VNC via Browser

Using a Web browser to Connect to VNC Server

To run an application that features a graphical user interface (GUI) on a System i™, you must use either a VNCviewer or a

Web browser to connect to the Virtual Network Computing (VNC) server. You must run the VNCviewer or Web browser on

a graphics-capable platform, such as a personal computer.

Note: The following steps require you to know your display number and VNC password. Starting the Virtual Network

Computing (VNC) server determines the value for the display number. Creating a VNC password file sets the VNC password.

Using a VNCviewer to access the VNC server

Using a Web browser to access the VNC server

To use a Web browser to connect to the VNC server, complete the following steps:

Start the browser and access the following URL:

http:⁄⁄systemname:58nn

where:

systemname is the name or IP address of the system that is running the VNC server

nn is the 2-digit representation of the VNC server display number

For example, when the system name is system_one and the display number is 2, the URL is:

http:⁄⁄system_one:5802

Successfully accessing the URL displays a prompt for the VNC server password. At the password prompt, type the

VNC password to gain access to the VNC server display.

Some Notes:

Using the browser client is really convenient, but it does rely on Java, and some browsers⁄configurations will have problems with Java.

Note that you should NOT include “http:” in the URL.

Another viewer is vinagre, which for instance is bundled with Ubuntu. Use the same command-line format as vncviewer above.

Configure your internet firewall to pass traffic coming in on ports 5800, 5900, and 5901 on to your computer.

For connecting to a vnc server over the internet, you need to know it’s public ip address.

This can be done through an IP-reporting website, such as What is My IP Address