MKS X/Server Evaluation Guide

MKS is pleased to provide you with this Evaluation Guide to validate the benefits we believe your organization will derive from the use of MKS X/Server in support of your IT organization’s objectives.

MKS X/Server provides secure, seamless access to character and X-based UNIX applications from the Windows desktop. This allows you to leverage the benefits of new desktop platforms while connecting to UNIX applications throughout the enterprise. Because MKS X/Server contains a rich feature set that is easy to use, users can optimize their personal computing environments while minimizing their overall cost of ownership over time.

We are confident this evaluation will confirm the benefits of MKS X/Server and will warrant proceeding with the purchasing this product.

Thank you for the opportunity to present this solution to you, and we are looking forward to expanding our relationship with you as a valued customer.

Obtaining Evaluation Support

MKS is committed to ensuring a successful evaluation and will work closely with you during this period to optimize the personnel time and resources provided by your organization to support this joint effort.

If at any time during your evaluation of MKS X/Server you have a question or encounter an issue, please feel free to contact us using any of the following:

Web Site:	http://www.mkssoftware.com/support
Online Request Form:	http://www.mkssoftware.com/support/support.asp
E-mail:	tk_support@mkssoftware.com
Telephone:	+1-703-803-7660
Fax:	+1-703-803-3344

Installation of Evaluation Kit

Hardware and software requirements

Windows compatible x86 PC

Windows® 2008 Server
Windows® Vista
Windows® 2003 Server R2
Windows® 2003 Server
Windows® XP
Windows® 2000

Windows Compatible x64 PC

Windows® 2008 Server x64 edition
Windows® Vista x64
Windows® 2003 Server R2 x64 edition
Windows® 2003 Server x64 edition
Windows® XP x64 edition

Windows® 2003 Server for Itanium-based Systems and Windows® 2008 Server for Itanium-based Systems are supported with the 32-bit X Server.

Typical installation requires 40 Mb of disk space.

Installing MKS X/Server

If you have SCO XVision Eclipse, you must uninstall it (see instructions below), or install MKS X/Server on another machine.

When installing MKS X/Server you must install from an account with local or domain administrator privileges. You do not need to be an Administrator, but your login ID must be a member of the local or domain Windows Administrators group before you can install.

If you are installing from a CD, insert the MKS X/Server CD; the installer should start automatically. If you are installing from an electronic distribution, run the self-extracting installer.

To install MKS X/Server, click the Install X/Server button and follow the instructions on the dialogs that appear.

Note: You should turn off all virus protection software before installing MKS X/Server. Such software can sometimes cause the installation to be interrupted and rolled back. Once you have installed MKS X/Server, you can turn virus protection back on.

For step-by-step installation instructions and an installation FAQ, see http://www.mkssoftware.com/support/install.asp.

Uninstalling MKS X/Server

To uninstall MKS X/Server, use the following procedure:

1. From the Control Panel run Add/Remove Programs.

2. Remove MKS X/Server.

You must reboot your system before reinstalling MKS X/Server.

Uninstalling SCO XVision Eclipse

1. From the Control Panel run Add/Remove Programs.

2. Remove SCO XVision Eclipse. (This is only necessary if the XVision X server is installed. This X Server was normally only installed with previous versions of MKS Toolkit for Interoperability and MKS Toolkit for Enterprise Developers.)

You must reboot your system before reinstalling MKS X/Server.

The Basics

The Start Menu

When you install MKS X/Server, the installer adds the New UNIX Program and Run UNIX Program commands to the Start menu. Additionally, it creates the MKS XServer Start menu (that is, the MKS XServer folder in the Start menu’s Programs or All Programs folder) which contains some or all of the items shown below, depending on choices made during the installation process. Some items may be in submenus of the main MKS XServer menu.

· ANSI Emulator is an ANSI terminal emulator.

· UNIX Neighborhood can be used to browse remote hosts.

· VT420 Emulator is a VT420 terminal emulator.

· Wyse 60 Emulator is a Wyse 60 terminal emulator.

· X Server allows X Window System clients to display on your PC.

· Audio Server provides X applications with the ability to send and receive audio data such as voice, sound effects, and music in a network environment.

· Keymap Editor allows you to create and modify keyboard maps for use with terminal emulators.

· Program Starter can be used to remotely execute a program on a UNIX server.

