VNC and weird key mapping inside guest

[mk1970g]

I have ESXi which has one Windows Vista guest and I'm trying to access it from my Ubuntu desktop with VNC. The VNC itself works fine (now even with password)but the key mappings are somehow wrong when I'm typing on Vista's VNC console. I've tried to add RemoteDisplay.vnc.keymap = "fi" to the .vmx but this seems to have no effect. Any ideas how to fix this?

[MrBaba]

disabled password, disabled "ask user for connection"

do not share connection look if the port is not already in use

and try to connect normally there's no problem i use vnc from ubuntu to xp and all works fine

[mk1970g]

I seem to have the same problem when I connect to a NetBSD guest using VNC. At the same time VI Console (running inside VMware Player) shows me correct characters on the guest's console so this must be Ubuntu or Gnome problem...

[MrBaba]

the first time I installed VNC on ubuntu i've problem with the path définition

but after no problem.

look you're VM and you're computer are in the samenetwork with the same submask, and look fort the port in use if it's ok

[mk1970g]

I do NOT have a connectivity problem, my desktop, ESXi and even the guest can ping each other. The problem is the key mapping when using VNC...

[MrBaba]

take a look : http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=34135

[mk1970g]

I've tried the gconf-editor trick (desktop > gnome > peripherals > keyboard > kbd) but it does not help, I still have wrong mapping inside the guest... I've now even tried from a Windows laptop to connect to the guest and same thing, wrong mapping. I tried RealVNC and TightVNC.

Could there be something wrong in the ESXi's VNC implementation with non-US keyboards?

[MrBaba]

take a look http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=534504

or https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/feisty/source/vino/bug/112955 this one seem similar to you're problem

[mk1970g]

They are the same problem but that does not explain why I see the same mapping error when connectiong from a Windows laptop running VNC viewer. Because this happens from two different OS (Ubuntu with Gnome and Windows Vista) it might be the VNC server (=ESXi) which is doing something wrong. Or am I doing making wrong conclusion?

[MrBaba]

I thing you're right in you're jugment it's not normal if you have this problem in two totally différent OS so the problem cames from you're host OS i think and not from VNC are you sure that you're keyboard settings are the same between the OS with VNC server and the client OS ........

[mk1970g]

In Ubuntu I have (in /etc/X11/xorg.conf)

Option "XkbLayout" "fi"

and in Vista I'm using the Finnish keyboard so my client (VNC Client) side should be ok as locally typed characters appear correctly.

Regarding your comment about the VNC server I'm not sure I understand correctly what you mean. The VNC server is the ESXi which provides access to the guest's console, the same console is shown when using VI Client or VNC. The guest itself (Windows 2000 in my case) has no knowledge of this VNC session if I've understood things correctly, it only knows it has only local monitor and shows the screen there. The ESXi takes care of showing this screen on VI Client or VNC.

[MrBaba]

Ok sorry i have'nt undertsand !!!

you want to controll you're esx from another OS ???? that's it ??? if it is this you don't need att all to install vnc or something like that do you know putty?????

putty able to conect to a esx over the network

you can control you're esx from any post in the network with putty http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/download.html

try to dowload putty it's THE logiciel used to manage an esx over network

[MrBaba]

you don't need to install puty on you're esx just install the .exe for exemple on you're w2k3 and able ssh connection on the esx

after you can acces to the guest consol from you're local computer

[MrBaba]

to able ssh on youre esx :edit the sshd_config file by entering the command:

nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Look for the line called "PermitRootLogin no" and change it to "PermitRootLogin yes"

After changing the line you have to restart the sshd server by running the command:

./etc/init.d/sshd restart

[admin]

I have ESXi which has one Windows Vista guest and I'm trying to access it from my Ubuntu desktop with VNC. The VNC itself works fine (now even with password)but the key mappings are somehow wrong when I'm typing on Vista's VNC console. I've tried to add RemoteDisplay.vnc.keymap = "fi" to the .vmx but this seems to have no effect. Any ideas how to fix this?

Unfortunately, the RemoteDisplay.vnc.keymap support was not backported to the current version of ESXi, because we implemented it for WS 6.0 and ESX 3i is based on the older ESX 3.5 platform. So you're out of luck (unless you switch to a different remoting protocol or remap the keyboard on the client).

I'll look into whether we can get it backported as part of the next ESX 3.5 update, though I can't promise anything.

[MrBaba]

He can use putty for ssh on esxi ???????

[mk1970g]

MrBaba, please stop spamming this thread. Read (and try to understand !!!) the first message. My problem is NOT about connectivity, NOT how I can manage ESXi, NOT ssh related, ...

The problem is wrong keymapping inside the guest when using VNC (from Ubuntu or Windows) if the guest and PC running VNC do not have English keyboard layout.

[mk1970g]

OK, the "solution" was to ask our IT department to give me Windows Vista virtual machine (instead of Windows 2000) where i activated remote desktop support (Start > Control Panel > System and Maintenance > System > Allow Remote Access where I selected Allow connections from computers running any version and also Select Users > Add and added my login name). Now I'm executing rdesktop -k fi -a 32 address:3389 on Ubuntu and keyboard mapping is correct on the Windows guest so I'm happy. However, I'd be nice to have working VNC with non-US keyboard layouts...

[aetm]

Hi mk1970g,

An older thread but still valid... the vnckeymap you tried initially now should exist for ESX 4 (and all hosted products) - but it wasn't crossported to ESX 3.5 range.

[Zas]

Hi aetm,

Thus, in ESX3i 3.5 U4 don't work this:

RemoteDisplay.vnc.KeyMap = "es"

yes?

only in esx4i ?

thanks!