In this guide I will show you how to connect to your VPS (or any server) using VNC.
What is VNC and How Does It Work?
VNC or Virtual Network Computing is a platform allowing you to control a remote computer, server or other device. It’s typically used to control your remote instance via graphical interface, meaning you use your local keyboard and mouse to work on a remote computer.
The transmission itself uses open-source Remote Framebuffer protocol, compatible with operating systems such as macOS, Windows and Linux. Remote Framebuffer protocol was built as an easy solution to a wide variety of systems and configurations, allowing greater capability than older protocols.
Although easy to set up and use, VNC is lacking in security in comparison to mainstream protocols, such as SSH or Windows Remote Desktop. That being said, VNC can be invaluable in a situation when you can’t connect to your server using standard methods. Our customers can use VNC when working with their virtual instance VPS.
VNC Clients
In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to log in to the server via VNC. Our tool of choice is a free VNC client called UltraVNC. Although we use UltraVNC in this tutorial, there are many good alternatives. Check for instance RealVNC or TigerVNC and others.
Getting Started with UltraVNC
It’s sufficient to install just the VNC Client on your local computer. We do not recommend installing a VNC Server on your local computer. After you install UltraVNC, start the UltraVNC Viewer app. The program will prompt you for credentials:
Now prepare your login credentials for VNC. Type in your credentials in this format: <VNC_IP>:<VNC_PORT>. For instance 0.120.120.120:65432.
The standard port number is 5900, although it may change depending on your server setup. We will provide server root access info and VNC information to our customers once the server is set up. If you could not access via VNC or do not have VNC info, just contact with our support engineers.
After entering this information, please press the connect button and type in your VNC password.
Please keep in mind to always check your spelling since the VNC login is case sensitive. Also look out for your keyboard layout to prevent any mishaps during the login (Y and Z might be switched due to a different keyboard layout). To test which keyboard layout is active, you can enter a few test characters at the login prompt and remove them again before entering your actual login name.
Connecting to Your Operating System Using VNC
Connecting to Linux Server
After you type in your password and click on the “Log On” button, the command line will open. The program will ask for your login data to your server.
After you successfully login, your command line will begin with your username and hostname, for instance: <USERNAME>@<YOUR_SERVER>:~#
If your Linux is equipped with a GUI, you can now launch graphic interface and do whatever you want to do with your server using both mouse and keyboard.