Code2Pro: How to Forward X11 to Windows 10 via PuTTY & vcxsrv

howto-forward-x11-to-win10-via-putty-vcxsrv.md

Code2Pro: How to Forward X11 to Windows 10 via PuTTY & vcxsrv

Scope

Tested on Windows 10 & Ubuntu 16.

Steps

1. Check that sshd on Ubuntu is properly configured

sudo vim /etc/ssh/sshd_config

The most important line is X11Forwarding yes (it's added by default, but if not, you can add it).

X11Forwarding yes
X11DisplayOffset 10
PrintMotd no
PrintLastLog yes
TCPKeepAlive yes
#UseLogin no
# http://develorium.com/2015/05/remote-eclipse-over-x11/
X11UseLocalhost no

Then reload sshd:

sudo service sshd reload

2. Install vim-gtk3 or other packages that have UI on Ubuntu

sudo apt-get install vim-gtk3

You can also try gnome-terminal.

For more, check: http://packages.ubuntu.com/xenial/x11/

3. Install VcXsrv Windows X Server

• Download and install: https://sourceforge.net/projects/vcxsrv/
• Check that VcXsrv runs and right-click, get logs to find DISPLAY=127.0.0.1:0.0
• Note down the value of $DISPLAY and pass it ot PuTTY

4. Configure PuTTY

• Navigate to SSH => X11 => Tick Enable X11 forwarding
• Pass the value of $DISPLAY (which is 127.0.0.1:0.0) to the field X display location

5. Launch from Ubuntu

• Use PuTTy to log in as normal
• Run gvim for example on the Ubuntu via PuTTY
• Use the GVim window

References

• http://develorium.com/2015/05/remote-eclipse-over-x11/
• https://infectedproject.wordpress.com/2007/07/09/forwarding-gnome-via-ssh/
• https://superuser.com/questions/99303/what-are-my-x-client-options-for-ms-windows
• http://dasunhegoda.com/gui-ubuntu-server-x11-forwarding/679/
• http://dasunhegoda.com/remote-login-gui-vnc-linux/602/
• http://www.pcworld.com/article/3055403/windows/windows-10s-bash-shell-can-run-graphical-linux-applications-with-this-trick.html
• http://packages.ubuntu.com/xenial/x11/
• http://serverfault.com/questions/827259/how-to-run-gnome-terminal-on-remote-centos-7-machine
• https://sourceforge.net/projects/vcxsrv/
• https://sourceforge.net/projects/xming/
• https://www.howtogeek.com/261575/how-to-run-graphical-linux-desktop-applications-from-windows-10s-bash-shell/
• https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-options-for-X11-on-Windows-10

I found it necessary to install xauth on the Linux box (xorg-x11-xauth package on CentOS) to allow the sshd server to accept the X server's DISPLAY variable. Otherwise, $DISPLAY was blank. ("echo $DISPLAY" on the Linux host to test.) Note that the first connection will complain that ~/.Xauthority does not exist. xauth will create that file on the first run.

I found it necessary to install xauth on the Linux box (xorg-x11-xauth package on CentOS) to allow the sshd server to accept the X server's DISPLAY variable. Otherwise, $DISPLAY was blank. ("echo $DISPLAY" on the Linux host to test.) Note that the first connection will complain that ~/.Xauthority does not exist. xauth will create that file on the first run.

@SpareSimian This worked for me. Thanks!