set VNC access password from command line

Question

set VNC access password from command line

I've got a headless Mac server running 10.4.something. I had a monitor attached to it for long enough to enable ssh and vnc access, and I was administering it through vnc from one of my other computers. That computer recently suffered a hard disk crash and I realized I don't remember the vnc access password.

However, I do know the password to log in as an admin user via ssh. That should be enough to do almost anything, right? Is there a way to change the vnc access password from the command line?

G4 tower, Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Posted on Apr 8, 2010 5:21 AM

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Answer 1

BDAqua

Level 10

250,259 points

Apr 8, 2010 9:42 AM in response to Stephen Bloch

Hi Stephen, see if these help...

http://www.gigoblog.com/2008/04/08/set-up-screen-sharing-vnc-via-command-line-on -mac-os-x-remotely-using-ssh/

http://www.macgeekery.com/tips/cli/settingremote_desktops_vnc_password_interminal

http://www.siafoo.net/snippet/339

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Answer 2

May 26, 2010 6:57 PM in response to BDAqua

OK, I've run kickstart with every combination of options I can think of, starting with
kickstart -activate -configure -access -on -privs -all -restart -agent

Chicken of the VNC says "Please configure Apple Remote Desktop to allow VNC Viewers to control the screen. Unknown authType 30"

So I set up VNC access with a known password on another computer, and confirmed that it worked. (What happens when you VNC into the computer you're already on? Do you remember that scene in "Being John Malkevitch" in which John Malkevitch himself goes through the tunnel?) I then copied the /Library/Preferences/com.apple.VNCSettings.txt file from this known computer to the target computer, tried Chicken again, and got the exact same message.

So I deleted the aforementioned file on the target machine, figuring that would take me back to some sort of factory default settings. Chicken -> same message.

kickstart -configure -vncpw <contents of VNCSettings.txt file here> -restart -agent
Chicken -> same message.

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Answer 3

May 26, 2010 7:12 PM in response to BDAqua

Correction: I'm in. The missing piece of incantation was
-configure -clientopts -setvnclegacy -vnclegacy yes -setvncpw -vncpw hexgibberishgoeshere
from the linked macgeekery post. Thanks!

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Answer 4

BDAqua

Level 10

250,259 points

May 27, 2010 7:41 AM in response to Stephen Bloch

Good work, thanks for the report! 🙂

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