4.3 VNC Service

The VNC service is a generic service that enables the transmission of graphical user interfaces for existing desktop applications for a cloud scenario. This infrastructure component must be specifically adapted w.r.t. the application that will be wrapped.

A Guacamole server and client component is the basis for this generic service. These components need to be installed on a virtual machine hosted by the OpenStack back-end. In addition, the virtual machine hosts a python service, which connects the output of the guacamole server with the workflow manager and runs a broker service, which manages virtual machines spawned via the workflow manager. The VNC service allows connections from Windows and Linux clients, as well as, VNC and RDP connections, but requires additional software running on the client machine. A client service, which is able to connect to the broker service must be installed on the client machine, next to a VNC server.

The resulting service can be used as asynchronous web application or it can be integrated into any other workflow. However, software providers have to configure a virtual machine image containing a VNC Server, the desktop application, as well as an implementation of a SOAP client interface for the communication with the VNC Service workflow. Currently, this interface is used to set an input and output folder in the CAxMan cloud storage. In these folders, the input and output of the desktop application within the virtual machine image can be stored. In addition, the interface is used to signal the end of the desktop application usage back to the VNC Service. Then, the VNC Service deletes the virtual image and terminates the workflow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fig.  Design of a workflow using the VNC service

 

Information

CaxMan D1.2 Initial Requirement Infrastructure (only requirement section)
CaxMan D1.5 Intermediate Requirements (only requirement section)
PLACEHOLDER - D1.6 Cloud Infrastructure (Section 5)
Introduction Slides

Additional Information

Originator: Daniel Weber (FRAUNHOFER)
Technology Readiness Level: 6
Environment: 4 Platform