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Tools
Synergy
Controlling multiple systems simultaneously with Synergy
Side Effect
The many approaches to managing remote computers include VNC, Nomachine,
and SSH. Synergy is a clever tool that does a bit of lateral thinking
and connects multiple PCs to create a virtual desktop. By Florian Effenberger
To operate Synergy, you need at least
two PCs, each with its own operating
system, monitor, and functional
network card. The software supports
Windows 95 through Windows 7,
Mac OS X as of version 10.2, and
Linux with the current X server. Prebuilt
packages for Windows and Mac
OS X are available from the Synergy
homepage [1]. An RPM file is available
for Linux and can be installed on
most popular distributions with tools
such as Alien [2], if needed. Some
distributions also offer prebuilt packages;
for example, Ubuntu Universe
contains a package called Synergy.
Test Case
The administrator’s workplace comprises
a large desktop system running
Ubuntu and a small notebook running
Vista on the right. To avoid constantly
switching between keyboards,
the administrator has decided to use
Synergy. The admin will work mainly
on the large PC, which is the Ubuntu
system. In Synergy-speak, this is referred
to as the control system; the
administrator will use the keyboard
and mouse on this server. The other
devices are clients.
Configuration
Before you start using Synergy, you
need to configure it by editing the
/etc/synergy.conf or ~/.synergy.
conf text file. The elementary unit is
a screen: Each computer belonging to
a group, whether server or client, is a
screen with a precisely defined position
– just like the display arrangement
in a configuration with multiple
monitors. For each computer, you
need to enter into the configuration
file the name of the screen, its aliases,
and its position relative to other devices
– in both directions. Listing 1
contains an example with comments
for the test case. The Synergy homepage
documents many additional options
[3].
All options in the configuration file
should be in lowercase. Also, make
sure you use the correct line breaks,
because Synergy is fussy about them
and will not use the file if they are
wrong. After completing all this work,
you can launch the Synergy server on
Ubuntu as a normal user by typing
synergys. The ‐f parameter will prevent
Synergy from disappearing into
the background.
QuickSynergy gives you an even more
convenient approach to configuration.
On Ubuntu, you can download the
package from the Universe repository
and launch it with Applications |
Tools | QuickSynergy after the install.
Unfortunately, the program failed to
launch a working server during my
test.
The Vista client, which I want to control
remotely with the Ubuntu system,
is even easier to configure. After the
installation, you can launch Synergy
42 Admin 01 www.admin-magazine.com