Accessing UVNC server from Linux

[SamSnood]

I admin a Windows Server 2003 R2 Active Directory domain from a pair of Ubuntu workstations. Use of RDP for handling the servers and their clients has been a piece of cake. But we're changing things around so that I have to be able to remotely control a hodge-podge collection of vendor-supplied Windows 2000 Pro and NT4 boxes that are being joined to the domain. These downlevel clients, of course, can't be accessed via RDP. They can't be upgraded because the crappy software and drivers sold to the company by the vendors won't run on uplevel clients.

So, I figured I'd use VNC. UltraVNC looks really terrific with its ability to authenticate to the domain and its encryption capability. It looks to me like I've got to choose among three choices. I hope someone here can help me eliminate the need to experiment with those three choices, since I'm in a bit of a time bind.

Choices:

1. I could install UltraVNC under WINE on one of the Ubuntu boxes. Does anyone here have experience running UltraVNC under WINE? Would you expect any pitfalls?

2. I could try to find a Linux-native VNC client to work with the UltraVNC server installations on the downlevel Windows systems, but I suspect that there aren't any with the appropriate features for domain-based authentication (really needed) and encryption (more just nice to have in this case than really needed). After all, the reason I've gravitated toward UltraVNC is because it certainly appears to be a superior implementation of VNC to anything I've seen under Linux.

3. I could install an UltraVNC client on one of the lightly burdened WS2003 R2 servers. That would mean using RDP from the admin box to log on to the Windows server, and then invoking the UltraVNC client on that machine for access to the downlevel clients. The network here is very fast, but I'm wondering if this method wouldn't be a little "laggy".

So...

Am I mad (as in crazy)? Am I missing any obvious alternatives? Will one of these choices likely be more fruitful than the others?

Many thanks for any sage advice you can offer.

[X3]

there is a linux uvnc program but its not taht great IMO I have started new project to redevelop this in linux so far im waiting for developers to join project.

[SamSnood]

I wish you well.

As I said, the Linux VNC offerings with which I'm familiar are pretty weak from the standpoint of security. Although I did see SSVNC (I hope I got that short name right.) listed somewhere around here in a message thread. I guess it's supposed to be an attempt to port at least some UVNC features to the Linux side.

A solid VNC client and server on the Linux side doesn't seem so important to have (for people who are using Linux only, that is) because they can just use X applications through SSH connections. Once I got used to just using individual applications on remote machines tunneled through SSH it didn't seem important to have the whole remote Linux desktop. But I really do need the whole desktop for some of the work I do on remote Windows systems.

I guess I'll just start testing my alternatives in the order I listed in my original post since no one has suggested one over another -- or any alternatives that I've missed. I really don't mind experimenting. I was just feeling some deadline pressures and was hoping a suggestion from this forum might point me in a promising direction for the short term.

I'll try to make a point of posting back if I learn anything definitive.