Introduction
Key Features
Licence
Usage
Troubleshooting
Tips
History
Contact
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VNC is a family of servers and clients that provide
remote access to your Windows, Mac, or UNIX workstation over any TCP/IP
connection such as an Internet connection. (For more information on
VNC, see the VNC homepage.)
PalmVNC is the VNC client for the Palm OS® platform.
It was originally written by Vladimir Minenko, providing black-and-white
access to your PC from the original Palm Pilot platforms (Palm OS® versions
1.0 to 3.1). Harakan Software later took over the development of the
program, to exploit the functionality of newer Palm models such as the
Palm IIIc and Palm V series. (For more information, see the PalmVNC homepage.)
PalmVNC 2.0 is the latest evolution of PalmVNC.
It adds support for the improved screen resolutions of the latest models
from Sony and Palm™, and Palm OS® 5 compatibility.
- Ultra-thin client, uses only a few Kb of RAM.
- VNC servers available for a wide variety of platforms
- High resolution display on Palm OS® 5 and Sony Clié™
devices
- Compatible with the virtual silkscreen of Sony NR and
NX series for a display area of up to 320x450!
- Desktop displayed in 256 colors on color devices, in
greyscale on B&W devices
- Supports server-side scaling to reduce bandwidth (*)
- Full source code available under GNU GPL.
(*) Requires a VNC server with server-side scaling extensions
The following Palm OS® platforms and resolutions
are supported:
Device |
Screen resolution |
Color depth |
API used |
Sony Clié™NX series
|
320x450 or 320x320
(supports silkscreen minimizing) |
256 colors |
Palm OS® 5 high density API
+ Sony silk screen API |
Other devices with Palm OS® 5 and later |
320x320 |
256 colors |
Palm OS® 5 high density API |
Sony Clié™ NR series
|
320x450 or 320x320
(supports silkscreen minimizing) |
256 colors |
Sony high resolution API
+ Sony silkscreen API
|
Sony Clié™ N, T and SJ series
|
320x320 |
256 colors |
Sony high resolution API |
Other color devices |
160x160 |
256 colors |
Legacy API + direct screen access |
Other devices with Palm OS® 3.5 and later |
160x160 |
16 greys |
Legacy API + direct screen access |
Other devices |
160x160 |
4 greys |
Legacy API + direct screen access |
PalmVNC 2.0 is distributed under the terms of the GNU
General Public Licence (GPL). The full terms of this licence
can be found here.
Basically, the GPL entitles you to use the software free
of charge, to have access to its source code, and to make any further
developments based on this source code, provided that the results are
also distributed under the terms of the GPL.
However, if you use PalmVNC 2.0 and find it useful, you
are kindly asked to register for a small fee.
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- to show your appreciation and support
- to receive e-mail notification of updates
- to get e-mail support
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Connecting to a Server
To connect to a server, click the menu button (the lower left button
on the silkscreen area, or the equivalent key if you have a keyboard)
and then select Connect... from the Server menu.
If it is the first time you use PalmVNC, the Connection Properties
will open, otherwise the list of available connections will be displayed.
To configure a connection, you must provide the following information:
- Name: the name displayed in the list
- Server address: the host name or IP address of the target server
- Display: the display (screen) number. Usually 0 for a WinVNC server,
1 for a UNIX server.
- Server password: press the button to set the password to use for
this connection. If you don't provide a password here, you will
be prompted for a password each time you connect to this server.
By clicking on the Advanced button, you can access advanced properties:
- Begin at X, Y: the initial coordinates of the top left corner
of the PalmVNC window
- Scale: the default scale factor. Values other than 1 require the
server to support server-side scaling.
- NT user name / password: used for the NT Login function in the
Send menu.
- Base port: the base port used for network connection. Note that
the actual port used is the base port + the screen number.
- Enable desktop sharing: allows more than 1 VNC client to connect
to the server.
To connect, select the connection you want to use, the press the
Connect button.
