How do I remotely control another Ubuntu desktop from Ubuntu?

How do I remotely control another desktop (both are Ubuntu 12.04) from my client machine?

Is it possible to use Remmina Remote Desktop Client?

Solution 1:

Overview of Solution

You need to change some settings on your host machine (to enable desktop control) and create a Remote Desktop Client profile on your client machine in order to connect to the host machine and ultimately view and control the host machine's desktop.

And yes, it is possible to use Remmina Remote Desktop Client on your client machine.

Enable Remote Control of Host Machine

Do the following on the host machine:

vino-preferences

• vino-preferences also in Dash under Desktop Sharing

1. Tick Allow other users to view your desktop
2. Tick Allow other users to control your desktop
3. Tick Require the user to enter this password
4. Enter a difficult to guess passphrase
5. Close

Create Remote Desktop Client profile on your Client Machine

Do the following on the client machine:

remmina

• remmina also in Dash under Remmina Remote Desktop Client

Ctrl+N or Connection > New

1. Fill in your IP address [123.123.12.3] where it says Server
2. Connect

View and Control Host Machine

On the client machine, when asked for the VNC password, enter the passphrase you previously entered into the host machine.

If successful at this step, you should now be viewing and controlling the host machine's desktop from your client machine.

Solution 2:

First, you need to allow the compter you want to remotely control to be controlled. Launch Remote Control Preferences, and allow Ubuntu to be remotely controlled. You can also set a password if you want. You can now control that computer remotely from another Ubuntu computer. Make sure to choose the VNC protocol when connecting to the computer. If you would like to control Windows 7 from Ubuntu, you need to choose the RDP protocol (You will need to have remote control allowed on the Windows 7 computer).

Solution 3:

I have been using Remmina, and I'm very happy with it. Remmina is able to display and control a remote desktop session. If you don't have it installed you can do so from the USC

Ubuntu remote desktop access is based on technology called (VNC)

Solution 4:

Some machines will ask whether you want to allow connections on the server, during the client connection, live, such that if you don't actually see it happening, it might not work.

Secondly, if you plan to connect Ubuntu and Windows 7 machines, you must select the RDP option, otherwise, eg, Ubuntu to Ubuntu connections will use VNC.

Finally, depending on how your network is set up, you might have to use host names, IPs or FQDNs. Check them all before freaking out, as this will save you some time.

As an added bonus, there is also a trick to connect remote desktop connections behind networks where port forwards are needed to connect to machines behind the entry point. For example, if you have an access point of host.domain.com and it connects to a server on the network, you can set up a port forward using SSH, and then specify the RDP or VNC post like so (in putty for RDP on WIndows 7, this would be the example):

Source: 8585 (or whatever port you want)
Destination: 192.168.x.x:3389 (where x.x is your network)

Then, when using RDC in Windows, for example, you would use localhost:8585 as the server name and voila. This can work on Linux too, with a command like:

ssh -i /path/to/key -L 8585:192.168.x.x:3389 [email protected]