

Sudo cat /etc/ssh/sshd_config | grep -i X11 | grep -v '#' To display over SSH, we need to turn on 'ForwardX11' on 'sshd' daemon and connect using the '-X' option using 'ssh.' Xauth add # adds the authorization entry to ~/.Xauthority file.ģ) ssh allows X11 forwarding over an encrypted connection. Xauth generate #generates authorization token and adds to 'X' server. Xauth list # lists the authorization entries for each specified display If the cookies don't match, the 'X' Server will reject the connection from the 'X' Client and throws an 'authentication' error. The 'X' client presents the cookie to the 'X' server, and I guess the 'X' server matches the client cookie with the cookie it has.

The ~/.Xauthority file stores the cookie. Xhost +1.2.3.4 # allows 'X' client from 1.2.3.4Ģ) xauth allows access to anyone who has the 'MIT-MAGIC-COOKIE-1'. It is better to choose 'ssh' or 'xauth' authorization for security risks with 'xhost' authorization. We can also disable host checking entirely, which means any host can connect 'X' server but this is a huge security risk. The server maintains a list of servers(X Clients) allowed to connect. This setting is applied at the server level. We can authorize 'X' clients with the below methods.ġ) xhost allows authorization based on hostnames. 'X' server will not accept connections from just anywhere. Few examplesĮxport DISPLAY=:0 means "X Server is running on localhost on port 6000".Įxport DISPLAY=:10.0 means "X Server is running on localhost on port 6010."Įxport DISPLAY=192.168.1.230:10.0 means "X Server is running on the server 192.168.1.230 on port 6010." X Server Authorization If the value is '1' displays GUI on physical monitor 1. Allows moving GUI across all the physical monitors. Screen Number: It tells which physical monitor to display the GUI. If the display number is '10', 'X' server runs on port 6010. For example, if the display number value is '0', 'X' server runs on port 6000. By default 'X' server starts on port '6000', and this value is added to '6000' to get the 'X' server port. Default value 'localhost.'ĭisplay number: Each X Server that is running gets a number. Hostname: refers to the server which displays the GUI. 'X' server is the one that interacts with Kernel and hardware and displays the GUI. 'DISPLAY' variable beautifully informs the 'X' client where the 'display server' or 'X' server is running. What is the DISPLAY variable, and why is it needed? X11 means version 11, which is the 'X' protocol version. It helps communication between the 'X' client and the 'X' server. The 'X' protocol is a display server protocol.
SIDPLAY MAC EXPORT WINDOWS
'X' Windows System is cross-platform and runs on multiple OS. It can show the GUI application over the network.
SIDPLAY MAC EXPORT SOFTWARE
The X Window System is software that helps to display text and graphics. All the X11 commands have been executed only on Amazon Linux 2 and Mac OS, So few commands might not work on other operating systems. There might be some mistakes in my understanding. Note:- I am no expert on the X11 application. I plan to share my basic knowledge about X11 in this article. After spending a couple of days, I gained a basic understanding of X11. I had faced X11 display errors in the past and fixed them but didn't get a chance to understand X11 architecture in-depth.īut this time, I wanted to understand why I was executing particular X11 command mentioned in multiple articles about X11 display issues. Recently worked on X11 issues both personally and at work.