When you have finished, use Disconnect to stop the VNC session,
or Hang Up to stop the session and disconnect the modem.
Panning / Scaling
Once you have connected to the server, you will be able to see a
portion of the desktop. To see more of the desktop, use the stylus
to drag the black scoller box along the horizontal or vertical scrollbar.
You can also use the following buttons:
Button/Key |
Function |
Scroll up |
Pan up |
Scroll down |
Pan down |
Button 3 (ToDo) |
Pan left |
Button 4 (Memo) |
Pan right |
Use the View menu to scale the desktop. This requires a
VNC server that supports the scaling extensions (see the FAQ).
When using the Whole Desktop scale, tapping on the screen
will zoom in on that point.
Mouse / Cursor Control
The stylus works like the left mouse button. Tap the stylus on the
screen to single click. You can also double-click by tapping twice
in rapid succession, or drag the stylus across the screen.
Pressing the PhoneBook button (button 2) will cause the stylus to
act as the right mouse button. Press the DateBook button (button 1)
for the middle mouse button.
Button/Key |
Function |
Button 1 (DateBook) |
Simulate middle mouse button |
Button 2 (PhoneBook) |
Simulate right mouse button |
Note: it may be necessary to wait a few seconds after using the stylus
before the screen is updated.
Text Entry
The Graffiti area may be used to enter text in the normal way, including
the shift and shift-lock strokes. No shift state icon will be shown
on the screen.
If you have a keyboard, you should be able to use it as well.
Special Functions
The Send menu allows certain special functions to be performed.
- Palm Clipboard will transfer the contents of the Palm clipboard
into the server's clipboard buffer.
- Ctrl-Alt-Del will send the 'three key salute' to the server.
This is only supported for Windows NT servers running WinVNC as
a service.
- Alt-F4 can be used to close applications running on Windows
servers.
- NT login will send the username and password specified
in the Preferences dialog to the server. Logout, lock
and reboot will perform the appropriate function on the server.
You should send Ctrl-Alt-Del before using these commands.
NOTE: this will only work on English-language versions of Windows
NT
Special Keys
The "Special Keys" keyboard is a pop-up keyboard that will remain
in the bottom-left of the screen, and allows keyboard controls to
be used that are otherwise unavailable on the Palm. To show the "Special
Keys" keyboard, either use Special Keys on the View
menu or tap the "abc" or "123" dots on the Graffiti area. Repeating
this will hide the keyboard again.
The special keys work as follows:
- ESC: This is the "Escape" key on a normal keyboard.
Tapping this button will send the Escape keycode to the remote server
immediately.
- SHIFT/CTRL/ALT: These keys simulate the shift,
control, and alt keys. A single tap will depress the key, and it
will remain latched until the key is tapped again. NOTE: The shift
key will NOT modify numbers or punctuation characters, as these
vary depending upon the keyboard layout used. Lower-case letters
will be converted into upper-case, however.
- FN: This key behaves in a similar manner to the SHIFT/CTRL/ALT
keys. However, when this key is pressed, writing the numbers 1 through
0 on the Graffiti area will send the function keys (F1 through F10)
to the remote server.
All special keys will automatically be disabled when the keyboard
is hidden, and re-enabled when the keyboard is shown again.
Connection problems
Symptom |
Cause |
Resolution |
Can't connect to server, error message: "Cannot
resolve <hostname>" |
The hostname you typed cannot be mapped to an IP
address (DNS error) |
Make sure that you did not mistype the hostname.
Make sure that the DNS servers are set correctly in your network
configuration
|
Can't connect to server, error message:
"Unable to connect to <hostname>:<port>" |
The target host does not exist
or can not be reached |
You can try to "ping" the target host to see if it
can be reached:
- Activate your network connection
- Menu Server / Network prefs
- Menu Options / View log
- Enter "ping <hostname> <CR>" where <hostname>
is the target host name, and <CR> is a carriage return
(stylus stroke from top right to bottom left
|
There is no VNC server running
on the target host |
Make sure a VNC server is installed and running on the target
host.
