Ubuntu 16 & 18 RDP – A free alternative to windows vps

U

Install XRDP on Ubuntu 16 & 18 x64 Server with XFCE4 Desktop

In this tutorial, I will show you how to install RDP functionality on a Ubuntu Server VPS . Ubuntu Server usually comes with a console usually accessible directly via the screen or, in the case of a VPS or remote PC/server, via SSH connection.

 

  1. Make sure the system is up to date with the latest stable software:
    apt-get update && apt-get -y dist-upgrade
    Notice the  -y argument in the command. This is a preset answer to the question provided by the installer.

     

  2. Install the software providing RDP support which is XRDP, a wonderful little tool designed for bringing linux remote desktops closer to users:
    apt-get -y install xrdp

     

  3. As mentioned earlier, Ubuntu Server does not come with a desktop thus XRDP will not work as intended. Today’s choice is XFCE , a light desktop software with minimalistic and nice design:
    apt-get -y install xfce4 xfce4-terminal tango-icon-theme firefox
    The extra software is required for terminal access and an alternative icon pack.

     

  4. Now that everything required is installed, the default desktop has to be defined in the xrdp configuration:
    sed -i.bak '/fi/a #xrdp multiple users configuration \n xfce4-session \n' /etc/xrdp/startwm.sh

     

  5. The last step is restarting XRDP in order for the new configuration to be loaded:
    service xrdp restart

     

  6. Try it out using RDP. At first login , select “Use default config” for the default desktop setup.

That’s it! Enjoy using your own nifty remote desktop 🙂

In case you feel the desktop is lacking in terms of basic software, you can install all the goodies using this simple console command:

apt-get -y install xfce4-goodies

        

About the author

By mvps

Recent Posts

Archives

Categories