VNC Server - testing required

[Digi]

Hi all.

I'm trying out a new way to get information about screen changes. It's based on the PM display driver hook.
This works perfectly on my systems, there are no more artifacts, all areas are updated correctly, and now the icons of objects are displayed when moving around the desktop and in folders. But I'm interested in how it will work with different apps, not just the ones I use. I'm also interested in how this works with the SNAP driver, as my systems don't have that driver. This version of the VNC Server will become the main one if it works well enough.

The test version can be downloaded here:
  https://os2.snc.ru/pub/VNC/test/

The pmhook.dll file will be copied to ?:\os2\dll during installation. This library, among other things, contains the PM display driver hook, which is registered in the system, so a reboot is required after installation. The vncshook.dll and mover.lst files are no longer used.

WinOS2 uses the Windows driver to render windowed sessions, so VNC Server uses the old method of tracking screen changes based on window events. This doesn't work very well.

Other changes.

- In windowed DOS sessions, keys were duplicated. I hope this is fixed now.
- VNC Viewer: The file manager window can now be resized. However, the size isn't remembered (I haven't decided yet if this is necessary).

[Martin Iturbide]

Hello Digi

Thanks for updating VNC.

I tried the english version on my Virtual Machine (ArcaOS 5.1.2). And took control of it from a Windows machine with TightVNC client. This one has a GENGRAD video driver includes on the OS/2 Addons for VirtualBox. I rebooted the VM for VNC to work.

It worked fine for me on the ArcaOS desktop, delay time was good. I play some time with it.

It gave me problem with the WinOS2 sessions like you say. When I run WinOS2 full screen you can not see it on VNC, and after some time it kills the VNC server on ArcaOS.

DOS VDM was fine, no keyboard issue, but I just tried for a while getting into the directories, I did not run a DOS app.

I was not able to find any other issue in my testing yet.

Regards

[Digi]

Thank you very much, Martin.

It gave me problem with the WinOS2 sessions like you say. When I run WinOS2 full screen you can not see it on VNC, and after some time it kills the VNC server on ArcaOS.

Of course, this shouldn't happen. Clicking a mouse button or keyboard key on the client while a full-screen session is running on the server should switch server to the desktop. Connecting to a server that is already in full screen mode should also cause a switch to the desktop.
Unfortunately, I won't be able to access the workstation where I have ArcaOS with winos2 installed anytime soon to reproduce this situation. Right now I can only test the full-screen OS/2 session, and switching to the desktop works fine in that case.

[KO Myung-Hun]

Hi/2.

I'm trying to use VNC Server and Client on Warp4 Korean FP #15.

When starting VNC Server, it crashes.

When starting VNC Client, it crashes as soon as inputting a key on 'host' entry field.

I attach the except logs.

[Digi]

When I run WinOS2 full screen you can not see it on VNC, and after some time it kills the VNC server on ArcaOS.

I managed to get to the workstation where ArcaOS with winos2 is installed and install VNC Server there from ...\test\. Now I have access to it via VNC. Automatic switching from any full-screen mode (OS/2, DOS, WinOS2), where VNC can't transmit images, to the desktop works as intended, and the server doesn't crash.

Could you please repeat the situation and send me the exceptq report?

[Digi]

I'm trying to use VNC Server and Client on Warp4 Korean FP #15.

When starting VNC Server, it crashes.

When starting VNC Client, it crashes as soon as inputting a key on 'host' entry field.

Thank you very much for testing. I think I have found and fixed the problem causing the VNC server to crash on your system. Please check the new version, it is available for download in the same location as before.

Your VNC Viewer report shows the file OS2\DLL\PMNLS.DLL. Hmm... I don't see this file on any of my computers running AcraOS. However, a Google search shows that this library is part of OS/2. Apparently, this library is related to national support. Therefore, it's possible that the issue won't recur in the new version of VNC Viewer, as it was related to character encoding.

[KO Myung-Hun]

Hi/2.

VNC Server starts flawlessly on Warp4K FP#15, now. Thanks! And I've found another problems.

1. In VIO such as 4OS2, pressing keys delivers garbage code as well as the pressed keys. For example, when pressing 'dir' 'd?i?r?' is shown on command line. '?' is a garbage character.

2. On Win-OS2 Korean, if the mouse cursor is over Win-OS2 apps such as Writer, CPU load jumps to 100%. And if I close Win-OS2 apps, VNC client(TightVNC for Windows) closes.

VNC Client still crashes. However it crashes a little after it starts even if not pressing any keys at this time. I attach the log.

Ah, PMNLS is the DLL for DBCS as you guessed.

[Digi]

1. In VIO such as 4OS2, pressing keys delivers garbage code as well as the pressed keys. For example, when pressing 'dir' 'd?i?r?' is shown on command line. '?' is a garbage character.

