How-To: Share your keyboard and mouse in realtime with Synergy
Synergy is an open source and free software project that allows one to share a keyboard and mouse across multiple monitors on separate computers and even between different operating systems. You may be a prime candidate for Synergy's superb um... synergy if you code multi-platform software, use more than one computer at home such as a laptop and a tower, or if your computers have different functions (media server, net machine, etc.). Personally we do all of the above and were in dire need of a swift way to dispose of our old keyboards and mice to make way for all sorts of fun new usb gadgetry.
- Step 1: Installing Synergy
- Step 2: Collecting the Screen Name of each Computer
- Step 3: Setting up the Server
- Step 4: Setting up the Clients
- Step 5: Testing Synergy
- Step 6: Auto-launching a Synergy server or Synergy clients
- Step 7: Tips and Tricks
(W) = Windows instructions
(M) = Macintosh OS X instructions
(U) = Unix-like system (*nix) instructions
To participate in this How-To you will need at least two computers, each with their own monitor (or a laptop with a screen), one keyboard, one mouse, and a local network connection between the computers. You will eventually need to know the name of each machine. In some cases the IP address associated with a machine will be required. If you are planning on running these applications on Mac OS X you may need to use a text editor such as BBEdit (or the free TextWrangler) if you are not familiar with a command line text editor such as vi.
Synergy works on and between most operating systems; it works with various flavors of Windows, Macintosh OS X.2 and higher, and unix-like operating systems with X installed. In this How-To we will concentrate on installations that include Windows XP and Macintosh OS X with a brief smattering of generic *nix tips.
The usual caveats against your computer not functioning after following any of these instructions apply: use at your own risk. These instructions are provided as a friendly How-To and are not necessarily endorsed by the Synergy project.
Step 1: Installing Synergy
First, download the synergy package and install it on each machine. The newest version of all the downloads can be found on Synergy's sourceforge page. Under the "Binaries" heading the Windows download is an .exe file and the Mac build is an OSX.PPC.tar.gz file. If you are installing Synergys on a unix-like system from source, choose your compression flavor of choice (we prefer .gz on linux/bsd) under the "Sources" heading and download the package to compile Synergy yourself.
(W) The Windows installation is trivial. Double-click on the SynergyInstaller-1.x.x.exe program. Leave "Start Menu Shortcuts" selected. Choose and install location (default C:\Program Files\ is just fine). When it's done click "Close". Launch Synergy (either from C:\Program Files\Synergy or from the Windows start menu). Synergy is now installed on your machine. Read on for configuration instructions further down.
(M) For Macintosh OS X (X.2 and higher reportedly works, but we've only tested Synergy on X.3/X.4), double click on the synergy-1.x.x-x.OSX.PPC.tar.gz file to uncompress it. Open the resulting synergy-x.x.x folder. On your computer create a new folder in your home directory called bin. The home directory is otherwise known as ~/ or more specifically on mac os x /Users/yourname/ where "yourname" is your login name. Copy the "synergyc" and "synergys" binary files to the new folder /Users/yourname/bin/. Copy the "synergy.conf" file to your home directory (~/ or /Users/yourname/).
Launch the Mac OS X Terminal application (/Applications/Utilities/Terminal). Type:
PATH=$PATH:/Users/yourname/bin/
(where "yourname" is your login name. Note that there are no spaces in the PATH command.)
If you would like to be able to run Synergy on Mac OS X from this directory we've created without having to retype the path command every time you launch the terminal, you will have to edit a hidden file. Here is how you can do this without learning to use the unix command line. Obtain a text editor of some sort (we use BBEdit, but substitute the text editor of your choice —TextWrangler is the free version of BBEdit for OS X). In BBEdit choose File > Open Hidden... and open the .bash profile located in your home directory (/Users/yourname/.bashprofile). If it does not exist, simply click cancel and File > New > Text Document. If the file already exists or if the file is blank, simply add at the bottom: PATH=$PATH:/Users/yourname/bin/ (where "yourname" is your login name. Once again, note the lack of spaces.) Now go to File > Save As and choose .bash_profile in your home directory. Important! Before saving click on "Options" and select "(generic text file)" "None" and "Unix" then click "OK". Click "Save" and then "Replace" and then "Use ." to save over the original file.
If you are feeling a bit adventurous in OS X and/or have experience with unix commands, add the path line above to ~/.bash_profile using your favorite text editor inside the terminal. We usually add a path to /usr/bin/ and /usr/local/bin/ while we're at it.
