Share The Keyboard Together With Mouse Using Synergy - Hold Out 2/2

Part 1 of this 2-part serial covers x2x, a bully software tool that lets you lot purpose the keyboard in addition to mouse of i X lastly to command another. If you lot desire to command to a greater extent than than 1 other machine, or the machines are on dissimilar platforms (Linux, Mac OS X, in addition to Windows), Synergy is the tool.

Installation

My primary machine runs Debian 7.5 - aka Wheezy. I desire to purpose the keyboard in addition to mouse of this machine to command my secondary machine which runs Fedora 19. I choose both adept tidings in addition to bad tidings for you lot - regarding installation.

First, the adept news. Both the Debian in addition to Fedora releases choose included Synergy inwards their official bundle repositories. Installation is equally uncomplicated as:

 # For Debian $ sudo apt-get install synergy # For Fedora $ sudo yum install synergy 

Now, the bad news. The 2 Synergy versions from the respective repositories, 1.3.8 for Debian Wheezy in addition to 1.4.10 for Fedora 19, are incompatible. Starting Synergy on the secondary machine generated this mistake message:

 2014-07-09T20:33:52 WARNING: failed to connect to server: incompatible customer 1.3 You're using dissimilar versions of synergy on the customer in addition to server. You should purpose the same version on all systems. 

The solution I recommend is to download the latest stable publish - 1.5.0 at the fourth dimension of writing - straight from the Synergy download site.
(2018-02-17 update: Synergy is no longer free. More precisely, it is no longer gratis to download. See pricing plan. Debian users tin post away withal download for gratis from official Debian repositories; Windows, macOS users require to pay.)

To install:

 # For Debian $ sudo dpkg -i synergy-1.5.0-r2278-Linux-x86_64.deb # For Fedora $ sudo rpm -i synergy-1.5.0-r2278-Linux-i686.rpm  

Setup

First, configure Synergy on the primary machine. Then, the secondary machine. The setup physical care for is equally follows:

1. Run Synergy.

   You volition find the Synergy programme nether the Accessories bill of fare for Debian GNOME, in addition to Applications/Utilities for Fedora KDE.

2. Synergy Premium or not.
   

   Synergy Premium is the non-free version. Not interested.

3. Specify Server or Client.

   For the primary machine - the i alongside the keyboard in addition to mouse that you lot desire to purpose - select Server. Select Client for the secondary machine.

4. Enable Encryption.
   

   After you lot click Finish, which covert to display adjacent depends on whether you lot selected Client or Server.

5. Configure Server (For primary machine only).

   The next covert is displayed for configuring the primary machine.

   Click Configure Server.
   

   By default, the grid contains a unmarried node labeled alongside the hostname of the primary machine ('panther'). Double click the node to edit its settings.

   Optionally, motion into a novel Screen Name, nation 'Desktop'. Then, add together the hostname ('panther') equally an alias.
   

   Next, add together a novel node representing the secondary machine to the grid. Drag the monitor icon, in addition to drib it at the grid place relative to how it is physically positioned alongside honor to the primary machine. In my case, the secondary machine is located to the left of the primary machine.
   

   Edit the withal unnamed secondary machine. Give it a meaningful covert name. Add the hostname equally the alias.
   

6. Configure Client (For secondary machine only).
   

   Specify the IP address of the Server (the primary machine).

7. Click Start.
   

   This starts the actual Synergy Server - or Client - programme using the latest configuration data.

Now, you lot tin post away slide the mouse of the primary machine to the left, crossing the left edge, in addition to into the covert of the the secondary machine. You tin post away furnish to the primary machine past times sliding the mouse to the right, crossing the correct edge.

Auto-starting Synergy

Instead of manually launching Synergy, you lot tin post away ready auto-start for Synergy similar whatsoever other X application. For GNOME 3, execute the command gnome-session-properties to choose upwardly the Startup Applications Preferences app. For KDE 4, follow this chain of menus: Applications / Settings / System Settings / System Administration / Startup in addition to Shutdown.

Command-line interface

You tin post away launch Synergy using the command-line interface.

For the primary machine:

1. Prepare the Synergy configuration file ( /.synergy.conf).

    $ truthful cat >  /.synergy.conf section: screens  Laptop:  Desktop1: halt section: links  Desktop1:   left  = Laptop  Laptop:   correct = Desktop1 halt section: aliases  Desktop1:         panther    Laptop:         localhost.localdomain halt 

2. Start the Synergy Server.

    $ synergys -f  

   The -f selection way that the programme is operate inwards the foreground. The log messages are displayed inwards the terminal. Very useful for troubleshooting.

For the secondary machine, execute synergyc alongside the IP address of the primary machine:

 $ synergyc -f 192.168.1.103  

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