Mac using client
programs that implement
ssh
(Secure
Shell). ssh replaces the insecure Telnet protocol, which
should
no longer be used.
SSH clients
If you are on a Unix or Linux machine, you can ssh to any remote
system
using the ssh command.
Remote Graphic Desktops
There are two fundamental approaches to displaying a Unix
desktop on a
remote machine:
Example: Unix desktop session running in a vncviewer window on a
PC.