Now if all the stars are aligned, when you launch your OS X terminal and type:
syner
then hit Tab, your shell should auto-complete the word "synergy" at which point it is up to you to choose synergys or
synergyc and OS X will run it.
(U) For Unix-like operating systems (Linux, BSD, et al) after downloading the sources to your directory of choice and
unpacking them, dance the standard *nix three-step:
./configure
make
make install
On FreeBSD5.4 you may simply download and install the port: cd /usr/ports/sysutils/synergy/ make install clean
We chose to save our compiled copies of Synergy in /usr/local/bin/ on our linux based systems; by default on FreeBSD5.4 they are placed in /usr/X11R6/bin/.
Next comes the fun part, we promise!
Step 2: Collecting the Screen Name of each Computer
Now comes the crucial decision: which computer will be the "server" and which computer(s) will be the "client"(s)? The easiest way to decide is to pick the computer with your favorite keyboard and mouse attached. If you have a choice of where to plug your favorite keyboard and mouse, set the computer with the most uptime as the "server" (read: the computer that is left running the most and isn't mobile).
To prepare for "Step 2: Setting up the Server", you need to collect the "Screen Name" of each client.
(W) On Windows clients this name can be changed at will within the Synergy application interface and does not necessarily have to be the computer's name. Launch the Synergy application and click on "Advanced..." and enter your "Screen Name" and click "OK". The example shown below has the "Screen Name" set to "myservername".
(M) On Macintosh this name is most easily found by navigating to System Preferences > Sharing. Find the "Computer Name". This name plus ".local" on the end is your Synergy "Screen Name". For example the Mac OS X machine with the name "mycutecomputername" would have a Synergy "Screen Name" of "mycutecomputername.local".
(U) On Unix-like systems the Screen Name is the pre-defined screen name of the computer and is located in your internet configuration file.
Step 3: Setting up the Server
Once you have chosen which computer will become the server, you must create a Synergy configuration file on that computer. This configuration file contains the name of the server, the names of each client, and the side of the screen where the mouse will exit and enter for each computer.
(W) If the Synergy "server" computer is running a flavor of Windows, the configuration file is part of the graphical user interface included with the download you have already installed. Launch the Synergy application and choose the "Server" radio button. If you haven't already done so, choose a name for the server computer itself by clicking on "Advanced...", entering your "Screen Name" and clicking "OK". Then, under the "Screens:" text-box, click on "Add". In this example we add the computer named "mycutecomputername.local".
In most cases you only have to fill in "Screen Name:" with the exact screen name of each client and the server that will be sharing the keyboard and mouse. Note that you MUST enter the name of the server in the "Add Screen" dialog box even though you have just named it in the "Advanced..." section.
Now the names of your clients and the name of your server should appear in the "Screens:" text-box. Select the first one of the list by clicking on it and decide how it should react with the other computers as far as placement. For example, we have "1. mycutecomputername.local" selected and have decided that when we move the mouse to the left side of "mycutecomputername.local"'s screen, it should end up on "myservername". Thus, we choose "myservername" in the "Left" drop-down menu:
We must also tell Synergy that when we move the mouse out the right side of "myservername" it should end up on "mycomputername.local". We now have a central "edge" between two monitors defined: myservername on the left, and mycutecomputername.local on the right.
A simple way to understand the configuration Left/Right/Above/Below is to keep this in mind: When you exit to the _ of "Screens:", you go to the name in the drop-down menu. Another lovely thing with Synergy is that you can actually have a wrap-around screen defined: in the example above we could define the layout of "Left:" and "Right:" to both be set to "myservername" for "1. mycutecomputernamelocal" as well as vice versa. This means that when I exit "mycutecomputername.local" to the Left OR to the Right, I always end up on "myservername". This can be either useful or annoying depending on your work style. Personally I like having monitor boundaries where the mouse can not escape because I set those corners as hot corners for my screen savers with required passwords.
Note: The clients in any of the server set-up situations can be of any type of operating system. Mac and Windows and Unix-like systems mix in a lovely cocktail of single keyboard/mouse goodness.
