Solaris

Hello
Yes, I am running this through putty on windows machine and not sure IF x-server is running or how to run x-server?

Thank you!

I am guessing that You don't have an X-server running. Look through Your menus and/or "Add/Remove Programs" if it's listed somewhere.

You could try to install Xming or Cygwin/X for Windows. There are others.
And then, if You have X forwarding enabled in putty (which it looks as if You have, the localhost:10.0 is the DISPLAY used by ssh X forwarding) and the X-server started, then it should work.

/Lakris

Thanks a lot - Its working now by having xming installed Thanks a lot.

Could you please let me know what is the benefit now, IF i am having xclock or x-server running?

Nice going!

The benefit of having an X-server running is that You can run X Window programs on any *nix host (through putty for example) and display/control them on Your local machine. Xclock is actually a very bad example since You probably have a better clock locally!

But it can be practical in some situations, for example when there is no corresponding application in Your Windows environment, a research institute can have a resource hungry statistical application on a main frame or cluster that would be pointless to run on a workstation.

/Lakris

What do you mean by x-windows programs ?

Lakris is refering to applications that have a graphical interface that displays on an X-server. Most unix workstations run an x-server and display it on the locally connected screen but you can run them remotely too (as you have now done on your PC). With an xserver running, x-applications (an application that understands the X11 protocol) can display things on your screen, get keyboard and mouse inputs and (with the right extensions and plugins) play audio.

You can either run a full X desktop session - this is a proper login to a server running xdm, you get a configurable desktop running an environment defined on the server itself. Alternativly, you can display windows for each x-app, much like standard windows programs.

xclock is a very simple example as it's just a clock that runs in a window but there is a large range of x-applications out there including some very nifty games, powerful image editors (there's a version of The Gimp 2 for X), word processors etc.

A useful example would be to look at a linux PC. All the graphics work it does is via a modified version of the old X11 (aka "X"). The modifications allow it to play sounds and do a bit more with the video card but the basic concept still holds.

Spot on. And to clarify, the application is actually "running" on the remote machine, using its CPU, disc, memory, etc, but showing its output on and accepting input from Your local machine, the X server that You installed and have running. It's a bit like remote desktop, if You're familiar with the concept, but for a single application.
/L