NoMachine NX - Support: Feature Request

Added on:

2006-10-17

Last Modified:

2007-06-20

Product:

NX Server

Target:

3.0.0

Priority:

High

Status:

Implemented

Opened by:

Silvia Regis

Technical Responsible:

Gian Filippo Pinzari

Adding support for session shadowing in NX server

NX should provide the ability for users to shadow another NX session so that, once authorized, multiple users can view, or optionally, collaborate within the same NX session and interact with the session.

In a similar way, NX should also provide the possibility to share a native desktop. Please refer to:

http://www.nomachine.com/fr/view.php?id=FR12D01567

Adding the possibility of sharing an NX session, implies adding a new type of 'Desktop' in the NX Client GUI -> General panel. This new session type can be named 'Shadow'. Please, refer to the following Feature Request related to modifications to the NX Client GUI:

http://www.nomachine.com/fr/view.php?id=FR11D01551

For example, when User B selects to run a shadowing session on the specified NX server, the client will provide a list of all the running/suspended sessions that can be accessed, in a way similar to what the 'NX Available Sessions' GUI already does. In the default configuration of the server, once User B has selected the session to connect, User A, who has initially started the session, will be prompted with a dialog asking to accept or refuse connection from User B.

The message can be similar to:

Request for shadowing session from user <username of user B>
Accept | Deny | Always deny

If User A accepts to share his/her own session, User B will connect to nxagent of user A on the same display. User B will be allowed different levels of interaction within the shared session (view or
interacting with the NX session), depending on the server
configuration. The server:
- Specifies the interaction mode by adding the shadowmode parameter to the options file for the X11 agent B, i.e. the agent to be started for attaching session of User A.
- If the X11 agent is running on Linux or Solaris, specifies
  the shadow= hostname:displayNumber
  parameter to the options file for the X11 agent B.
  If host is localhost, the option is: shadow=:displayNumber
- Runs the X11 agent B with the -S option from command line.
Related Feature Request is:

http://www.nomachine.com/fr/view.php?id=FR11D01560
If User A denies access, the server gives a message to NX client: Session shadowing refused by user <username of user A>
If User A chooses 'Always deny', the server has to remember this information in the session record and the server will forbid any other user from attaching to this session, without re-issuing the dialog to User A.
The server could also avoid listing sessions marked as 'Always deny' when providing the list of the running sessions to the client.

The server configuration will allow:

Enable/disable session shadowing on this server.
Define the interaction level inside the shared session.
Disable/Enable requesting authorization to shadow
the master session to the session's owner.

For these purposes, the following configuration keys have to be added
in the /usr/NX/etc/server.cfg file:

#
# Allow the NX user to connect to a session running on this server:
#
# 1: Enabled. The NX user can connect to a running or a suspended
#    NX session. If EnableSessionShadowingAuthorization is
#    enabled, the owner of the master session will accept or deny
#    the connection.
#
# 0: Disabled. Session shadowing is forbidden.
#
#EnableSessionShadowing = "1"

If the session shadowing is disabled, the server will provide the following message to the client:

Session shadowing disabled on this server

#
# Allow session shadowing in interactive mode:
#
# 1: Enabled. User connecting to the session can interact with
#    the session.
#
# 0: Disabled. The session is shadowed in view-only mode. User
#    attaching to the session can't interact with the session.
#
#EnableInteractiveSessionShadowing = "1"

#
# NX server requires authorization from the owner of the NX session
# to shadow the session:
#
# 1: Enabled. NX server asks for authorization from the owner
#    of the master session before trying to share the session.
#
# 0: Disabled. NX server tries to share the NX session without
#    the need for any authorization from the owner of the master
#    session.
#
#EnableSessionShadowingAuthorization = "1"

Even if in the first phase it can be acceptable to have a global configuration for defining the interaction level inside the shared session, please note that this will have to be configurable on a per-user basis.

Notes


	Adding support for session shadowing in NX server
Nothing available.