rdp to Linux GUI from windows via rdp - Updated

Hi folks
for those using Linux VM's (or Hosts) and you want to rdp to the GUI from WITHIN a Windows machine --whether a windows VM or real machine there's some little minor things you need to do.

You need as well as install on the Linux machine -- not the Windows system - nothing extra needed on Windows - the xrdp package and also install the SSL certificate sudo adduser xrdp ssl-cert. You don't need to use any vnc server -- xorg and X11 works just fine -- I haven't tried wayland yet -- in the past that gave all sorts of problems. Might have a play with it later.

I prefer testing with Debian as it's usually rock solid and not open to so many risks as if you test 100% bleeding edge new stuff. Once that works then I play around with other things !!!!

The other restriction if you use a desktop like KDE you can only have one GUI session open so you need the user to be logged off at least on the GUI session. (doesn't apply to cli logons via ssh etc of course). - Once a session is started you can disconnect the RDP session and re-connect any time later as that user even if still logged on.

I don't suggest you enable remote root logins -- so one way around is to create another user you only use for remote sessions.
Otherwise "Seemples".

E,g on debian bookworm (rel 12) with a kde session from a remote Windows 11 VM. (W11 Pro DEV release).



now playing spider solitaire :



have fun !!!!

cheers
jimbo

Nice. I'm all out of likes for the day, but this is helpful, I'm building a Mocaccino OS VM, this should work in there for me to rdp directly into the vm from teh Windows host machine.

Thanks!

johnlgalt said:

Nice. I'm all out of likes for the day, but this is helpful, I'm building a Mocaccino OS VM, this should work in there for me to rdp directly into the vm from teh Windows host machine.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Thanks

It's always nice to get feedback from other people on the Forum -- whether good or bad. So many these days just don't respond even when solutions to their problems have been solved.

I suppose for a lot of us "Older folk" brought up in the days of the old BBS's and quite severe sysops --Netiquette is a thing of the past. !!!

I know this is a Windows Forum but many do use Linux either as a host and as a VM so I don't feel guilty at posting stuff I've found a problem for other users and fixed and hope that it helps them.

I've had a lot of good stuff from many here too.

BTW building minimal Linux systems is not as easy as it seems -- I.ve looked at mocaccino -- if you aren't an experienced Linux user you might do better installing a minimal Arch Linux system first to get the hang of CLI based installs etc. Do though always install nano (far better than vim as an editor) and a network manager

Nothing worse than to find your newly installed system can't upload or update anything because you haven't installed a network manager and you can't install it because there's no network to install from !!! -- "Been there -- done it --bought the T-shirt -- etc".

Do though avoid SNAP, Flatpak, Docker etc -- that's why I hate ubuntu -- nearly every solution involves using SNAP. Docker might be OK but avoid the rest of those things like the plague.

And for the other way around : FROM Linux TO Windows via xfreerdp




I'd suggest while testing avoid the /f switch as this will get into full screen and getting out of full screen doesn't always work properly. !!
No need again for ANYTHING on Windows to be installed or any vnc server etc on Linux.

Added -- you don't even need ANY GUI / Windowed desktop e.g GNOME, KDE, etc on the Linux box to do this - just ensure an X11 / Xorg service is running -- usually all by default and then just start the command as shown from the command line !! . The X11 / Xorg server will initiate the Windows GUI !!!


Cheers
jimbo

Thanks! finding this quite useful

jolly said:

Thanks! finding this quite useful

Click to expand...

Dont forget though if using a GUI on the Linux system you want to connect TO from Windows the GUI user needs to be logged out from the LINUX system and logged into FROM Windows as a user can only have ONE "X-Server" (GUI) session active -- You can have multiple logons on the CLI sessions of course so not an issue there -- but if using CLI on LINUX FROM Windows just logon to the Linux system via SSH. (Install openssh server on Windows -- via add optional feature) and start the service (openssh server) and ensure on Linux an SSH daemon is running.

Cheers
jimbo