(M) Now we will demonstrate how to set up a Mac OS X computer as the server. In BBEdit do File > Open Hidden and open /Users/yourname/synergy.conf or /Users/yourname/.synergy.conf if you have already edited this file with this How-To. Now type your server/client configuration as follows:
section: screens
mycutecomputername.local:
myservername:
end
section: links
mycutecomputername.local:
left = myservername
myservername:
right = mycutecomputername.local
end
This example assumes you have two computers with two monitors. The monitor on the left belongs to "myservername" and the monitor on the right belongs to "mycutecomputername.local". When you move the mouse to the right edge of "myservername" it enters on the left edge of "mycutecomputername.local". Replace "mycutecomputername.local" and "myservername" with the "Screen Name" of each computer. Note that you have to include the server computer as well in the list. Now in BBEdit go to File > Save As... and save the file as .synergy.conf in /Users/yourname/ (your home directory). Important! Before saving click on "Options" and select "(generic text file)" "None" and "Unix" then click "OK". Click "Save" and then "Replace" and then "Use ." to save over the original file.
Another example of a configuration file is a situation where we have two monitors next to each other on a shelf and below the left hand monitor we have a laptop:
section: screens
rightcomputer:
leftcomputer.local:
laptop:
end
section: links
rightcomputer:
left = leftcomputer.local
leftcomputer.local:
right = rightcomputer
down = laptop
laptop:
up = leftcomputer.local
end
Note that the computer monitor on the left in the example above belongs to a Mac OS X machine because it has a name that ends in ".local". Also note that any of these computers can be a server, simply save the .synergy.conf file on the server computer's home directory.
Step 4: Setting up the Clients
(W) To set up a Windows client machine, launch the Synergy application and choose the "Client" radio button. First name the client if you have not already done so by clicking on "Advanced...", entering your "Screen Name" and clicking "OK". Next enter the IP address of the Synergy server machine and click "Start". For example if the Synergy server machine has an IP address of 192.168.1.3 your Synergy window would look like this:
A dialog box will pop up: "Synergy was successfully started. Use the task manager or tray icon to terminate it." Click "OK" in this box. Minimize the synergy status window. When you want to quit synergy on this client, close the synergy status window or alternatively log your user out of Windows.
(M/U) To set up a client on a Macintosh or a Unix-like system, you don't have to do anything special besides installing (see Step 1). To launch a client see Step 5.
Step 5: Testing Synergy
Launch the Synergy server:
(W)For Windows based servers simply start the Synergy application. (M/U)For Mac OS X and *nix computers start a terminal and type: synergys then press the return/enter key. Synergys runs in the background by default. If you get the error: command not found, go back to the installation instructions in Step 1.
Next launch the Synergy clients:
(W)On Windows this is once again achieved by launching the Synergy application.
(M/U)Mac OS X or *nix based clients are launched by opening a terminal and typing:
synergyc
where the network address is the IP address of your Synergy server. For example, if your Synergy server has an IP
address of 192.168.1.3 you would type this in the terminal to launch the client:
synergyc 192.168.1.3
and press the return/enter key.
Your mouse should now be able to travel across your monitors/screens. If it does, congratulations! For trouble-shooting help see Step 7.
Step 6: Auto-launching a Synergy server or Synergy clients
You may end up adoring Synergy. This usually means you don't want to have to launch the server and then each of the clients every time you log-in, reboot, or move a computer. In this section we'll show you how to auto-launch on Windows and Mac OS X. A brief coverage for unix-like systems is at the end of this section.
(W)For Windows launch the Synergy program. Click on the "Automatic Startup: Configure..." button. By default Synergys is set up to auto-launch when your user name logs in. If this is the case the last sentence of this window will read: "Synergy is configured to start automatically when you log in." If you would like to manually launch Synergy instead, click on "When you Log In: Uninstall" and then "Close". This method works for both Synergy servers and Synergy clients.
(M)The way to auto-launch for Mac OS X is slightly convoluted. We will try to be as clear as possible. Keep in mind this example is to auto-launch a Synergy server. For the client auto-launch example see the next part of this section. There are two main steps to configure Synergy to auto-launch on Mac OS X. The first is to add the Terminal application to your Login Items. Go to System Preferences > Accounts > Login Items. Click on the "+" symbol and choose Applications > Utilities > Terminal and click on "Add". Now "Terminal" should have been added to the list of Applications in Login Items. Check the "Hide" checkbox to the left of the Terminal icon in the list to hide the auto-launched terminal and quit your System Preferences. (NOTE: Login Items may have a different name in OS X.3/X.2 but should work similarly.)
