Setting Up X-Win32

1) Installing X-Win32 (current version)

Run the Install program. Take the defaults for everything.

Vista Note: Don't use the run box. Download the xwin329_0.exe to the desktop. Double click it. It will ask where to extract in some god awful temp folder like:
  c:\users\YOUR_USERNAME\blah\blah\blah\temp
change this to:
  c:\users\YOUR_USERNAME\Desktop
Then click on the installer from there.

Run X-Config and choose the "Security" tab. Click The "Add" button and enter "localhost" (without quotes). Click "OK" twice. This closes a security hole.

Note: It will prompt for the license key at some point, if you are installing in Cockins, you will have to have Computer Support supply this. If you are installing at home, enter your key. The key is a several lines string found in the Install Notes document.

2a) Configuring for use with SSH

Go to Start -> Programs -> X-Win32 -> X-Config. On the Security tab Currently it is blank, meaning anyone can access your machine. Click on Add. Add the following hostnames:
localhost

(Note, if you decide not to tunnel, you must NOT enter any passwords using your X windows as they will NOT be encrypted, even if you're using ssh on the unix machine. If you're going to enter passwords, you should tunnel X through SSH, or use the SSH client on your PC.)

On the Sessions tab do the following: leave everything blank.

2b) Configuring for XDMCP (SSH is preferred)

Go to Start -> Programs -> X-Win32 -> X-Config.

On the Security tab, check the box next to "Use XAuth".

On the Window tab, click on the "Single" button in the Window Mode box. Click off the "Full Screen" check box.

On the Sessions tab do the following:

1. Click Add

2. Select XDMCP, click Next

3. In the Session Name box type Stat

4. In the Hostname box type mordor.stat.ohio-state.edu

5. Click on Auto Start but not Auto Restart

6. Click Save

7. Click Add

8. Select XDMCP, click Next

9. In the Session Name box type Stat-Broadcast

10. Make sure Auto Start and Auto Restart are off

11. Click Save

12. Click OK, to completely close X-Config.

3a) Using X-Win32 with SSH

To use X-Win32 through SSH do the following:

1. Start X-Win32 by going to Start -> Programs -> X-Win32 -> X-Win32.

2. Via SSH, log into linux.stat. (Or whichever host you want to run on.)

3. On linux.stat, type: xterm -ls &

4. Do not quit SSH until you are done with X, as it is still working, doing the tunneling.

Now you can run whatever programs you want from this Xterm. Just remember to log out of all X windows clients before quitting X-Win32. Also, please don't run web broswers from Unix, it is much preferred to run it (or IE) locally on your PC.

Alternatively, you could replace the xterm step with: sh .xsession & and then continue with the last step once all your windows have come up. This method will launch all your windows just like at OSU. When you start this way X-Win32 uses the settings stored in your .xsession file in your Unix account's home directory. So if you change that it will change what starts on both the PC and the Unix machines. To have a different file for home you could create a .xsession.pc and run that instead of .xsession.

(Note, if you get "can't open display" chances are you have not clicked 'tunnel X connections' in the SSH client, like SSH Secure Shell Client, PuTTY or OpenSSH.)

3b) Using X-Win32 with XDMCP

Start X-Win32 by going to Start -> Programs -> X-Win32 -> X-Win32. This opens a default to mordor.

If you want to browse all the hosts, right click the X-Win32 tab in the task bar, go up to Session, choose Stat-Broadcast. (You can tell it "No" to close the default session.) It will bring up a browser with a list of hosts. After you are done with this session it will bring up the unix session again.

4) Other Tips

If you have a three button mouse, like a Microsoft Intellimouse, you should be able to use the three buttons as you would in X windows. That is, left button cuts, middle button pastes. You can cut and paste from X to Windows and vice versa.

5) Changing the Appearance of X Windows

When you run X-Win32 your X windows may not look the same as on a workstation. This is probably due to different screen resolution or different font availability. There is a document on the documentation web page under Unix, that describes how to change aspects of the X windows system.