Remote access with X2GoClient #

Remote access tools let you connect to another computer from a remote connection.

X2Go is optimized to provide fast performance, even over slow network connections. It should work well even with VPN connections to the bellagio server from off-campus.

Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itArH9zN7wk

Download and install X2Go Client (Windows) #

Go to the X2Go website https://wiki.x2go.org/, and click Download in the left sidebar.

Click the appropriate X2Go Client download link for Windows.

Once the download is complete, double-click to run the setup.

Review the terms of the license agreement, and click I Agree to continue.

Click Next to continue with the "Recommended" installation.

Choose the install location for the X2Go client (it should not be necessary to change this in most cases).

Choose the Start Menu folder for the X2Go client’s shortcuts. This is optional, and again, it should not be necessary to change this in most cases.

Click Install to begin installation.

Once the installation finishes, press Finish to close the installer.

Download and install X2Go Client (macOS) #

Note: macOS users must first install XQuartz (see https://www.xquartz.org/).

Go to the X2Go website https://wiki.x2go.org/, and click Download in the left sidebar. Click the appropriate X2Go Client download link for your version of macOS.

Double-click on the downloaded DMG (disk image) to open it in Finder.

Then drag and drop x2goclient.app into your Applications folder.

Configuring X2Go Client (all platforms) #

Note: Configuration is identical for X2Go across all platforms, e.g., Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Open the X2Go Client application on your computer. This should immediately open a session configuration window.

If the configuration window does not open, use the menu bar at the top of the window (Windows) or at the top of your screen (Mac) and navigate through Session > New Session.

Make sure that:

The "Host:" field contains the address "bellagio.csn.edu".
The "Login:" field has your appropriate username. This can be found in your email pertaining to your Bellagio login credentials.
The "SSH port:" field is set to "22"
Your "Session type" field is selected as "Single application" with a "Command:" field value of "Terminal".

Press OK when you are done configuring your session.

Once the session is created, it will appear on the right side of the X2Go Client.

At this point, you can use the session by typing its name into the center text field, or by clicking on its box in the right sidebar.

If the following appears when starting the session:

Host key verification failed.

    The server is unknown. Do you trust the host key?
    Public key hash: bellagio.csn.edu:22 -

                                Yes        No

Press Yes. This is establishing trust for future connections to the Bellagio server via X2Go.

Note: You should only be prompted for this verification once – the first time you connect to a server.

X2Go should then prompt you to enter your Bellagio account password. This can also be found in your email with the username from before, or it is the password you changed it to if you have done so.

Upon entering valid credentials, X2Go should connect to Bellagio.

This should open a terminal window for you from which you may interact with the Bellagio server.

X2Go Sessions are persistent #

An X2Go session persists when you lose your Internet connection (e.g., you close your laptop) or when you quit your X2Go client (that is, when you quit the X2Go Client application without properly logging out of your X2Go session).

If you previously run a session and exited X2Go client without logging out of that session, you’ll see a window like this on your next login:

You may choose to resume a suspended session, terminate a suspended session, or start a new session.

The x2go system sometimes fails to properly restore an existing x2go session, requiring the session be terminated before starting a new one.

Suspended sessions are terminated after three (3) hours to provide adequate resources for all system users.

You should always save your work before leaving or stepping away from an X2Go session.

If you have any questions please reach out to a TA or the bellagio admin, Kevin Mess.

Authors #

Miguel Castillo-Leyva, William Simpson, and Bryce Forrest