Make sure you use the correct display number (normally 0 for a
WinVNC server)
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The target host is
behind a firewall that blocks traffic on the specified port.
This could be the case if you're trying to connect through an internet
connection over GSM/GPRS. |
Configure the firewall so that
it allows incoming traffic on port 5900/TCP to the target host.
If you don't have control over the firewall settings, see below.
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Try to use a different port number than the default (5900).
Usually port 80 is a good choice (if you are not already running
a web server on the target host) because it's normally used for
HTTP, and so it will most probably not be blocked by your network
operator.
- On the client, in the advanced connection properties, change
the port number to 80.
- On the WinVNC server, you need to use regedit to manually
edit or add some values under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ORL\WinVNC3:
- AutoPort: 0
- PortNumber: 80 (decimal)
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Usage problems
Symptom |
Cause |
Resolution |
When I try to set the scale to anything but 1:1,
I get a "Connection Lost!" message |
The server you are using does not
support server-side scaling. |
You need to upgrade your server to one that includes server-side
scaling, such as the Ultr@VNC
server included in the binary distribution of Palm VNC 2.0.
Some clients support client-side scaling. The fact that
these clients may work with your server does not indicate
that the server has scaling extensions.
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The screen looks garbled (using a scale other than
1:1) |
The most likely explanation is that your desktop
is set to 256 colours. The scaling extensions assume that the desktop
is in 15-bit colour or higher. |
Set your desktop to a higher colour depth to correct
this problem. |
PalmVNC is slow |
The network bandwitdh (connection speed) is too low |
Use a faster connection. If you're using a GSM data
connection, consider switching to GPRS. |
The image being transmitted is
too complex |
Reduce the complexity of the display. The following hints will
help to achieve this (in approximate order of effectiveness):
- Use a solid colour for your backdrop. Images or patterns
on your desktop slow down PalmVNC dramatically.
- Keep unused windows minimised. This will reduce the
amount of "background clutter" that has to be transmitted when
scrolling.
- Turn off "Smooth edges of screen fonts". Font smoothing
has no beneficial effect when viewing your desktop through PalmVNC.
In addition, font smoothing will reduce the readability
of the screen when using the scaling extensions.
- Set your titlebars to a single colour (Windows 98/2000
only).
- Turn off "Show icons using all possible colors".
- Turn off all effect for menus and lists
|
I need to pan around too much |
Desktop resolution is too high |
The best settings to use for the desktop is 800x600
and 32-bit colour. This will give you a reasonable panning
area and optimal server-side scaling performance. |
My server does not have a fixed IP address; how do I set up VNC
to access it?
This is typical with DSL connections, where you get a different IP
address each time you connect. The best way to work around this is
to subscribe to a dynamic IP publishing service. Many of them
have a free basic service.
- Register for the IP publishing service; you will be asked to choose
a hostname for your PC (within predefined top-level domains).
- Download and install the appropriate updater software from the
IP publishing service web site. It's a small utility that will run
in the background, and update the published IP address associated
to your hostname whenever it changes.
- Configure PalmVNC to use the hostname you chose at step 1 in the
"Server address" field of the connection properties. The
hostname will be dynamically resolved at connection-time to the
current IP address of your server.
Some sites that offer such service are:
- July 2003 - PalmVNC 2.0.2 is now bundled with state-of-the-art
Ultr@VNC server
- December 2002 - PalmVNC 2.0 adds support for high-resolution
and Palm OS 5
- January 2001 - PalmVNC 1.40 released, adding improved performance
and conenction handling, multiple server support, and a full installation
package.
- July 2000 - PalmVNC 1.3f released, adding enhanced keyboard
control and navigation, and various bug fixes.
- January 2000 - Harakan Software began development of PalmVNC
1.3 to support 16-shade greyscale.
- 1998 - Vladimir Minenko released PalmVNC 1.1
Questions, comments, feedback: olivier@palmattitude.org
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