Arch Linux

3x071c

Member

Registered: 2021-08-29

Posts: 5

Fast setup remote desktop for GNOME on Xorg

I'm trying to assist an elderly relative I set up a stripped down GNOME desktop (on Arch Linux) for via remote desktop. This person knows nothing about it, besides treating it as a bootloader to Chromium, so the effort on their end should be as small as possible. I did setup GNOMEs internal screen sharing (with gnome-remote-desktop) before giving the installation away, however I forgot that their router will prevent outside internet access to that computer (without configuring port forwarding), and that this person doesn't have a static IP. I have already established an SSH connection over an SSH-over-HTTPS tunnel, which I now want to use exclusively to get this to work as quickly as possible.
I tried tunneling VNC over SSH (over HTTPS), but that didn't work out (I assume the latency is simply too high).
I also tried chrome-remote-desktop, but after wasting hours on it I could not get it to work (either reaching the infamous GNOME fail whale, or after adapting the init script at ~/.chrome-remote-desktop-session with some common environment variables and startx, a black screen with an X-shaped cursor). Besides, chrome-remote-desktop doesn't support mirroring an existing session (as it does on other platforms), that would require additional patching and effort.
At this point, my ideas are to try NoMachine, launching a more simple X window manager (ie openbox) in chrome-remote-desktop instead and work my way out from there, or setting up a remote VNC session by configuring port forwarding on my end.
Do you guys have any other recommendations, preferably ones that are easy/fast to get ready and aren't proprietary?

3x071c

Member

Registered: 2021-08-29

Posts: 5

Re: Fast setup remote desktop for GNOME on Xorg

Update: after A LOT of trial and error, I managed to get chrome-remote-desktop working with the existing GNOME session on boot. Mostly sourced patches from here: https://github.com/oofnikj/chrome-remote-desktop.

progandy

Member

Registered: 2012-05-17

Posts: 5,321

Re: Fast setup remote desktop for GNOME on Xorg

There are partially open services like dwservice.net or rustdesk.com, but the servers are proprietary. (rustdesk has a minimal example  you can use to code your own server)

VNC over ssh should work, though. Run x11vnc on their machine on a local port, and have a script there that creates a reverse tunnel to your pc for that vnc port. Your support pc will need an ssh account that is limited to accept only that port forwarding connection and cannot do anything else.
https://askubuntu.com/questions/48129/h … forwarding

x11vnc can also create an ssl secured reverse connection if configured correctly.
There should also be a repeater mode with a server like https://github.com/stefanklug/uvncrepeater or https://github.com/noperfects/vnc_repeater_linux

Some other projects to build on:
https://github.com/Lernstick2-Team/rscc
https://github.com/stephdl/gitso

Last edited by progandy (2021-08-29 19:48:49)

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