Secondly we will set up the Terminal to auto-launch synergys (Synergy server). Launch the Terminal (Applications
> Utilities > Terminal) and open a new window (File > New Shell). Next go to File > Save As and name the
file launchsynergy after navigating to the following directory: /Users/yourname/Library/Application Support/Terminal/
Check the "Open this file when Terminal starts up" checkbox. (*) Choose the "Execute this command (specify
complete path)" radio button and enter the path:
b/Users/yourname/bin/synergys
Then delete the leading "b". (We have to add and then delete a leading letter because when you start with a leading
slash OS X.4 forces us to change the "Where" save-to path instead of the "Execute this command" path. This is a bug.)
Check the "Execute command in a shell" checkbox (if you do not check this, no application will be launched, this is
another bug in OS X) and then click "Save":
To verify that everything works, quit the Terminal application then relaunch it. You should see something like:
Last login: Mon Aug 8 18:57:29 on ttyp1
Welcome to Darwin!
mycutecomputername:~ yourname$ /Users/yourname/bin/synergys
mycutecomputername:~ yourname$
This means that synergys has been launched and is running in the background. You can verify this by typing in the
terminal:
top
and hitting the return/enter key. You should see synergys listed near the top of the "Command" column. To quit "top"
type the letter "q". To make synergys stop at any time after launching, in a terminal type:
killall synergys
and hit the enter/return key or log-out of your user name or shutdown the computer.
To auto-launch synergyc (Synergy client) on Mac OS X follow the instructions above until the star (***) then:
Choose the "Execute this command (specify complete path)" radio button and enter the path:
b/Users/yourname/bin/synergyc 192.168.1.2
Then delete the leading "b" and instead of 192.168.1.2 use the IP address of your Synergy server. Check the "Execute command in a shell" checkbox and then click "Save":
To verify that the synergyc is working, quit the Terminal then relaunch it. You should see something like:
Last login: Mon Aug 8 18:57:29 on ttyp1
Welcome to Darwin!
mycutecomputername:~ yourname$ /Users/yourname/bin/synergyc 192.168.1.2
mycutecomputername:~ yourname$
This means that synergyc has been launched and is running in the background. You can verify this by typing in the terminal: top and hitting the return/enter key. You should see synergyc listed near the top of the "Command" column. To quit "top" type the letter "q". To make synergyc stop at any time after launching, in a terminal type: killall synergyc and hit the enter/return key or log-out of your user name or shutdown the computer.
(U)The auto-launch for unix-like systems can be achieved in many ways. The simplest way is to include "synergys" or
"synergyc
# start some programs
#
startfluxbox &
synergyc 192.168.1.2 &
aterm -geometry 93x21+5+5
# this script launches the synergy client when the x window session is launched
Step 7: Tips and Tricks
Static IP addresses are your friends. Try to get a fixed IP address assigned to each machine. This is practically necessary for auto-launching clients and servers.
If you have a screen "edge" you have defined that doesn't seem to allow the mouse to "pass through" it, make sure you have accurately defined the IP address of the server when you launched the client. Next make sure your "Screen Names" in the server set up are all correctly spelled. Thirdly make sure you can ping the server from the client and the client from the server. If not, perhaps you have a network cable unplugged or have misconfigured your network settings.
If you have a screen "edge" that behaves backwards or differently than the way you thought it would, simply replace Left with Right or Above with Below in the configuration file (see Step 3).
Synergy may create vulnerabilities on your computer. If you are concerned about this read the Synergy Network Security Guide on Synergy's homepage.
It is handy to keep the extra old keyboards and mice on hand when having trouble auto-launching (see Step 6) and when initially setting up Synergy. Some operating systems may not appreciate having only a USB keyboard plugged in when booting in certain modes and may actually require a PS2 keyboard plugged in to boot. An easy trick if you are ready to ditch your keyboard on a finicky computer is to plug one of those cheap green PS2 male to USB A female adapters in the PS2 port in the computer to trick it into thinking there is a keyboard plugged in. These little adapters often come free with most USB keyboards to allow backward compatibility with older machines and to free up USB ports. Ask your friends, they may have an extra one of these adapters laying around.
Another note about extra keyboards: If you have an operating system that requires you to log in, you will need a keyboard physically attached to the computer to type your name and password. The instructions for auto-launching (Step 6) are only to auto-launch on a per-user basis. If you would like to launch a Synergy client or Synergy server when the computer boots, please see the Autostart Guide on Synergy's homepage.
