File: README

package info (click to toggle)
tightvnc-java 1.2.7-3
  • links: PTS
  • area: contrib
  • in suites: sarge
  • size: 328 kB
  • ctags: 437
  • sloc: java: 3,321; makefile: 88; sh: 41
file content (423 lines) | stat: -rw-r--r-- 18,585 bytes parent folder | download | duplicates (5)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423

TightVNC Java Viewer version 1.2.7
==================================

Copyright (C) 2001,2002 HorizonLive.com, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.
Copyright (C) 2001,2002 Constantin Kaplinsky.  All Rights Reserved.
Copyright (C) 1999 AT&T Laboratories Cambridge.  All Rights Reserved.

This software is distributed under the GNU General Public Licence as
published by the Free Software Foundation. See the file LICENCE.TXT for the
conditions under which this software is made available. TightVNC also
contains code from other sources. See the Acknowledgements section below, and
the individual files for details of the conditions under which they are made
available.


Compiling from the sources
==========================

To compile all the .java files to .class files, simply do:

	% make all

This will also generate a JAR (Java archive) file containing all the classes. 
Most JVM (Java Virtual Machine) implementations are able to use either a set
of .class files, or the JAR archive.


Installation
============

There are three basic ways to use TightVNC Java viewer:

  1. Running applet as part of TightVNC server installation.

     Both the Unix and Windows versions of TightVNC servers include small
     built-in HTTP server which can serve Java viewer to Web clients. This
     enables easy Web access to the shared desktop without need to install
     any software on the client computer. Unix and Windows versions of
     TightVNC servers are different in the way they store the .class and .jar
     files: the Unix server (Xvnc) is able to serve any set of files present
     in a particular directory, while the Windows server (WinVNC) has all the
     .class and .jar files inside the WinVNC executable file. Therefore, for
     Xvnc, it's enough to copy the files into a correct directory, but for
     WinVNC, the server binaries should be rebuild if the built-in Java
     viewer should be updated.

     To install the Java viewer under Xvnc, copy all the .class files, the
     .jar file and the .vnc files to an installation directory (e.g.
     /usr/local/vnc/classes):

         cp *.class *.jar *.vnc /usr/local/vnc/classes

     Also, make sure that the vncserver script is configured to point to the
     installation directory (see the Xvnc manual page for the description of
     the -httpd command-line option).

  2. Running applet hosted on a standalone Web server.

     Another possibility to use the Java viewer is to install it under a
     fully-functional HTTP server such as Apache or IIS. Obviously, this
     method requires running an HTTP server, and due to the Java security
     restrictions, it's also required that the server should be installed on
     the same machine which is running the TightVNC server. In this case,
     installation is simply copying the .class and .jar files into a
     directory that is under control of the HTTP server. Also, an HTML page
     should be created which will act as a the base document for the viewer
     applet (see an example named index.html in this distribution).

  3. Running the viewer as a standalone application.

     Finally, the Java viewer can be executed locally on the client machine,
     but this method requires installation of either JRE (Java Runtime
     Environment) or JDK (Java Development Kit). If all the .class files are
     in the current directory, the Java viewer can be executed like this,
     from the command line:

         java VncViewer HOST vnchost PORT 5900

     The parameters HOST and PORT are required, but there is a number of
     optional parameters as well (see the Parameters section below).

Parameters
==========

TightVNC Java viewer supports a number of parameters allowing you to
customize its behaviour. Most parameter names copy settings available from
the Options frame in the Java viewer. Both parameter names and their values
are case-insensitive, with one exception for the "PASSWORD" parameter. Here
is the full list of parameters supported in TightVNC Java viewer:

--> "HOST" (no GUI equivalent)

    Value: host name or IP address of the VNC server.
    Default: in applet mode, the host from which the applet was loaded.

    This parameter tells the viewer which server to connect to. Normally,
    it's not needed, because default Java security policy allow connections
    from applets to the only one host anyway, and that is the host from which
    the applet was loaded.