· X Keymap Editor allows you to create and modify X keyboard maps

· XSpy is a troubleshooting tool that records and plays back an X protocol stream. It should be used under the direction of Technical Support and is not discussed in the documentation.

· MKS X Server Help includes complete online documentation for the product’s functionality.

· MKS X Server Release Notes provide important information about the installed release.

· Using SSH with MKS X Server describes how you can use SSH (Secure Shell) as a secure communications transport with MKS X/Server programs.

· MKS X Server Communications can be used to:

(a) configure the hosts which you can connect and run UNIX programs;

(b) configure the transports used to connect the PC to remote UNIX hosts;

(d) run diagnostics.

· MKS X Server Configuration allows you change all MKS X/Server settings, properties, and profiles, etc. in one convenient place.

· MKS X Server Services can be used to

(a) configure general settings for MKS X/Server Services;

(b) allow the PC to launch server programs on demand;

(d) provide local and remote printing services.

· XDMCP establishes a remote desktop session.

Getting Online Help

Online help is the main source of information about MKS X/Server software. To get online help, select Documentation from the MKS XServer Start menu, click Documentation, and then click MKS XServer Help. The list of task-oriented help topics appears below. You can use the Index and Search tabs to search for information.

Running an X Program

The X Server must be running to allow you to display X programs on your PC. Normally, the X Server is started automatically at the end of the installation process, or when you start your PC. By default, the X Server runs in “multiple-windows Mode”, which means that the built-in MKS X/Server Window Manager is used and X clients have the look and feel of Microsoft Windows. If you want your PC to look like an X terminal, you need to use the MKS X/Server in “single-window Mode” with a standard X window manager.

You can use Remote Program Starter to start X applications.

Note

When the X11 application being run needs to render OpenGL, the GLX extension needs to be enabled. To do this, select Configuration from the MKS XServer Start menu and click MKS X Server Configuration. On the dialog that appears, click Server. The XServer Properties dialog appears. In the Advanced section of this dialog, there is a field labeled Extensions. Scroll through the listed extensions until GLX appears. Check the GLX box to enable it.

To run an X program:

Select Run UNIX Program from the Start menu.

In the Host box, type a host name or choose a host from the drop-down list.

In the Command box, enter the command required to start an X program. Do not include the -display option (because the DISPLAY environment variable is set automatically), and do not type an ampersand (&) at the end.

Alternatively, click the Browse button. If the Host box is empty, all the configured hosts will be displayed. If you specified a host in the Host box, then the contents of your home directory on that host will be displayed. Browse the host until you find the program or shell script you want to execute.

If you want to change other settings, choose a command from the Properties menu. You can get Help on an item by clicking the question mark button in the title bar, then clicking the item.

Click Run.

The X application should start in a few seconds. If it fails to appear, use the help-based troubleshooters to help you identify the problem. Select Documentation from the MKS XServer Start menu and click MKS X Server Help to launch the online help. Double-click Troubleshooting on the Contents tab to access the MKS X/Server troubleshooters.

SSH Tip

To enable X11 Tunneling while using Remote Program Starter, select Display from the Property menu. The Remote Program Starter Properties dialog appears. On the Display tab, uncheck the Set X Display Environment box and click OK.

Exceed Replacement Tip

Remote Program Starter can now import and use Exceed .xs files directly. These files can also be imported and saved as .rps files.

Administrator’s Tip

You can store .rps files on the network for use by more than one user. You can also link them as desktop shortcuts. Finally, by combining the powerful command line capabilities of the Remote Program Starter with Windows scripting (or better yet, the advanced scripting features of MKS Toolkit), you can create sophisticated scripts within .rps files

Running a Character-based Program

Character-based UNIX programs are designed to work with certain types of terminals, so to run a UNIX program from your PC you need to use one of the MKS X/Server terminal emulators. VT420, Wyse 60 and ANSI terminal emulators are provided, and most UNIX applications can be configured to use one of these terminal types.

To run a program from a terminal emulator:

Select ANSI Emulator, VT420 Emulator, or Wyse 60 Emulator from the MKS XServer Start menu to launch the desired emulator.

On the Session menu, click Connect.

In the Host box, type a host name or choose a host from the drop-down list.