If you have a keyboard that behaves weirdly with respect to capslock/numlock/ctrl/alt, etc. see the "A screen can have the following options:" section here. These settings can also be set in the graphical Windows Synergy application window under the "Add" dialog under "Options" and "Modifiers".
Enjoy your glorious multi-monitor multi-platform single-keyboard+mouse party!
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Ben Dalton @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Synergy is WONDERFUL. I've used it for months. I bring home my work laptop and just sit it next to my desktop machine and once it is on our local network, connect the client to the server and away I go. I am able to use my mouse and keyboard with two machines simultaneously.... best idea ever!
J3 L U N T @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Hey so this means when i'm out at a new job site rolling out 30 new machines that arent configured i can set this up and edit the all at once by using this software? or would that be more hassel than its worth?
Mitch @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
probably more of a hassle then its worth...the program does work great once you get it configured. I used it with 3 pc's and it was very nice..but now they took em away and I am back to one :-(
khalil amar @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
KVM switch is in my opinion safer, because if you do a bad manipulation, it will be done on both machines.
KVM USB or Serial, or KVM over IP :)
but this seems to be the same stuff.
cecil @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Yeah, it's great. Would reccomend in a mixed environment though, that you use a windows box as the server. Also, in OSX, there is a program called SynergyOSX you can download that is a GUI frontend for that clent. Also, it sometimes can be a little punchy if you restart machines in the wrong order, so keep a USB keyboard and mouse handy if you need to go restart the osx client etc. (In windows you can restart the client remotely once it is set up as a service of course through computer management console)
scott @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
I just use a KVM switch. Sure you gotta hook up the cables, but that's all the config you do. Then it's a quick double tap on the ctrl key to hop from machine to machine.
Patrick Haney @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
This is all well and good, but there's an easier way to get Synergy on your Mac without the need to use the terminal application.
http://software.landryhetu.com/synergy/
Install the above GUI for Synergy and you'll have a nice System Preferences interface to help you setup the connection.
Found via Lifehacker.
http://www.lifehacker.com/software/productivity/how-to-turn-your-dualmonitor-pc-into-a-dual-macpc-system-106123.php
cecil @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Definately not more hassle than its worth #3, once you realize how they want you to do it, you could configure this thing in your sleep...
Once you use it, you wonder why there isn't a standard drawn up and this kind of funtionality built into every shipping OS
rafa @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
funny, i downloaded it like 2 weeks ago but only gave it a go yesterday... works great, except for a nagging dock icon i can't seem to get rid of on my mac (using pc as a server and powerbook as client) everytime i run synergy as a client... the first time the icon wasn't there... don't know what happened...
Dan DiCamillo @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
#2 you have it confused a bit.
It's a software tool for allowing you to use 1 keyboard and mouse ACROSS multiple systems. Very similar to the hardware solution, a KVM, except for the monitor sharing. Not software for replicating your input commands across multiple systems.
For example, each system requires it's own monitor and moving your mouse "off" of the first systems monitor causes it to appear on the second systems monitor switching all input commands to the second system only. And vice versa.
gMan @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Synergy is an awesome app. I use it at work and home with OS X, Windows and Linux.
Here's the URL for the better OS X version (SynergyKM):
http://software.landryhetu.com/synergy/
It doesn't require all of the command line setup -- It's a preference pane and works great. It even has a menu bar item and settings for different locations.
kyle fiducia @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
used this for a long time, feels so natural that i forget that apple-tab doesn't work, in fact, many of those things break synergy and you have to reset your cursor position for it to send the key commands to the correct screen...
has anyone seen a program or modification, or any way to get apple-tab to work on the screen you are currently working on with synergy?
Eagle117 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
So how does this differ from VNC?
Paul @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
I've been using Synergy for years between my laptop, and 3 desktops and could not live without it. Now, if only it were possible to share the soundcard of each client to the server. This way I wouldn't have to switch my headphones over to my other boxes when I want to listen to music or play a video or something. For this I'd probably pay big money!
Chris I @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Anyone know if the keystrokes are being encrypted when sent from the "server" to the "client" or any other security concerns with Synery? I like the idea, but have not set it up due to security concerns of a app capturing keystrokes.
lupinstel @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
I am also wondering what makes this different/better than VNC. Anyone want to tell us?
