Remmina (FreeBSD)
Connect from Remmina on FreeBSD with a HearthGate SSH tunnel and local VNC target.
Before you connect from FreeBSD
This guide assumes HearthGate is already installed on the Mac, Remmina is installed on FreeBSD with the VNC plugin available, and you have the HearthGate connection bundle or private key ready to transfer.
Common setup
Create a connection key
If you did not create a key during setup, open the Connection tab in HearthGate and generate a new one. Use an SSH key passphrase when possible, then choose the key scope that matches this FreeBSD machine: Local network only for same-LAN access, Local + Internet for both, or Internet only for remote-only access. You can also import an existing package if the key was already created.
Save the Unix connection bundle
Select the Linux/Unix command view for FreeBSD. You can copy the command, download the shell script, save the private key separately, or use Save bundle to keep the shell script, key, and README together for the FreeBSD machine.
Record the SSH key passphrase
If HearthGate generated a random SSH key passphrase, copy it now and keep it secure. The private key is encrypted with this passphrase, and HearthGate does not store it for later recovery.
Enable Legacy VNC mode
Open Compatibility, make sure Legacy VNC mode is on, and copy or regenerate the VNC password. Remmina uses this VNC password after the SSH tunnel path is ready.
Method 1: shell script tunnel
Extract the bundle and run the shell script
On FreeBSD, extract the encrypted bundle wherever you prefer. The bundled shell script is already executable, so the practical path is to right-click connect-unix.sh and choose Execute. If you prefer the terminal, open one in the extracted folder and run the script from there. The folder name does not matter; the script is designed to find the bundled key or use the expected key location.
sh ./connect-unix.shPoint Remmina to the local tunnel
Create a Remmina VNC profile and set Server to localhost:5901. Enter the Mac username and the VNC password from HearthGate Compatibility. With VNC Lockdown enabled, keep the VNC target on localhost instead of using the Mac host IP. Why VNC Lockdown?
localhost:5901Method 2: Remmina built-in SSH tunnel
Set the VNC profile server
Create a Remmina VNC profile and enter the Mac's reachable host IP as the Server value. In this working Remmina setup, the VNC port is not entered in the Basic tab; Remmina's SSH Tunnel tab owns the tunnel details in the next step.
192.168.50.196Enable Remmina SSH tunneling
Open the SSH Tunnel tab, enable the SSH tunnel, and select Tunnel via loopback address. Choose Custom, enter the Mac's SSH host and HearthGate SSH port, set Authentication type to SSH identity file, choose the private key generated by HearthGate, then use Save and Connect.
192.168.50.196:22023