Please check the latest version. The situation has improved. However, for some reason, in the Korean version of ArcaOS, the keyboard in the OS/2 window session works worse than in other versions: the BACKSPACE key doesn't work, and the numeric keypad transmits numbers when NumLock is off.
It looks like the keyboard works as it should in the DOS session.

The problem is that I can't find comprehensive information on how to generate data (mp1, mp2) of the WM_VIOCHAR event for all cases.

2. On Win-OS2 Korean, if the mouse cursor is over Win-OS2 apps such as Writer, CPU load jumps to 100%. And if I close Win-OS2 apps, VNC client(TightVNC for Windows) closes.

I look at the installed Korean version of ArcaOS and see several icons for running Win-OS/2 (screenshot attached). You probably mean the one that should launch from the last shortcut. But for some reason, that version doesn't launch at all for me. The other one, "Win-OS/2 Session (Windows)," in the middle of the list, works, but doesn't have the problem you described. 

VNC Client still crashes. However it crashes a little after it starts even if not pressing any keys at this time.

I have reproduced this issue on a Korean version of ArcaOS, but have not investigated it yet.

[Digi]

Hi/2.
VNC Client still crashes. However it crashes a little after it starts even if not pressing any keys at this time. I attach the log.

As it turns out, PMNLS.DLL can't work with high memory. The WinDrawText() function is called when drawing a tooltip in VNC Viewer and it's passed a pointer to a buffer containing the string. I had to copy this data onto the stack to pass the pointer to the lower memory. Now VNC Viewer should work.

You can test these changes:
  https://os2.snc.ru/pub/VNC/test/

[KO Myung-Hun]

Hi/2.

VNC Client now works without crashes. BTW, it seems not to pass Shift-Space correctly.

VNC Server now accepts keyboard inputs on command prompt. There are some other problems as well as backspace. Some text programs such as Q and TEDIT, do not accept enter key, they just show the ascii char(musical note).

For WIN-OS2 problems, this seems to be my system problem. Even if shutting down VNC server, CPU load peaks to 100% when moving mouse cursor on WIN-OS2 window.

Thanks!

[Mike Kölling]

Hi Digi

The input of German Umlaute does not work. AFAIR it never worked also with the previous versions.
Examples:
- if i key in "ö" I got an "÷"
- if i key in "ä" I got an "õ"
and so on.

Greetings, Mike

[Digi]

Hi Digi

The input of German Umlaute does not work. AFAIR it never worked also with the previous versions.
Examples:
- if i key in "ö" I got an "÷"
- if i key in "ä" I got an "õ"
and so on.

Do I understand correctly that umlauts are typed with the keys '-', '{', ':' and '"'? If so, it might help to create a table for these German keys using a keyboard utility (installed from the same WPI package). Please see the relevant section in the README file.

[Mike Kölling]

Do I understand correctly that umlauts are typed with the keys '-', '{', ':' and '"'? If so, it might help to create a table for these German keys using a keyboard utility (installed from the same WPI package). Please see the relevant section in the README file.

Yes, I have a German keyboard where the German Umlaute (Ä Ö Ü ä ö ü ß) are native keys.
BTW, the old pmVNC does it right, but it is not usable due to instability. It crashes very fast.
I will give the keyboard utility a try  .

Gretings, Mike

[Dave Yeo]

I'm also interested in how this works with the SNAP driver, as my systems don't have that driver.

It's easy to switch to SNAP on your system, though it might not have all your screen resolutions.
Mount your ISO, go to x:\CID\SERVER\SNAP and run setup.cmd with the correct parameters, IIRC, it will tell you if you only run setup.cmd. Reboot.
Returning to Panorama is basically the same procedure excepting running setup.cmd from the Panorama folder.
As they're both GRADD based, no need to use VGA in between changes.

[Mike Kölling]

I will give the keyboard utility a try  .

Hi Digi,

I created today a file user.xk with the following content using the tool kbdxkey.exe on the computer running the VNC server:
0x1B0084C3: KC_CHAR KC_SCANCODE KC_SHIFT, 0x28, 0x8E,
0x1B0096C3: KC_CHAR KC_SCANCODE KC_SHIFT, 0x27, 0x99,
0x1B009CC3: KC_CHAR KC_SCANCODE KC_SHIFT, 0x1A, 0x9A,
0x1B009FC3: KC_CHAR KC_SCANCODE, 0xC, 0xE1,
0x1B00A4C3: KC_CHAR KC_SCANCODE, 0x28, 0x84,
0x1B00B6C3: KC_CHAR KC_SCANCODE, 0x27, 0x94,
0x1B00BCC3: KC_CHAR KC_SCANCODE, 0x1A, 0x81,

Unfortunately, the display still shows the wrong characters. Anything I made wrong?

Regards, Mike