Charles Vestal @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
13 Pick up a behringer eurorack mixer. They're high quality, can be used for lots of other things too, and pretty cheap. No need to pay big bucks, just mix the signals to go to one input!
FierceDeityLink1 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
It's better than VNC in that it allows you to utilize multiple computers/operating systems in tandem without managing them all on one central screen.
Synergy is more for computers near eachother, as the mouse cursor moves from screen to screen as if it were connected to one computer with multiple monitors, whereas VNC might be bettered suited using remotely, and Synergy takes up MUCH less resources (memory and network) than VNC.
scryber @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
I've been using Synergy to share a mouse/keyboard with my Mac mini and PC. I had a KVM, but the mini's dim VGA problems make that impractical with just a CRT. This has been working great, I much prefer it to a KVM setup. It's amazing how quickly you become accustomed to flipping the mouse from one side to the other; it becomes second nature.
? @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Im new and im trying to set it up with mac and pc (mac serving the keyboard and mouse) is there a guid with using synergyKM instead of the one used here?
WorldCTZen @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Stardock just released something similar called Multiplicity for controlling multiple compys with one set of keyboard/mouse. http://www.stardock.com/products/multiplicity/ Dunno how the two compare, but Stardock's products and support kick the pants off most other interface modification tools/companies. Plus it looks to be a lot easier to implement.
777php @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
I just configured and installed this on my BSD and XP machine at work. Works flawlessly, and is simple to configure.
Randall @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
I used to share my keyboard/mouse between my Linux and Windows boxes using x2vnc, which is based on VNC. I could easily switch boxes by moving my mouse onto the other monitor. I could even copy and paste between them!
x2vnc - http://fredrik.hubbe.net/x2vnc.html
For Windows-to-Windows, there's Win2vnc. For X-to-X, there's x2x.
Win2VNC - http://fredrik.hubbe.net/win2vnc.html
x2x - http://ftp.digital.com/pub/Digital/SRC/x2x/
Eric @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
VNC and Win2VNC provide this same functionality as far as I can tell. I've been using it for years with no problems.
Jolly Roger @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Actually, there's a version of the VNC client that lets you do exactly the same thing. You run VNC servers on all the systems you want to control, and you run Win2VNC on the machine physically connected to the keyboard and mouse. This client doesn't replicate the GUI, it just sends the input events based on you moving the mouse to a preset edge of your screen.
Works slick, and uses standard VNC, which is a big benefit, IMHO. You get cross-platform control of the other systems due to there being VNC servers for every platform out there, but I think the client is Windows only.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/win2vnc/
Shape @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
VNC has been doing the same thing for years. There is a special client called x2vnc or win2vnc that allows you to share a keyboard and mouse between two networked computers. You just drag your mouse off the edge of the screen (configurable edge) and it appears on the other computer's screen. Completely seamless. In fact, I'm typing this on a keyboard on my Linux workstation and viewing it on my laptop's screen. It works just like a dual head computer, but you don't get to drag windows between the monitors, obviously.
http://fredrik.hubbe.net/x2vnc.html
http://fredrik.hubbe.net/win2vnc.html
It appears there is an "osx2vnc" that does this, as well.
brbubba @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Used to use this too, but found that it would lose sync between a winXP and Linux box more often than I would have wanted. Hopefully they fixed this in recent versions.
saleh @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Win2VNC is another alternative.
http://fredrik.hubbe.net/win2vnc.html
If you already have VNC server running, there's no configuration to deal with. Also, with Synergy, I had occasional weirdness (e.g. "caps lock" state and mouse state problems) that I've never had with Win2VNC.
What Synergy does better is the "mouse double bump to change monitors" feature. I liked that, but prefer the simplicity of Win2VNC. Also, Win2VNC does require that the primary computer run Windows.
Triese @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Just a note, I don't know if anyone has already mentioned it or not, but you can use it to login to windows systems on a domain. If you select to autostart on boot, then you can use ctrl+alt+pause instead of ctrl+alt+delete to bring up the login box. You can also use it to bring up the box to lock the computer.
RobL @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Synergy IS really nice. Was this one of the paid how-tos? I wish I would have thought of it. I've been using it for a while I think 2 years now.
I found it when I was looking for just a basic network clipboard.
777php @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
I'm playing around with synergy and I've noticed that when working with two monitors upon moving your mouse to the opposite side of where the two monitors meet, your mouse jumps to the opposite side of the monitor instead of stopping at the edge.
