Connecting my TouchSmart to another monitor

Question

Hi. We use our TouchSmart PC as a set up for medical training. It operates as a stand alone monitor for observing vital statictics during training. We have it connected to a MacBook which runs software displaying 2 differnet images - on the MacBook it will display the software needed for the training operator, and on the TouchSmart it will display the vital signs which is basically a second window of that same software. So, it's essentially an extended desktop setup, displaying 2 different images and not mirroring each other. We need to take the vital signs feed from the TouchSmart and duplicate it so it is mirrored on another monitor that has VGA input.
Is this possible, and how? It is essential that the VGA input remains in the equation.
Many thanks

Answer 1

First off, SSH is not VPN, so don't confuse the two.
There are similar elements in that they secure the connection between two machines, but they use different approaches and using the wrong term can lead to confusion.
As to the specifics of the problem, the fact that you get in doesn't seem to be the problem, just that you're not prompted for the password. There are a number of reasons for this, including the use of private key authentication (the server knows it's you coming in, so doesn't need to ask for your password), Kerberos (or other single-sign-on technologies) that say once you're logged onto the network anywhere you're logged on everywhere.
To debug this, turn on SSH's verbose mode which will give you information regarding the connection setup. Buried in the log should be the information about how you're authenticated, which will answer the question.