While being logged into my OS X dektop via ssh, I tried to connect using

syncergyc -n MacDesktop linuxbox

to a linux box linuxbox running the synergy server. I obviously didn't work and I found a lot of errormessages of the kind

	/build/buildd/synergy-1.4.12/src/lib/server/CClientListener.cpp,147
2015-03-06T12:24:05 ERROR: invalid message from client "MacDesktop": DINF

searching the web led me to this page which indicated, that the screensaver might be the problem: Right! After disabling the screensaver by moving the physically attached trackpad, the connection tried above worked without problems.

OSX synergy