VNC is a remote desktop sharing system that will allow you to connect your home PC to a GUI (graphical interface) hosted on your VPS, for easy remote management. This guide will walk you through the steps required to setup and access a VNC server hosted on a Debian VPS.

Before beginning, ensure you are logged in to your VPS as the root user, and run the following:

# apt-get update
# apt-get upgrade

1. Install GNOME:

#apt-get install gnome-desktop-environment

2. Install required fonts:

# apt-get install xfonts-100dpi
# apt-get install xfonts-100dpi-transcoded
# apt-get install xfonts-75dpi
# apt-get install xfonts-75dpi-transcoded
# apt-get install xfonts-base

3. Install TightVNCServer:

# apt-get install tightvncserver

4. Start TightVNCServer for the first time, it will copy config files and prompt you for a password:

# tightvncserver :1

5. Stop the VNC server, so we can continue to configure it:

# tightvncserver -kill :1

6. Edit the xstartup file:

# vi ~/.vnc/xstartup

Press "A" to enter edit mode. Replace the contents of the file with the following (or edit to match):

#!/bin/shxrdb $HOME/.Xresources
xsetroot -solid grey
x-terminal-emulator -geometry 80x24+10+10 -ls -title "$VNCDESKTOP Desktop" &
# x-window-manager &
gnome-session &

Press ESC, type :wq, then press enter to save and close the file.

7. Start the VNC server with your desired resolution:

# tightvncserver -geometry 1024x768 :1

You can now access your server's remote GNOME desktop with a desktop VNC client. Enter your server's main IP address, Port 1 (or 5901, alternately), and the password you set earlier to connect to the desktop.

Nice little tutorial there it will help people out that need a VNC.

i did this but i used fluxbox and vnc4server...

after googling it, ppl say that vnc4server is much faster and better, and fluxbox (for me at least) is all I need on vps.


same tutorial just change "tightvncserver" with "vnc4server"
and "gnome-desktop-environment" with "fluxbox" :)))

Hey I used this tutorial, I installed it all on my debian OS on my VPS, and no matter what I do I cant connect to it with a VNC viewer. I have tried 2 and neither of them have been able to connect. I have opened up port 5900 and still cant get it connected, What it currently says in putty is:

Starting applications specified in /root/.vnc/xstartup
Log file is ......

So by the looks of it everything went well server end, I just need help getting VNC to work on my windows end. Thanks and great tutorial