--> "PORT" (no GUI equivalent)

    Value: TCP port number on the VNC server.
    Default: none.

    This parameter is required in all cases. Note that this port is not the
    one used for HTTP connection from the browser, it is the port used for
    RFB connection. Usually, VNC servers use ports 58xx for HTTP connections,
    and ports 59xx for RFB connections. Thus, most likely, this parameter
    should be set to something like 5900, 5901 etc.

--> "PASSWORD"

    Value: session password in plan text.
    Default: none, ask user.

    DO NOT EVER USE THIS PARAMETER, unless you really know what you are
    doing. It's extremely dangerous from the security point of view. When
    this parameter is set, the viewer won't ever ask for a password.

--> "ENCPASSWORD"

    Value: encrypted session password in hex-ascii.
    Default: none, ask user.

    The same as the "PASSWORD" parameter but DES-encrypted using a fixed key.
    Its value should be represented in hex-ascii e.g. "494015f9a35e8b22".
    This parameter has higher priority over the "PASSWORD" parameter. DO NOT
    EVER USE THIS PARAMETER, unless you really know what you are doing. It's
    extremely dangerous from the security point of view, and encryption does
    not actually help here since the decryption key is always known.

--> "Encoding"

    Values: "Raw", "RRE", "CoRRE", "Hextile", "Zlib", "Tight".
    Default: "Tight".

    The preferred encoding. "Hextile" is a good choice for fast networks,
    while "Tight" is better suited for low-bandwidth connections. From the
    other side, the "Tight" decoder in TightVNC Java viewer seems to be more
    efficient than "Hextile" decoder so it's possible that this default
    setting can be ok for fast networks too.

--> "Compression level"

    Values: "Default", "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6", "7", "8", "9".
    Default: "Default". ;-)

    Use specified compression level for "Tight" and "Zlib" encodings. Level 1
    uses minimum of CPU time on the server but achieves weak compression
    ratios. Level 9 offers best compression but may be slow in terms of CPU
    time consumption on the server side. Use high levels with very slow
    network connections, and low levels when working over higher-speed
    networks. The "Default" value means that the server's default compression
    level should be used.

--> "JPEG image quality"

    Values: "JPEG off", "0", "1", "2", "3", "4", "5", "6", "7", "8", "9".
    Default: "6".

    Use the specified image quality level in "Tight" encoding. Quality level
    0 denotes bad image quality but very impressive compression ratios, while
    level 9 offers very good image quality at lower compression ratios. If
    the value is "JPEG off", the server will not use lossy JPEG compression
    in "Tight" encoding.

--> "Cursor shape updates"

    Values: "Enable", "Ignore", "Disable".
    Default: "Enable".

    Cursor shape updates is a protocol extension used to handle remote cursor
    movements locally on the client side, saving bandwidth and eliminating
    delays in mouse pointer movement. Note that current implementation of
    cursor shape updates does not allow a client to track mouse cursor
    position at the server side. This means that clients would not see mouse
    cursor movements if mouse was moved either locally on the server, or by
    another remote VNC client. Set this parameter to "Disable" if you always
    want to see real cursor position on the remote side. Setting this option
    to "Ignore" is similar to "Enable" but the remote cursor will not be
    visible at all. This can be a reasonable setting if you don't care about
    cursor shape and don't want to see two mouse cursors, one above another.

--> "Use CopyRect"

    Values: "Yes", "No".
    Default: "Yes".

    The "CopyRect" encoding saves bandwidth and drawing time when parts of
    the remote screen are moving around. Most likely, you don't want to
    change this setting.

--> "Restricted colors"

    Values: "Yes", "No".
    Default: "No".

    If set to "No", then 24-bit color format is used to represent pixel data. 
    If set to "Yes", then only 8 bits are used to represent each pixel. 8-bit
    color format can save bandwidth, but colors may look very inaccurate.

--> "Mouse buttons 2 and 3"

    Values: "Normal", "Reversed".
    Default: "Normal".

