Chapter 1. Remotely accessing the desktop

Procedure

1. Configure a firewall rule to enable access to the server:

   $ sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=3389/tcp
   success

   Note

   If you also configure remote login on the server, the port number for desktop sharing changes. In that case, modify the firewall rule to add port number 3390 instead.

2. Reload firewall rules:

   $ sudo firewall-cmd --reload
   success

3. Open Settings in GNOME.
4. Open the System screen.

5. Select Remote Desktop.

   

6. Set Desktop Sharing to On.
7. Optional: To allow the remote user to control your screen, set Remote Control to On.

8. Set a user name and a password in the Login Details section. Remote clients must enter these credentials when connecting to your desktop from a remote client.

   

Procedure

1. Configure a firewall rule to enable access to the server:

   $ sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=3389/tcp
   success

2. Reload firewall rules:

   $ sudo firewall-cmd --reload
   success

3. Open Settings in GNOME.
4. Open the System screen.

5. Select Remote Desktop.

   

6. Click the Remote Login tab in the menu header.

7. Set Remote Login to On to enable screen sharing.

   

8. Set a user name and a password in the Login Details section. Remote clients must enter these credentials when connecting to this system’s login screen from a remote client.

Procedure

1. On the client, launch the Connections application.

2. Click the + button in the top bar to open a new connection.

   

3. Enter the IP address of the server.

4. Choose the connection type based on the operating system you want to connect to:

   Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)

   Use RDP for connecting to Windows and RHEL 10 servers.

   Virtual Network Computing (VNC)

   Use VNC for connecting to servers with RHEL 9 and previous versions.

5. Click Connect.

Verification

1. On the client, check that you can see the shared server desktop.

2. On the server, a screen sharing indicator appears on the right side of the top panel:

   

   You can control screen sharing in the System menu of the server.

Procedure

1. Configure a firewall rule to enable access to the server:

   $ sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=3389/tcp
   success

2. Reload firewall rules:

   $ sudo firewall-cmd --reload
   success

3. Create a directory for the self-signed TLS certificate:

   $ mkdir -p ~/.local/share/gnome-remote-desktop

4. Generate a self-signed TLS certificate for the RDP service:

   $ winpr-makecert -silent -rdp -path ~/.local/share/gnome-remote-desktop tls

5. Configure GNOME Remote Desktop by using RDP:

   $ grdctl --headless rdp set-tls-key ~/.local/share/gnome-remote-desktop/tls.key
   $ grdctl --headless rdp set-tls-cert ~/.local/share/gnome-remote-desktop/tls.crt
   $ grdctl --headless rdp set-credentials
   $ grdctl --headless rdp enable

   Refer gdrctl man page for more information.

6. Enable a headless server for single-user service:

   $ systemctl --user enable --now gnome-remote-desktop-headless.service

7. Start the headless GNOME session persistently for a single user as root:

   $ sudo systemctl enable --now gnome-headless-session@<your_username>.service

   Replace <your_username> with the username of the user for whom you want to start the headless GNOME session.

8. Make <your_username>.service persistent across system reboot:

   $ sudo systemctl set-default graphical.target

Procedure

1. Create a directory for the self-signed TLS certificate as the gnome-remote-desktop user:

   $ sudo -u gnome-remote-desktop mkdir -p ~gnome-remote-desktop/.local/share/gnome-remote-desktop

2. Generate a self-signed TLS certificate for the RDP service as the gnome-remote-desktop user:

   $ sudo -u gnome-remote-desktop winpr-makecert -silent -rdp -path ~gnome-remote-desktop/.local/share/gnome-remote-desktop tls

3. Connecting to a remote desktop through RDP for multiple users:

   $ sudo grdctl --system rdp set-tls-key ~gnome-remote-desktop/.local/share/gnome-remote-desktop/tls.key
   $ sudo grdctl --system rdp set-tls-cert ~gnome-remote-desktop/.local/share/gnome-remote-desktop/tls.crt
   $ sudo grdctl --system rdp set-credentials
   $ sudo grdctl --system rdp enable

   Refer gdrctl man page for more information.

4. Enable the system remote login service and GDM:

   $ sudo systemctl enable --now gdm
   $ sudo systemctl enable --now gnome-remote-desktop.service

5. Make gnome-remote-desktop.service persistent across system reboot:

   $ sudo systemctl set-default graphical.target