In the Command Line box, enter the command required to start a program, or leave the box empty if you want to log in to the UNIX host manually. If you want to see the UNIX system prompt, then enter the name of a shell program such as sh or csh.

Alternatively, click the browse button ( ... ) to browse the UNIX neighborhood for a host and or command. If no host is specified, all hosts are shown. If the Host entry already specifies a host, your home directory on that host is shown. Browse until you find the program or shell script you want to execute.

If you entered a program name, then a connection is opened to the UNIX host, you are logged in automatically, and the program is started. If you specified a shell program, then the UNIX system prompt appears and you can interact with the system in the same way as if you logged in at a real terminal. If you left the Command Line box empty, then a connection is opened, and you will see the UNIX Login prompt asking you to log in manually, after which you will see the system prompt produced by your default login shell. If you specified a program that is not a shell, then you will see that program as soon as the automatic connection and log in process has completed.

SSH Tip

X11 tunneling is always enabled when running a terminal emulator session. To disable it, set the DISPLAY environment variable manually after logging in to the host.

Creating a UNIX Program Item

The UNIX Application Wizard can be used to create a Windows desktop item that allows you to start an X application or a character-based application. The wizard will either add the application to the UNIX Programs menu on the Start menu, or create a new icon on the desktop or in a folder, depending on how you started the wizard. You can also include settings files in your web

pages.

To create a UNIX Program desktop item:

Do one of the following:

If you want the application to appear on the Start menu, select New UNIX Program from the Start menu.
If you want the application to appear as an icon on the desktop or in a folder, click with the right mouse button where you want the item to appear, click New, and then click UNIX Program.

Follow the wizard’s instructions, choosing the host and the command to be executed. You can use the Browse button to find the executable file you want.

You are asked to choose the type of program. Other means a UNIX program that does not require a user interface.

The wizard asks if you want to test the application. Be sure that the command will not make unwanted changes on the host system before you execute it.

If the application is an X client then the Host Replies window is displayed to show status messages including any error messages produced by the host operating system. The X client should then appear.

If the command produces an error, it will be displayed by the wizard. For most common errors you can select the error in the list box and click the Help button for assistance with that specific problem. You can click the Back button to return to previous settings, and then try executing the program again.

The wizard prompts you for an application name, which is used as the name of the settings file.

The UNIX Application Wizard creates either a Remote Program Starter document (.rps) or a terminal emulator document (.v42, .ans, .w60). If you ran the wizard from the Start menu, then the application is added to the list of UNIX programs on the Start menu. If you ran the wizard from the desktop, then a new icon appears. If you ran the wizard from inside a folder, then the settings document appears in the folder.

Copying and Pasting Between X and Windows

You can easily copy and paste information between X clients and Windows applications. These instructions assume that you have not altered the default Clipboard settings in the X Server profile.

To copy and paste information:

Select the information in the X application by dragging over it with the mouse. This action copies the information to the Windows Clipboard.

In the document where you want to insert the information, position the input cursor where you want it to appear.

On the Edit menu, click Paste.

The new information appears in the document.

Browsing UNIX Servers

You can browse the files and folders on a UNIX computer by using UNIX Neighborhood.

To see what’s on a UNIX server:

Select UNIX Neighborhood from the MKS XServer Start menu.

A window appears, displaying icons for all UNIX servers in your local network to which UNIX Neighborhood can automatically connect (additional UNIX servers can be added manually).

Double-click the icon for the host you want to browse.

If this is the first time you have connected to this host, you will be prompted to enter a username and password.

A window appears showing the contents of your home folder on the host.

To run a program or open a document from UNIX Neighborhood:

Select UNIX Neighborhood from the MKS XServer Start menu.

Find the file you want to open, and then double-click it.

If the file is recognized as an executable program, then the appropriate terminal emulator or remote program starter is run on the PC, which then executes the program on the UNIX server. If the file is a document, then the document is loaded after the UNIX program starts. If the UNIX program is an X application, the X Server will be started on the PC if it is not already running.

If the file is not recognized as one of the registered file types, then the Open With dialog box is displayed for you to choose the application used to display the file.

Using SSH with MKS X/Server

SSH (Secure Shell) is a secure replacement for older TCP protocols such as rexec, rsh, rlogin, telnet, and ftp. SSH provides the functionality of these older protocols while adding the security of an SSL encryption layer and support for modern authentication mechanisms. You can also use an established SSH connection to tunnel other protocols (such as X11) over the existing channel.

