Setting up Q4OS remote desktop on a VPS, or any other remote computer

q4osteam · 2016-11-18 14:50

Since many of providers offer a Debian based VPS (virtual private server) service, it's easily possible to install Q4OS on, and use it as a fast, multi-user, remote desktop as described here http://www.q4os.org/dqa004.html . The performance is excellent, very close to a local computer, the only thing needed is a Debian based remote machine with SSH enabled.

Installation procedure step by step:

1. Login to your VPS (or any other Debian based remote computer) via ssh and launch root shell:
$ ssh <remote-adminuser>@<remote-ip-address>
$ su
or alternatively login directly as root:
$ ssh root@<remote-ip-address>

2. Configure server:
if there is no ordinary user on the remote machine, create it:
# adduser <remote-adminuser>
download and run Q4OS setup script:
# wget q4os.org/downloads/q4os-setup.sh
# sh q4os-setup.sh
optionally remove network-manager service and remote gui service (you will probably not need them) as described here:
http://www.q4os.org/dqa004.html#s3
logout from root shell as well as remote user shell now:
# exit
# exit

3. Install X2GO server:
login as the first ordinary user over ssh:
$ ssh -l <remote-adminuser> -X -C <remote-ip-address>
.. you will see a few warnings and the ssh gui performance could be a bit weak, you can safely ignore it for now.
run the Q4OS desktop profiler and apply the 'Pure' profile:
$ swprofiler.exu
run the Q4OS software centre and install 'X2GO Server' from:
$ swcentre.exu
logout from remote computer:
$ exit

4. Now, you are able to establish X2GO sessions from any x2go-client, so configure the client:
- install and configure X2GO clients on local machines, please see chapter [4] of this document http://www.q4os.org/dqa004.html#s4
- the essential step is to define client's command to launch the X2GO session: 'Custom desktop command: start-q4os-x2go'
- login using X2GO client to your VPS (or other remote) machine and configure Q4OS system, install GUI applications for ex. Synaptic, create users, etc..
- enjoy

Dai_trying · 2016-11-18 22:34

I like the idea of this and have registered in a forum that gives free hosting and VPS for completing a required amount of "Quality Posts" there (gigarank.net). I am in the mean time going to set-up a machine running xen to test out what I can achieve with it. I have found a few guides for getting xen installed and running with a debian base and will probably go along that route as I don't think there would be any point to having a DE on that machine.

Has anyone here ever set-up a system like this?

And would it be of interest to post a tutorial of how I achieved it for anyone else wanting to try?

q4osteam · 2016-11-19 09:37

Dai_trying wrote:

... I am in the mean time going to set-up a machine running xen to test out what I can achieve with it. ... Has anyone here ever set-up a system like this?

Unfortunately, we didn't use Xen, so we are not able to give a valuable advice here. Nonetheless, you could easily simulate a remote VPS using Virtualbox too. Just install basic Debian system with SSH server enabled in Virtualbox machine to act as a VPS server, you will need to set bridged networking for this machine to be virtually connected to your network segment - 'Virtual machine settings -> Network -> Enable network adapter -> Attached to: -> Bridged adapter'. You will be able to login to the virtual "VPS" machine using: 'ssh <remote-user>@<virtual-vps-ip-address>'. Now, you can exactly follow the procedure described above http://www.q4os.org/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=5690#p5690 to setup Q4OS "remote" desktop

EDIT:
Additionally you can create another Vbox machine to install and simulate X2GO client to. So it will be possible to establish X2GO Client/Server sessions using the two (or more) virtual machines.

Dai_trying · 2016-11-19 10:57

I must admit I didn't really think virtualbox would give the same result, but thanks for that, you might have saved me many hours of tinkering to get the system working properly. Having said that curiosity is nudging me to try xen on a spare machine anyway so I will probably do it at some stage just to see if I can.

guygreg · 2017-04-26 01:27

A related question: why does Q4OS use X2GO rather than, for example, xrdp?
I'm sure X2GO has some technical advantages (or you wouldn't have chosen it) but I'd never heard of it before and would only be able to access the remote machine from a computer I can install an X2GO client on.
In contrast, an RDP client comes installed on every Windows computer, and there are FOSS RDP clients for every platform. For example, my cell phone uses a 4.x version of Android (and can't be upgraded). This implies there's no fully-working Android client yet:
http://wiki.x2go.org/doku.php/wiki:deve … instorming
This indicates that it's not compatible with LXQT, which is offered as one of the desktops in the 2.x version of Q4OS:
http://wiki.x2go.org/doku.php/doc:de-compat
Please don't take this as criticism, I am totally new to Q4OS and just trying to understand the thinking behind decisions made.

q4osteam · 2017-04-27 11:27

@guygreg
X2Go, as NX based, protocol is by far the most efficient and fastest among the other remote desktop protocols, as it uses native xserver capabilities. In any case it's also possible to use RDP protocol on Q4OS/Debian as well.

DanielMaldonadoRoca · 2017-11-27 01:33

Please can you teach how to implement the RDP server in Q4OS and have VDI like you are doing now with X2GO Server

Or the way you think I can have better response in youtube for example

Thanks

DanielMaldonadoRoca · 2020-04-25 22:32

Ja ja ja , I will answer my own Last Post!!!!

After years, back to the looking of the best distro for Cloud Computing!!!, I can tell!!!! X2go is the best Open Source Option for Remote access, you have audio too, not the best copy and paste, but we also now we have an Thin Client, that Work!!!, Q4OS in a raspberry Pi 3 (The medium power of the Raspberry now).

Thanks Q4oS Team!!!

You can use XRDP if you want to have RDP Server, but the performance is better with X2go!!

Q4OS Forum

#1 2016-11-18 14:50

Setting up Q4OS remote desktop on a VPS, or any other remote computer

#2 2016-11-18 22:34

Re: Setting up Q4OS remote desktop on a VPS, or any other remote computer

#3 2016-11-19 09:37

Re: Setting up Q4OS remote desktop on a VPS, or any other remote computer

#4 2016-11-19 10:57

Re: Setting up Q4OS remote desktop on a VPS, or any other remote computer

#5 2017-04-26 01:27

Re: Setting up Q4OS remote desktop on a VPS, or any other remote computer

#6 2017-04-27 11:27

Re: Setting up Q4OS remote desktop on a VPS, or any other remote computer

#7 2017-11-27 01:33

Re: Setting up Q4OS remote desktop on a VPS, or any other remote computer

#8 2020-04-25 22:32

Re: Setting up Q4OS remote desktop on a VPS, or any other remote computer

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