    If set to "Reversed", then right mouse button (button 2) will act as it
    was middle mouse button (button 3), and vice versa.

--> "View only"

    Values: "Yes", "No".
    Default: "No".

    If set to "Yes", then all keyboard and mouse events in the desktop window
    will be silently ignored and will not be passed to the remote side.

--> "Share desktop"

    Values: "Yes", "No".
    Default: "Yes".

    Share the connection with other clients on the same VNC server. The exact
    behaviour in each case depends on the server configuration.

--> "Open new window" (no GUI equivalent, applicable only in the applet mode)

    Values: "Yes", "No".
    Default: "No".

    Operate in a separate window. This makes possible resizing the desktop,
    and adds scroll bars when necessary. If the server supports variable
    desktop size, the window will resize automatically when remote desktop
    size changes.

--> "Show controls" (no GUI equivalent)

    Values: "Yes", "No".
    Default: "Yes".

    Set to "No" if you want to get rid of that button panel at the top.

--> "Offer relogin" (no GUI equivalent, not applicable in the applet mode)

    Values: "Yes", "No".
    Default: "Yes".

    If set to "No", the buttons "Login again" and "Close window" won't be
    shown on disconnects or after an error has occured.

--> "Show offline desktop" (no GUI equivalent)

    Values: "Yes", "No".
    Default: "No".

    If set to "Yes", the viewer would continue to display desktop even
    if the remote side has closed the connection. In this case, if the
    button panel is enabled, then the "Disconnect" button would be
    changed to "Hide desktop" after the connection is lost.

--> "Defer screen updates" (no GUI equivalent)

    Value: time in milliseconds.
    Default: "20".

    When updating the desktop contents after receiving an update from server,
    schedule repaint within the specified number of milliseconds. Small delay
    helps to coalesce several small updates into one drawing operation,
    improving CPU usage. Set this parameter to 0 to disable deferred updates.

--> "Defer cursor updates" (no GUI equivalent)

    Value: time in milliseconds.
    Default: "10".

    When updating the desktop after moving the mouse, schedule repaint within
    the specified number of milliseconds. This setting makes sense only when
    "Cursor shape updates" parameter is set to "Enable". Small delay helps to
    coalesce several small updates into one drawing operation, improving CPU
    usage. Set this parameter to 0 to disable deferred cursor updates.

--> "Defer update requests" (no GUI equivalent)

    Value: time in milliseconds.
    Default: "50".

    After processing an update received from server, wait for the specified
    number of milliseconds before requesting next screen update. Such delay
    will end immediately on every mouse or keyboard event if not in the "view
    only" mode. Small delay helps the server to coalesce several small
    updates into one framebuffer update, improving both bandwidth and CPU
    usage. Increasing the parameter value does not affect responsiveness on
    mouse and keyboard events, but causes delays in updating the screen when
    there is no mouse and keyboard activity on the client side.

--> "SocketFactory" (no GUI equivalent)

    Value: name of the class.
    Default: none.

    This option provides the way to define an alternate I/O implementation.
    The dynamically referenced class must implement a SocketFactory
    interface, and create a Socket, as configured by this parameter. See the
    source in the SocketFactory.class.


RECORDING VNC SESSIONS
======================

Current version of the TightVNC Java viewer is able to record VNC (RFB)
sessions in files for later playback. The data format in saved session files
is compatible with the rfbproxy program written by Tim Waugh. Most important
thing about session recording is that it's supported only if Java security
manager allows access to local filesystem. Typically, it would not work for
unsigned applets. To use this feature, either use TightVNC Java viewer as a
standalone application (Java Runtime Environment or Java Development Kit
should be installed), or as a signed applet. The code checks if it's possible
to support session recording, and if everything's fine, the new "Record"
button should appear in the button panel. Pressing this button opens new
window which controls session recording. The GUI is pretty self-explained.

Other important facts about session recording:

--> All sessions are recorded in the 24-bit color format. If you use
    restricted colors (8-bit format), it will be temporarly switched to
    24-bit mode during session recording.