I've ticked the checkboxes that denote where I do not want the mouse to jump but, nothing works. Anyone else run into this issue?
fabienne @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
777php: you might try switching one of the "right"s or "left"s in your configuration. you are in effect telling the mouse to exit at the left side of one screen and enter on the left side of the second screen. see the windows screen shots 2 and 3 in section 3.
brbubba: the newest version of synergy is a lot more stable, and in any case where you have static ip addresses it's practically rock solid
Patrick Haney and gman: thanks for the mac os x gui links.
cheers,
fabienne
fabienne @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
777php: re-reading your question, it seems you have some sort of screen wrapping going on. what client/operating system is your synergy server?
---fabienne
777php @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
fabienne - I'm running the server on XP SP2.
Chops @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Im having the same problem as 777php with my mac as the server. The option is checked to switch after a delay but it does not work. Also does anyone know how to right click on pc with a apple mouse? Ctrl + click doesnt work ?
TheEminent1 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
I've been using Win2VNC for years and it works flawlessly...I say why stop when you've got a good thing!
Chops @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Im having the same problem as 777php with my mac as the server. The option is checked to switch after a delay but it does not work. Also does anyone know how to right click on pc with a apple mouse? Ctrl + click doesnt work ?
akaidiot @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
There's a video of this in action here: http://www.g4tv.com/mediaplayer/index.aspx?video_key=8546
Adam @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Anybody getting this error message? OS X = Server Win XP = Client
WARNING: failed to connect to server: The attempt to connect was forcefully rejected
satori101 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
#14, the traffic between the Synergy server and client is not encrypted, but you can tunnel the traffic through ssh if security is a concern. I use PuTTY on my Windows laptop to establish an ssh tunnel to my Sun workstation and then just point the Synergy client down the ssh tunnel. The Synergy FAQ addresses this too:
http://synergy2.sourceforge.net/faq.html#faq5
meatmcguffin @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
I can't believe noone's mentioned teleport for osx. Uses zeroconfrendezvousbonjour to find other computers running teleport and using it is as simple as clicking two "on" buttons on two computers. Simple. In college we had it running over three powerbooks with three external monitors, 6 screens in all, and it's just incredible.
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/14042
Edvard_Grieg @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
This looks kinda cool, but I guess I'm missing where this is dramatically different than just using Remote Desktop.....
Graham Farrar @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
This is freaking Cool!
I just removed two keyboards/mice off my desk, 4 screens (dual screen XP, OS X box and second win box). Awesome.
wish i could share the clipboard and wish on the X.4 box the cursor didn't jump to the middle of the screen when it wasn't on it (talk about minor gripe).
Wow. really cool. thanks synergy and engadget.
-gsf
Rohit @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Dude....where have you guys been? I have been using Synergy for over a year now !!
Stephan @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
For some historical perspective, there was a product called teleffect that would allow a SGI workstation and a Windows NT box to be linked together in exactly the same way as Synergy.
It was pretty darn cool to be able to cut and paste between the SGI and the NT box.
In fact, the 'killer app' for teleffect was cutting giant chunks out of showcase (the SGI presentation software) and pasting them into powerpoint.
utility @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
check out maxivista (http://www.maxivista.com). has the same functionality as synergy and multiplicity plus it also has the option your machine(or laptop whatever) just act as an additional monitor for your prime working machine. i always wanted to have the option to let my notebook just act as an additional monitor in some cases. maxivista comes very close to it in this case.
Christo @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
#42: Remote desktop would be used where you can't get the the other computer, or you want to view what's on the remote computer on your local computer.
Synergy is for when you have 2 to 4 computers and displays side by side. It lets you control them from one keyboard and mouse, cut'n'paste between monitors, etc. Essentially, a KM switch without extra cables and boxes.
Tor @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Check out videos of how it works.
http://brainscat.com/archives/2004/09/23/synergy2-laptop-desktop-heaven
Chris Dolan @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
If you are running Fink unstable on a Mac, you can install Synergy via the command line:
fink install synergy
I packaged Synergy v1.2.4 for Fink a couple of days ago.
Melvin @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
#14: Get VLC. You just configure it to broadcast whatever is coming out of your soundcard to an audio stream. Then boot up your favorite audio manager (foobar 2000, right?) and load your playlist. Works like a dream.