Installing and running an X Server on Windows
This tutorial explains how to install an X-Server on Windows. We will use the VcXsrv, a free X-server for this purpose.
Steps:
Download the installer from here
Run the installer.
Select
Full
under Installation Options and clickNext
Select a target folder
To Run the Server:
Open the
XLaunch
program (most likely on your desktop)Select
Multiple Windows
and clickNext
Select
Start no client
and clickNext
On the
Extra settings
window, clickNext
On the
Finish configuration
page clickFinish
You have now started your X Server.
Set up your console
In the Git bash
or the windows command line (cmd
) terminal, before you connect to an ssh server, you have to set the used display.
Under normal circumstances, VcXsrv will start the Xserver as display 0.0. If for some reason the remote graphical user
interface does not start later on, you can check, the actual display by right-clicking on the tray-icon of the X Server
and select Show log
.
Search for DISPLAY
in the log file, and you will find something like:
DISPLAY=127.0.0.1:0.0
In your terminal enter:
set DISPLAY=127.0.0.1:0.0
Now you are set up to connect to the server of your choice via:
ssh -Y your.target.host
Notice, that on windows you will likely need the -Y
flag for X Server connections, since it seems -X
does not normally work.