One session per user

[jeser]

I would like to have one user logged in and only allow some one to login with the same credential when the other session is closed. There is no a good way to have separate logins to start with. Ideally the logged in user would get a notification that someone else would like to take over and then can agree or decline the request.

In summary

Person A logs in as GeneralUser, then Person B tries to log in as GeneralUser. Person A will be notified of request and can confirm, session migrates to Person B, or declines and session stays with Person A.

Is this possible?

[Britgirl]

Note that the default behaviour is the following: when the system account is the same, NoMachine assumes by default that the connecting user is also the same and performs the automatic migration of the session from one device to the other.  E.g. user A connects. User B logs in from a different device but with the same username and credentials of user A: session closes on the device of user A and it’s re-opened on the device of user B.

What you can do is this if your two users are logging in with the same username: untick the option “Don’t require acceptance if the user logged in as the owner of the desktop” on the NoMachine server side, the machine you are connecting to (see image). The default setting is to not require acceptance when the owner of the desktop logs in. Unticking it means that when the second user connects (who is still the owner given that the account is only one and it is shared with the first), the first user will be asked what he wants to do. When the first user accepts, they will be disconnected and the second user will then be able to log in.

 

Attachments:

1. 

   security-no-acceptance.png
   

[jeser]

Thank you for this answer but there is still an issue and the issue is that if no session is running and I try to connect it opens the dialog to ask for permission but as no user is connected no one can accept this request.I am a bit surprised that is the case as I would have assumed that you always can login as long as no one else created a session with the same credentials.

Thank you already for any further clarification.

[Britgirl]

I am a bit surprised that is the case as I would have assumed that you always can login as long as no one else created a session with the same credentials.

Let’s try and understand better what is not happening/not happening in your case.

Please attach a screenshot of the “User acceptance” section in Security of Server settings of the computer you are connecting to.

Also, tell us what OS and OS version is on that server side, and what NoMachine product you installed there. Thanks.

[jeser]

Thanks. Attached is the server config file. As you can see it has the acceptance set to not accept any connection if someone already is connected. The setting for the UserAcceptance is PhysicalDesktopAccessNoAcceptance administrator,trusted

The OSs I am using are both ubuntu 22.04. And I installed the free version of NoMachine.

[jeser]

The cfg extension was blocked. Let’s see if the txt one goes fine. Just in case I also added a screenshot of the GUI setting section.

This is the output of nxserver –list
NX> 127 Available sessions:

Display Username Remote IP Session ID Node
——- ——– ——— ———- —-

If I then try to connect with any User it get the screen that the Owner will be notified of my request. But as you can see there is no one connected…

 

Thank you for any hints what is going on here.

Attachments:

1. 

   Screenshot-from-2023-04-07-11-41-21.png
   

1. server.txt

[jeser]

By now I am using NoMachine Workstation Evaluation – Version 8.4.2, as i need the web-interface for my application.

With is everything works as expected using the NoMachine client BUT the issue still exist when using the browser to connect.

“Unchecking” Don’t require acceptance if the user logged in as the owner of the desktop on the server, displays the ask for acceptance dialog even if no user user is connected. Even when I try to create a new Virtual Desktop. That can and should not be the default I imagine.

Any suggestions or comments are welcome.

[Britgirl]

Jeser, the Free Edition, for access to the physical display, can be configured to show the dialog if you are logged in or not show the dialog at all. If you configure it to show the dialog, in your case when sharing the same username, it will always show. That means if no one is logged in already, when you try to connect, no one can accept the request to connect.

With regards to the Workstation, which is for virtual desktops on Linux, we’re checking for a possible problem with web sessions and will come back to you.

[jeser]

there is something not working with the solution you suggested. On the workstation version of the server.

I configured it that owner needs acceptance. if I do that User A gets logged out automatically no warning and User B sees the asking for permission screen. How is that possible? Of course no one can accept the request as User A is auto disconnected. This is very unfortunate and I was hoping this is not the default behavior. Any further suggestions? It is essential that this type of User switching where current user needs to accept new User before being disconnected works.

[Britgirl]

I configured it that owner needs acceptance. if I do that User A gets logged out automatically no warning and User B sees the asking for permission screen. How is that possible?

We have opened a Trouble Report for this incorrect behaviour. You can track it using the link below.

Removing ‘Owner’ from VirtualDesktopAccessNoAcceptance will ask for permission during creating virtual sesssion
https://kb.nomachine.com/TR04U10834

Sessions with AgentX11VectorGraphics 1 are not affected.

[Author]

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