What is X11 Forwarding used for?
X11 forwarding allows you to open and utilize GUIs from commands entered into a terminal session. This is useful for using visualization softwares, examining workspace variables through code editors, and many more applications.
X11 Client
In order to be able to forward X11 windows from Spiedie on your MacOS and Windows machines, you must have an X11 client such as XQuartz (MacOS) or XMing (Windows) installed running.
MacOS and Linux
To enable X11 forwarding, just add the following flag when signing on to Spiede:
ssh -Y <username>@spiedie.binghamton.edu
You can verify that X11 forwarding is correctly working by simply running:
xclock
This should forward a small system clock window.
Windows
- Make sure XServer (such as XMing) is running
- Open PuTTY
- Click on Connection->SSH->X11 and check Enable X11 Forwarding
- Log in to Spiedie as usual
X11 forwarding should now be available. You can also verify as above by running
xclock