Terminal & VNC Access

Arrow Control provides browser-based terminal and VNC access to your Arrow VM. Run commands and access the graphical desktop without installing SSH clients or VNC viewers.

Terminal Access

Opening a Terminal Session

1. Log into Arrow Control
2. Click Terminal in the sidebar navigation
3. Click New Session to open a terminal
4. A new terminal tab appears with a command prompt

Screenshot Coming Soon

🖥️ Web-based terminal interface with command prompt Screenshot

Using the Terminal

The web terminal provides full command-line access to your VM:

• Run any shell command
• Install and use security tools
• Edit configuration files
• Monitor processes and logs
• Execute scripts

Copy and Paste

Action	Shortcut
Copy	Ctrl+Shift+C (or select text to auto-copy)
Paste	Ctrl+Shift+V (or right-click)
Select All	Ctrl+Shift+A

Note: Standard Ctrl+C sends interrupt signal to the terminal. Use Ctrl+Shift+C for copying.

Screenshot Coming Soon

🖥️ Terminal session showing command output Screenshot

Terminal Features

Feature	Description
Full PTY support	Run interactive applications (vim, htop, less)
Color output	ANSI colors display correctly
Scrollback buffer	Scroll up to view previous output
Resizable window	Drag edges to resize terminal
Unicode support	Display special characters and symbols

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+C	Interrupt/cancel current command
Ctrl+D	End of input / exit shell
Ctrl+Z	Suspend process to background
Ctrl+L	Clear screen
Tab	Auto-complete commands and paths
Up/Down	Navigate command history

Multiple Terminal Sessions

Creating Additional Sessions

1. Click New Session in the terminal toolbar
2. A new tab opens with a fresh terminal
3. Repeat to create as many sessions as needed

Screenshot Coming Soon

🖥️ Multiple terminal session tabs Screenshot

Organizing Sessions

• Rename sessions - Right-click a tab and select Rename for clarity (e.g., “Scanning”, “Logs”, “Development”)
• Switch sessions - Click tabs to switch between terminals
• Close sessions - Click the X on a tab or type exit in the terminal

Session Persistence

• Sessions persist while navigating Arrow Control
• Closing the browser tab ends all terminal sessions
• Long-running commands continue even when viewing other sections

Note: For commands that must survive disconnection, use screen or tmux:

tmux new -s mysession
# Run your long command
# Detach with Ctrl+B then D
# Reattach later with: tmux attach -t mysession

Session Management

Viewing Active Sessions

Click the Sessions button to see all active terminal sessions:

• Session name (default or custom)
• Creation time
• Status (active, idle)

Screenshot Coming Soon

🖥️ Session management panel showing active terminals Screenshot

Session Actions

Action	Description
Rename	Give session a descriptive name
Duplicate	Create new session in same directory
Close	Terminate the session

VNC Remote Desktop

VNC provides graphical desktop access to your VM through the browser.

Prerequisites

VNC access requires a VNC server running on the VM. Arrow VMs come with VNC pre-configured for desktop environments.

Accessing VNC

1. Click VNC in the sidebar navigation
2. The VNC viewer loads showing connection status
3. If a desktop session is available, it displays automatically

Screenshot Coming Soon

🖥️ VNC interface showing connection options Screenshot

Connecting to the Desktop

1. Click Connect if not auto-connected
2. Enter VNC password if prompted (separate from system login)
3. The desktop environment appears in your browser

Screenshot Coming Soon

🖥️ VNC session showing remote desktop Screenshot

Using the VNC Desktop

Feature	Description
Mouse input	Click, drag, and scroll work normally
Keyboard input	Type directly—keys sent to remote desktop
Clipboard	Copy/paste between local and remote systems
Fullscreen	Click fullscreen button for immersive view
Scaling	Auto-scale or choose fixed resolution

VNC Controls

Control	Action
Fullscreen	Toggle fullscreen mode
Clipboard Sync	Enable/disable clipboard sharing
Ctrl+Alt+Del	Send key combination to VM
Settings	Adjust quality and scaling
Disconnect	End VNC session

Connection Quality

Adjust settings based on your network:

Network	Recommended Settings
Local/LAN	High quality, full color
VPN	Medium quality, optimized compression
Slow connection	Low quality, reduced color depth

Connection Management

Monitoring Connection Status

The status bar shows:

• Connected - Active session
• Connecting - Establishing connection
• Disconnected - No active session

Reconnecting

If disconnected:

1. Check your network connection
2. Verify VPN is still connected (if using remote access)
3. Click Reconnect in the VNC toolbar
4. Re-enter credentials if prompted

Screenshot Coming Soon

🖥️ VNC connection status and reconnect options Screenshot

Performance Considerations

Network Bandwidth

Access Type	Terminal Impact	VNC Impact
Local Network	Minimal	Smooth
VPN (good)	Minimal	Good
VPN (poor)	Minor delays	Noticeable lag

Recommendations

• Use VPN for remote access - Encrypted and optimized for security work
• Terminal over VNC - Terminal uses less bandwidth than VNC
• Reduce VNC quality - Lower quality settings improve responsiveness over slow connections
• Close unused sessions - Free up resources by closing terminals and VNC when not needed

Security Note: Always connect via Netbird VPN when accessing Arrow Control remotely. Direct internet exposure is not recommended.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Terminal not responding	Refresh the browser page. Check if session timed out. Create a new session.
Copy/paste not working	Use Ctrl+Shift+C/V not Ctrl+C/V. Check browser clipboard permissions. Try right-click menu.
VNC connection fails	Verify VNC server is running on VM. Check firewall rules. Ensure VPN is connected.
VNC display is blank	Desktop session may not be started. Connect via terminal and start display manager.
VNC is slow/laggy	Lower quality settings. Check network bandwidth. Try terminal for command-line tasks.
Session disconnected	Network interruption occurred. Click reconnect. Check VPN connection status.
Special keys not working	Use the on-screen keyboard for special key combinations. Check for key conflicts with local system.

Best Practices

• Use VPN for all remote access - Secure your connection through Netbird
• Close unused sessions - Free resources and reduce attack surface
• Use screen/tmux for long tasks - Prevent losing work on disconnect
• Name sessions descriptively - Find the right terminal quickly
• Terminal over VNC when possible - Lower bandwidth, better performance
• Log out when finished - End sessions properly for security

Related Documentation

• Arrow Control Overview - Complete feature overview
• File Management - Managing files on your VM
• VPN Management - Setting up Netbird VPN
• Troubleshooting - General troubleshooting guide