Poor X-11 forwarding performance
Due to an IT decision, I'm being forced to migrate from MobaXterm to Remote Desktop Manager. In MobaXterm, I can define a SSH session, specify the hostname of my Red Hat Linux system and connect. Session is very responsive and has X11 forwarding enabled by default as well as a remote file navigator that I can link to the 'pwd' of my SSH terminal session.
I installed RDM, fired it up and was able to define a SSH session that successfully connected to my Linux host. Alas, when I started an Xwindows application, the display was not sent back to my Windows machine by default. After some poking around and Googling, I figured how to activate X11 forwarding. It does work in the sense that my application Xwindow is successfully displayed on my Windows host. However, the behavior is so laggy and unresponsive that it is essentially unusable. It takes seconds to drag or resize the window. When I click a button on a dialog, it takes 5 seconds or more for the display to respond. I've tried both protocols (MIT-Magic-Cookie-1 and XDM-Authorization-1). The XDM seems to be "faster" than the MIT, but it is still a horrible UI experience.
I don't think that there is any issue with client, host or network configuration as I can fire up MobaXterm right next to RDM and have a snappy, almost native type response when interacting with X windows forwarded back to my desktop.
Are there any settings other than X11 Forwarding Protocol that can be adjusted to improve performance? On the RDM SSH X11 Forwarding tab, I have Enable set to Yes; X display location set to localhost:0.0 and Protocol set to XDM-Authorization-1
I am running RDM 2022.3.31.0 64-bit
All Comments (7)
Hi,
Which X server are you using? We have been testing our X forwarding with XMing and we did not experience such low performance. As for the protocol, I doubt it has any impact on performance since it only changes the initial connection exchange.
Regards
Denis Vincent
Hello Jim,
Thank you for reaching out to us regarding this,
I see that you're currently on RDM 2022.3.31.0, I'm assuming you're using an SQLite data source is that correct?
I would like to suggest that you update to the latest version of RDM, 2023.3.1.15.0, and see if the issue persists. You can download the latest version from this link: https://remotedesktopmanager.com/home/thankyou/rdmsetup
Please note that if you are using an advanced type of data source, updating to this version may require a database upgrade.
Let me know,
Best regards,
Samuel Dery
Hi,
Which X server are you using? We have been testing our X forwarding with XMing and we did not experience such low performance. As for the protocol, I doubt it has any impact on performance since it only changes the initial connection exchange.
Regards
Denis,
I'm not sure - how do I determine which one is being used?
Hello Jim,
Thank you for reaching out to us regarding this,
I see that you're currently on RDM 2022.3.31.0, I'm assuming you're using an SQLite data source is that correct?
I would like to suggest that you update to the latest version of RDM, 2023.3.1.15.0, and see if the issue persists. You can download the latest version from this link: https://remotedesktopmanager.com/home/thankyou/rdmsetup
Please note that if you are using an advanced type of data source, updating to this version may require a database upgrade.
Let me know,
Best regards,
Samuel,
I will see if I can do this. The version I have was installed from an automated repository maintained by our IT department. I'm not sure if I have the ability to update outside of this process.
I'm not sure what you mean by "advanced type of data source". I literally installed RDM, started it up and picked 'New Entry' on the dashboard. I created a General/SSH Shell Session type of entry. The Navigation Pane shows this was created under "Local Data Source:
You can use the Windows Task Manager to check under which server an X application is opened.
RDM does not have an X server, it redirects to any third party X server currently installed. We are working on an X server of your own, but it is a big endeavour and I can't tell when it will be ready.
On my side, I tested if RDM could work with Moba's X server (guessing that it is the most probable X server installed on your machine). I am able to use it as long as the Moba application is running. Performance was good if not excellent. For now, I don't know what could be causing your issue...
Denis Vincent
Yes, I think that is the case. I do not have anything specifically installed. I do have Moba running and their X server is set to start at login.
The only setting I have not touched on the X11 Forwarding tab is the 'X authority file for local display'. It is currently blank. Should something be defined here and, if so, what?
Hi,
Maybe you could disable the Nagle algorithm (in the "Advanced" tab of your SSH shell entry, it's a check box labeled "Disable Nagle's algorithm") I'm not convinced it will change anything, but it is an easy test to do.
The X authority file option would not change anything, leaving it blank is correct. It only affects initial connection.
Maybe it has to do with how the X server is started. I can't find the way to have the Mobaxterm's X server start at login, how is it set up for you?
Regards.
Denis Vincent