Blank desktop when using GNOME over VNC in RHEL 6.6 - linux

Question

I can VNC into my RHEL server, however all I get is a blank desktop with some kind of wallpaper applied, a mouse pointer which doesn't respond to either a left or a right mouse click.
my xstartup file in .vnc looks as below:
#!/bin/sh
[ -r /etc/sysconfig/i18n ] && . /etc/sysconfig/i18n
export LANG
export SYSFONT
vncconfig -iconic &
unset SESSION_MANAGER
unset DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS
OS=`uname -s`
if [ $OS = 'Linux' ]; then
case "$WINDOWMANAGER" in
*gnome*)
if [ -e /etc/SuSE-release ]; then
PATH=$PATH:/opt/gnome/bin
export PATH
fi
;;
esac
fi
if [ -x /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc ]; then
exec /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc
fi
if [ -f /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc ]; then
exec sh /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc
fi
[ -r $HOME/.Xresources ] && xrdb $HOME/.Xresources
xsetroot -solid grey
xterm -geometry 80x24+10+10 -ls -title "$VNCDESKTOP Desktop" &
gnome-session &
I don't even have an xinitrc executable in /etc/X11/xinit, I only have a directory xinitrc.d, which just has one file in it: 00-start-message-bus.sh
-----UPDATE ----------------
I installed GDM, and now at least I have an xinitrc file and startx is doing "something". I am using a virtualised server platform, no physical monitor attached. startx was giving me "command not found" before I installed GDM.
Now when I restart the vncserver service, I get this in my log files.
Xvnc TigerVNC 1.1.0 - built Jul 22 2014 06:00:32
Copyright (C) 1999-2011 TigerVNC Team and many others (see README.txt)
See http://www.tigervnc.org for information on TigerVNC.
Underlying X server release 11500000, The X.Org Foundation
Initializing built-in extension Generic Event Extension
Initializing built-in extension SHAPE
Initializing built-in extension MIT-SHM
Initializing built-in extension XInputExtension
Initializing built-in extension XTEST
Initializing built-in extension BIG-REQUESTS
Initializing built-in extension SYNC
Initializing built-in extension XKEYBOARD
Initializing built-in extension XC-MISC
Initializing built-in extension XFIXES
Initializing built-in extension RENDER
Initializing built-in extension RANDR
Initializing built-in extension DAMAGE
Initializing built-in extension MIT-SCREEN-SAVER
Initializing built-in extension DOUBLE-BUFFER
Initializing built-in extension RECORD
Initializing built-in extension DPMS
Initializing built-in extension X-Resource
Initializing built-in extension XVideo
Initializing built-in extension XVideo-MotionCompensation
Initializing built-in extension VNC-EXTENSION
Initializing built-in extension GLX
Mon Nov 2 22:07:07 2015
vncext: VNC extension running!
vncext: Listening for VNC connections on all interface(s), port 5902
vncext: created VNC server for screen 0
gnome-session[4254]: WARNING: Unable to find provider 'gnome-panel' of required component 'panel'
gnome-session[4254]: WARNING: Unable to find provider 'nautilus' of required component 'filemanager'
GNOME_KEYRING_SOCKET=/tmp/keyring-u6bws2/socket
SSH_AUTH_SOCK=/tmp/keyring-u6bws2/socket.ssh
GNOME_KEYRING_PID=4268
** (gnome-settings-daemon:4267): WARNING **: Connection failed, reconnecting...
vmware-user: could not open /proc/fs/vmblock/dev
Failed to play sound: Not available
(polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1:4285): GLib-GObject-WARNING **: cannot register existing type `_PolkitError'
(polkit-gnome-authentication-agent-1:4285): GLib-CRITICAL **: g_once_init_leave: assertion `initialization_value != 0' failed
Xlib: extension "VMWARE_CTRL" missing on display ":2".
** (gnome-settings-daemon:4267): WARNING **: Connection failed, reconnecting...
** (gnome-settings-daemon:4267): WARNING **: Connection failed, reconnecting...
me#server:~/.vnc$
------------UPDATE 2 ------------------
Setting the run level from 3 to 5 in /etc/inittab seems to have worked!!
------------UPDATE 3 ------------------
Although things are better, I am having to install Gnome piecemeal. For example I had to 'yum install nautilus' before I could browse files, and then I had to 'yum install gnome-apps' so I could get my trash can and desktop icons.
I then had to 'yum install gnome-terminal' before I could access a terminal through gnome.
I am unable to install "Gnome Desktop Environment" as I think we are locked down on the virtualised corporate platform, but I have managed to install gdm, gnome-session, gnome-terminal, nautilus and gnome-apps.

Answer 1

Which port are you connecting to? By default vnc connects to port 5900+N where N is the number of the xorg display.
If you don't explicitly set the port then most likely your client connects to the next available unoccupied xorg display, i.e. 5001.
If you want to connect to an already running display either connect explicitly to port 5100, or use x11vnc.