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Giving VPS direct access to the Graphics and Sound hardware [message #35297] Mon, 16 March 2009 12:45 Go to next message
starfry is currently offline  starfry
Messages: 24
Registered: March 2009
Location: Coulsdon, Surrey, UK
Junior Member
Hello. I like the idea of using VPS to segregate the functional areas of a large system. The system needs to function as a workstation and therefore needs to run a desktop environment.

Now, I could easily install a desktop on the HE but this feels wrong.

I have successfully installed a desktop in a VPS that I can access over XDMCP and that works well. I have installed X on the HE so I can use it to access the VPS (by doing X -query vps_ip).

This is fine for basic usage but XDMCP does not lend itself well to motion video and audio. It also seems an unnecessary thing in the way given that the VPS is physically located on the workstation hardware.

What I would like to do is "hand over" control of the display/keyboard/mouse, etc, to a VPS. Can I do this ?

(in case it matters; I am running HE and VPS on Ubuntu 8.04)
Re: Giving VPS direct access to the Graphics and Sound hardware [message #35310 is a reply to message #35297] Tue, 17 March 2009 07:08 Go to previous messageGo to next message
starfry is currently offline  starfry
Messages: 24
Registered: March 2009
Location: Coulsdon, Surrey, UK
Junior Member
Can anyone help with this please? I'd really like to sort this if I can Smile
Re: Giving VPS direct access to the Graphics and Sound hardware [message #35311 is a reply to message #35310] Tue, 17 March 2009 08:12 Go to previous messageGo to next message
maratrus is currently offline  maratrus
Messages: 1495
Registered: August 2007
Location: Moscow
Senior Member
Hello,

as far as I know it's impossible to run X server inside VE without making changes which could be harmful.

One of the main advantage of OpenVZ is an ability to provide isolation. Why do you need using hardware from inside the VE? It might be dangerous for the whole system. Why don't you run such application on the HN?
Anyway, this topic reminds another one which might be useful in this particular situation

http://forum.openvz.org/index.php?t=tree&th=7070&mid =34390&&rev=&reveal=
Re: Giving VPS direct access to the Graphics and Sound hardware [message #35314 is a reply to message #35297] Tue, 17 March 2009 08:56 Go to previous messageGo to next message
starfry is currently offline  starfry
Messages: 24
Registered: March 2009
Location: Coulsdon, Surrey, UK
Junior Member
Aha! thanks for the information. I'm pleased to see that I am not the first to ask this question Smile

My rationale is to install as little as possible on the HE to minimise the risk of damage that could impact many VPSs.

As explained in my OP, I already have a desktop environment in a VPS and I have Xorg installed in the HE and I run an X server on the HE that connects to the VPS using XDMCP (using the simple X command line: X -query ip_of_vps)

The problem is that sound and video and any optimisations that rely on direct access to the GPU do not work over XDMCP. I would like to allow the VPS to run the X server and avoid installing desktop applications in the HE.

Reading the posts and, in the absence of a "proper" solution, I think I will run the desktop in the HE but continue to run "non intensive" applictions in a VPS thus keeping the HE desktop install to a minimum.

If any other suggestions are available I'd be interested Smile
Re: Giving VPS direct access to the Graphics and Sound hardware [message #40133 is a reply to message #35297] Wed, 21 July 2010 06:08 Go to previous messageGo to next message
bjdea1 is currently offline  bjdea1
Messages: 39
Registered: February 2009
Member
This seemed to work fine in VE's on our Hardware node. Everything is done from inside the VE:

KDE and VNC server inside OpenVZ Container
http://www.serverhostingsecrets.com/tutorials/kde-vnc-openvz -container/


Deasoft.com Hosting/Software
AutoBillMe.com Billing Automation
Re: Giving VPS direct access to the Graphics and Sound hardware [message #40136 is a reply to message #40133] Wed, 21 July 2010 08:43 Go to previous message
starfry is currently offline  starfry
Messages: 24
Registered: March 2009
Location: Coulsdon, Surrey, UK
Junior Member
But that uses VNC. What I asked was whether I can give a VE control of the HE's hardware (such as the input devices and the video and sound cards). I have proceeded on the assumption that this is not possible.
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