Are you trying to XRDP Server (Remote Desktop) on Ubuntu?

This guide is for you.

xrdp is a free and open-source implementation of Microsoft RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) server that enables operating systems other than Microsoft Windows (such as Linux and BSD-style operating systems) to provide a fully functional RDP-compatible remote desktop experience.

Here at Ibmi Media, as part of our Server Management Services, we regularly help our Customers to perform Ubuntu related queries.

In this context, we shall look into how to install XRDP Server.

More information about XRDP Server ?

As previously stated, XRDP is a free and open-source implementation of the Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). It mainly allows you to graphically control a remote system.

Moreover, it accepts connections from different RDP clients such as FreeRDP, rdesktop, NeutrinoRDP and Microsoft Remote Desktop Client (for Windows, macOS, iOS and Android).

With RDP, you will be able to log in to the remote machine and create a real desktop session the same as if you had logged in to a local machine.

Steps to install XRDP Server (Remote Desktop) on Ubuntu 18.04?

To install XRDP Server, follow the process given below.

1. Before proceeding with the installation process, make sure that you have the sudo access to the server. 

Then log into to the server with the sudo access:

ssh username@your_server_ip

2. After logging in, update the package list:

sudo apt-get update

Once all the update completes, run the below command to install the Xrdp:

sudo apt-get install xrdp

3. Now, install your preferred desktop environment i.e. the XFCE.

Here is the command for it:

sudo apt-get install xfce4

Based on the system, downloading and installing XFCE packages will take some time.

4. Once the installation completes, configure XRDP to use XFCE environment with below command:

sudo sed -i.bak '/fi/a #xrdp multiple users configuration \n xfce-session \n' /etc/xrdp/startwm.sh

Xrdp uses the /etc/ssl/private/ssl-cert-snakeoil.key file by default. 

It is readable only by users that are members of the “ssl-cert” group. 

Run the below command to add the xrdp user to the group:

sudo adduser xrdp ssl-cert

5. Now to connect to the RDP session, allow the port in the firewall which by default is closed. 

In case, if you have enabled the UFW, run the below command:

sudo ufw allow 3389/tcp

Use the below commands, if iptables are running on the server:

sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 3389 -j ACCEPT
sudo netfilter-persistent save
sudo netfilter-persistent reload

6. Finally, restart the Xrdp application to ensure that all the above changes reflect on the server. 

For that, run the below command:

sudo /etc/init.d/xrdp restart

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