MKS X/Server provides transports that use older connection mechanisms as well as ones that use SSH. As a result, you can connect to both pre-SSH machines and SSH-capable machines. MKS X/Server first tries to connect using SSH and if that fails, it falls back to using an insecure transport (for example, telnet) to make the connection.

SSH can be configured to use a variety of authentication methods. By default, MKS X/Server is configured the simplest authentication method (where you are always prompted for your username and password when you connect to a UNIX machine). MKS X/Server can also be configured to use RSA/DSA Public Key Authentication or Smart Card Authentication.

One of the most popular reasons to use SSH is that it allows passwordless authentication. In other words, once you have set up passwordless authentication, you can open secure connections without providing your password each time. To set up passwordless authentication, you must generate a pair of public and private keys using the ssh-keygen utility (available with MKS Toolkit and on most UNIX systems) and copy them to the machine to which you want to connect. Where precisely you copy your key depends upon the specifics of the secure shell service or daemon running on the remote machine.

If you are connecting to a secure shell service or daemon that is derived from the OpenSSH version of secure shell (such as the secure shell service (sshd) from MKS Toolkit), you should append protocol version 1 RSA keys to the host’s ~/.ssh/authorized_keys file and protocol version 2 RSA and DSA keys to the host’s ~/.ssh/authorized_keys2 file where ~/ is the home directory of the account on the remote host.

If you are connecting to a secure shell service or daemon that is derived from the ssh.com version of secure shell, the procedure is somewhat different. The first thing you must be aware of is that the format of the public key files that are used by these secure shell daemons is different than the format that is used by the OpenSSH derived versions. Fortunately ssh-keygen can convert these for you with a command like:

secsh-keygen –e –f ~/.ssh/id_dsa > dsa2.pub

In this example, the file dsa2.pub is the file that contains the public key and should be installed on the remote server. Typically this is done by simply copying the file to ~/.ssh2/dsa2.pub — the ssh.com versions of the service keep each public key in a separate file. Finally you need to append a single line to the file ~/.ssh2/authorization:

Key dsa2.pub

Once you have done this, passwordless authentication should be enabled.

For full information on configuring and using SSH with MKS X/Server, select Documentation from the MKS XServer Start menu and click Using SSH with MKS X/Server.

SSH Tip

When connecting to a remote host using SSH, always leave the password field empty. The software will prompt you for any password (or other authentication) needed.

Beyond the Basics

MKS X/Server’s online documentation covers all the basics mentioned in the previous section as well as the more advanced facilities like configuration and troubleshooting.

We suggest you spend some time reviewing the documentation so that you are comfortable with all the capabilities of MKS X/Server. Probably one of first sections you’ll want to start with is MKS X/Server Configuration, which is highlighted below.

Ordering Information

MKS X/Server can be purchased using any of the following:

Web Store:	http://webstore.mkssoftware.com/webstore/
MKS Sales E-mail:	tk_info@mkssoftware.coma
MKS Sales Telephone:	+1-703-803-3343, +1-800-637-8034
MKS Sales Fax:	+1-703-803-3344
Resellers	http://www.mkssoftware.com/sales/resellers.asp?region=na

MKS, MKS X/Server, MKS Toolkit, and AlertCentre are registered trademarks of MKS Inc. NuTCRACKER is a registered trademark of MKS Software Inc. All other trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners.

U.S. Government Restricted Rights. The software and documentation provided to you (the "Software and Documentation") are "commercial items," developed exclusively at private expense, consisting of "commercial computer software" and "commercial computer software documentation" as such terms are defined in the applicable acquisition regulations. If you are the U.S. Government or any agency or department thereof (collectively referred to as the "Government"), the Software and Documentation are licensed hereunder (i) only as a commercial item and (ii) with only those rights as are granted to all other end users to the extent that such rights are consistent with this paragraph. If you are any agency of the Department of Defense of the Government, the following notice is given: The Software and Documentation are provided with RESTRICTED RIGHTS. You shall not use, duplicate or disclose the Software or Documentation in any way not specifically permitted by MKS Software Inc. or mandated by U.S. law. Manufacturer is MKS Software Inc., 12701 Fair Lakes Circle, Suite 350, Fairfax, VA 22033.