SSH tools, long used by UNIX gurus to perform complicated administrative tasks over the internet on machines miles away, are a very simple and user-friendly solution for more conventional purposes. Ubuntu users, read on to learn how to use SSH to run your favorite GNU/Linux software on Microsoft Windows—without installing any software on the Windows box.

Installing an SSH server

Before you begin, make sure you have the necessary materials. You need an Ubuntu machine to serve programs and a Windows machine to access them, a USB stick if you want to make your setup portable, and a fast network connection if you want to be able to run anything more complicated than nano.

You are going to be focusing your attention on accessing programs from a Windows machine, but first you need to install some server software on your Ubuntu box. You will be installing OpenSSH, the de facto standard in the free software world for opening a secure gateway to your PC. The OpenSSH server installs just like any other software and requires no additional configuration for our purposes. The whole process should take about two minutes.

The OpenSSH server installs just like any other software and requires no additional configuration—the whole process should take about two minutes

These instructions are tailored for Ubuntu users, but OpenSSH is available for nearly every GNU/Linux distribution and other UNIX-like operating systems. Windows users can install SSH servers, too. Although it is only a bit more complicated on Microsoft’s platform, you will have to refer to the OpenSSH for Windows project for guidance.

If you are comfortable installing software on your Ubuntu machine, go ahead and install the openssh-server package. If this is unfamiliar territory, all you need to do is enter the command below in a terminal. You can use the Terminal program found in the Applications࢐Accessories menu.

sudo apt-get install openssh-server

You will be prompted to enter your user password and respond “yes” to installing the package and any associated dependencies. Installing the OpenSSH server is as simple as that and it should be configured correctly right out of the box. If you run into problems later, skip to the end of the article for configuration troubleshooting.

You can also install software using Synaptic Package Manager (System→Administration→Synaptic Package Manager), without touching the command line.

Stay by your Ubuntu box for one more minute. To access it later on, you will need to know the machine’s location on the internet (IP address). If you don’t know it already, visit a website that will tell you your IP address. Depending upon your internet service provider’s practices, this address could change periodically. You can create a stable DNS name for yourself using a dynamic DNS service.

If your Ubuntu machine is one of several computers in a local area network (LAN), things become a bit more complicated. To access the Ubuntu machine from another computer within the LAN, you will have to find out what address your Ubuntu box has been assigned. If you are using a home network router, this should be easy to do from a web browser—consult your router’s manual for details. Alternatively, you can use the [ifconfig](http://linux.die.net/man/8/ifconfig) command or ask your system administrator.

If you are accessing your LAN from elsewhere on the internet, you will need to make sure your router is forwarding the SSH port (port 22, by default) to the Ubuntu machine. This can also be setup from your router’s web interface without much hassle.

Windows client-side software

You are going to need some software Microsoft didn’t supply for you to access your server on Windows, but I wasn’t lying—you don’t have to install any of it if you don’t want to. You will need an SSH client to connect to your Ubuntu box and an X-server to display graphical applications. You can use free software tools from Xming, which can be carried around on a portable USB stick (or any other portable device with about 8MB of free space) usable on any computer running Windows. If you don’t want to bother with the USB stick, just install everything to the computer as normal.

If you are using Windows XP or newer, download the Xming installer and double click to begin. Note that there is also an older version of Xming for Windows 2000, but platforms prior to that are not supported. Click “Next” on the welcome screen to be prompted for the installation location. If you want to put it on your USB stick, click “Browse” and select the proper drive.

Figure 1: If you are installing to a USB stick, make sure you specify the correct drive.

Click “Next” again to be presented with a few installation options. You can do away with “Non US Keyboard support” to save a little space, but leave the rest of the packages checked. Click “Next” again and you will be asked if you want to create a start menu folder for Xming. If you are installing to a USB stick, you can check off “Don’t create a Start Menu folder”. On the next screen, you will want to uncheck all of these options as well. Click “Next” one last time and then “Install” to finish up.