--> All sessions are recorded with cursor shape updates turned off. This is
    necessary to represent remote cursor movements in recorded sessions.

--> Closing and re-opening the recording control window does not affect the
    recording. It's not necessary to keep that window open during recording a
    session.

--> Avoid using Zlib encoding when recording sessions. It's ok if you started
    recording BEFORE the connection to the VNC server has been established,
    but if you started recording during an active session, all Zlib sessions
    will be saved Raw-encoded (that is, without compression at all). Zlib
    decoding depends on the pixel data received earlier, thus saving the data
    received from the server at an arbitrary moment is not sufficient to
    decompress it correctly. And there is no way to say Zlib decoder to reset
    decompressor's state -- that's a limitation of the Zlib encoder. The
    viewer could re-compress raw pixel data again before saving Zlib-encoded
    sessions, but unfortunately Java API does not allow to flush zlib data
    streams making it impossible to save Zlib-encoded RFB pixel data without
    using native code.

--> Usually, Tight encoding is the most suitable one for session recording,
    but some of the issues described above for the Zlib encoding affect the
    Tight encoding as well. Unlike Zlib sessions, Tight-encoded sessions are
    always saved Tight-encoded, but the viewer has to re-compress parts of
    data to synchronize encoder's and decoder's zlib streams. And, due to
    Java zlib API limitations, zlib streams' states have to be reset on each
    compressed rectangle, causing compression ratios to be lower than in the
    original VNC session. If you want to achieve the best possible
    performance, turn recording on BEFORE connecting to the VNC server,
    otherwise CPU usage and compression ratios may be notably less efficient.


HINTS
=====

--> To refresh remote desktop in the view-only mode, press "r" or "R"
    on the keyboard.


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
================

This distribution contains Java DES software by Dave Zimmerman
<dzimm@widget.com> and Jef Poskanzer <jef@acme.com>.  This is:

    Copyright (c) 1996 Widget Workshop, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

    Permission to use, copy, modify, and distribute this software and its
    documentation for NON-COMMERCIAL or COMMERCIAL purposes and without fee
    is hereby granted, provided that this copyright notice is kept intact.
    
    WIDGET WORKSHOP MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES ABOUT THE
    SUITABILITY OF THE SOFTWARE, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT
    NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A
    PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. WIDGET WORKSHOP SHALL NOT BE
    LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES SUFFERED BY LICENSEE AS A RESULT OF USING,
    MODIFYING OR DISTRIBUTING THIS SOFTWARE OR ITS DERIVATIVES.
    
    THIS SOFTWARE IS NOT DESIGNED OR INTENDED FOR USE OR RESALE AS ON-LINE
    CONTROL EQUIPMENT IN HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENTS REQUIRING FAIL-SAFE
    PERFORMANCE, SUCH AS IN THE OPERATION OF NUCLEAR FACILITIES, AIRCRAFT
    NAVIGATION OR COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS, AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL, DIRECT LIFE
    SUPPORT MACHINES, OR WEAPONS SYSTEMS, IN WHICH THE FAILURE OF THE
    SOFTWARE COULD LEAD DIRECTLY TO DEATH, PERSONAL INJURY, OR SEVERE
    PHYSICAL OR ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE ("HIGH RISK ACTIVITIES").  WIDGET
    WORKSHOP SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTY OF
    FITNESS FOR HIGH RISK ACTIVITIES.

    Copyright (C) 1996 by Jef Poskanzer <jef@acme.com>.  All rights
    reserved.

    Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
    modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
    are met:
    1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
       notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
    2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
       notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
       documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.

    THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR AND CONTRIBUTORS ``AS IS'' AND
    ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
    IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
    PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED.  IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR OR CONTRIBUTORS
    BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR
    CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF
    SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR
    BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY,
    WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR
    OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF
    ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

    Visit the ACME Labs Java page for up-to-date versions of this and other
    fine Java utilities: http://www.acme.com/java/