remote desktop sharing in linux mint

This will be a quick little guide on getting remote desktop sharing setup so that you may both receive and provide remote desktop support to or from your friends and family (or do anything else that a remote desktop connection may be useful for)!

This is really a simple setup but before we get into it I have some quick information about this guide! It was written for Linux Mint 10 (Julia) but should be close for both Linux Mint 9 LTS (Isadora) and likely Linux Mint 11. And since Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu and Debian it should also work well for Ubuntu 10.04 LTS (Lucid Lynx), Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat), and Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal). On the Debian side of things, Debian Squeeze, aptosid, and Linux Mint Debian Edition (LMDE) should also all be fairly close.

I will try to keep this guide updated for the foreseeable future, but if I fail to and you run into any sort of problem or inconsistency between the guide and what you are seeing on your own system please leave a comment or shoot me an email and I will try and help you as best as I am able!

Anyway, for those that may not know, remote desktop sharing which, is also known by names such asVirtual Network Computing (VNC), desktop sharing, Remote Desktop Connections (RDC), and others, is a great way to both work on your own or another’s computer when it is inconvenient or inaccessible to access it locally.

Conversely, it also offers a terrific way to receive support if you’re new to, or learning about, using Linux Mint or any other piece of software (as we all get stuck from time to time)!

Unfortunately, if you are a novice computer user getting over the initial hurdle of properly setting up your system for desktop sharing can be a pain and a bit stressful (especially if you’re already having problems with other parts of your system!), but thankfully under Linux Mint this setup is quite simple!

This guide, like my others, is written for all user levels. There is no command line used here and I try to write in plain and casual English to keep the atmosphere light and relaxed. With that said, you will need to know the difference between the left and right mouse buttons and other basic computing concepts. For more information please see my About page otherwise lets move on the the Pre-Installation steps on the next page (and if you get stuck please don’t hesitate to let me know)!

Before continuing on, please be aware of this site’s CC BY-SA license and disclaimer. Both can be found at the bottom of this (or any other) page.

PRE-INSTALLATION

Before we get going on installing the remote desktop tools there is one requisite that this guide assumes.Your router must support and have enabled Universal Plug-in Play (UPnP)!

Most, if not all, modern routers support this feature and if you are lucky enough to have a router withTomatoUSB installed on it then this is a cinch to enable (and I will be covering this in my future Install, Setup, and Configure TomatoUSB on an ASUS RT-N16 guide so keep an eye out if interested!).

Note: It is absolutely possible to use desktop sharing without UPnP, but this will require port forwarding and several additional steps to be properly configured and is outside the scope of this guide!

If you are not sure if UPnP is enabled or available on your network, feel free to proceed. UPnP will be detected automatically on the Setup & Configuration step for Receiving Support. If it is not detected you will likely need to reference your router’s manual, search the Web, or contact the manufacturer’s tech support to get it properly configured before completing the steps of this guide.

INSTALLATION

For the sake of simplifying this process as much as possible the rest of this guide will be broken into two parts. One for receiving remote desktop support and one for providing it. If you are only interested in one or the other you can skip the other’s sections completely!

RECEIVING SUPPORT

On Linux Mint the application for receiving support (vino) is automatically installed by default. As such there is no installation needed!

Optional: For those that are not on Linux Mint (or if you want to double check to make sure you do have it installed anyway) you will need to install vino. In Linux Mint this is easily done by going to themintMenu then under System to Software Manager. In the Software Manager search for vino and verify that there is a nice green check mark on it. If not click on it and click on the Install button in the top right corner. Type in your password if prompted then allow it to install.

PROVIDING SUPPORT

Before we set up the ability to provide support in Linux Mint we will need to install the remote desktop viewer called vinagre.

To do so we’ll need to go to the mintMenu (bottom right Menu button by default) then under the System heading click on Software Manager. Here on the top right of the Software Manager window find the search box and type in

vinagre

search for this and find the vinagre entry and click on it (NOT the vinagre-dev entry!). Now, on the vinagre page click on the big green install button on the top right. If prompted type in your password and wait for it to install.

Once done close out of the Software Manager and move on to the next section on the next page!

SETUP & CONFIGURATION

Since this is such a simple process the normally separate setup and configuration steps have been combined for this guide!

RECEIVING SUPPORT

As vino, our remote desktop support application, is already installed in Linux Mint this really is only a one step process to receive remote desktop support.

So, to setup and configure remote desktop sharing, go to the mintMenu (bottom right Menu button by default) and in the Search: field type in remote. After a moment or two one or more entries should come up. The one we want is Remote Desktop. Once found click on it to open and shortly thereafter a Remote Desktop Preferences window should come up.

Now, in the Remote Desktop Preferences window under Sharing make sure both boxes are checked(both “Allow other users to view your desktop” and “Allow other users to control your desktop”). Then, under Security make sure the first and third boxes are checked (the “You must confirm each access to this machine”, and “Configure network automatically to accept connections” boxes).

Optional: The middle box under Security may also be checked (and a password set), but this adds another layer of complexity that may not be desired when you’re just trying to get a connection up and going to get some help.

Once done checking the boxes, triple check that all the correct boxes have been checked and the yellow box should now say Others can access your computer using the address NUMBER or NAME.local. (See image below, the first smeared out part is where your NUMBER will be!)

Note: If the yellow box says Your desktop is only reachable over the local network. Double check that the Configure network automatically to accept connections box is checked if it is (and you’ve waited a minute or more) UPnP may not be enabled on your network! You will not be able to have someone connect to your system until this is resolved! Please see the Pre-Installation section for more information.

From the yellow box, the NUMBER part is what we need to give to whomever will be supporting us. It should be a series of one to three digit numbers separated by three periods. Something like

192.168.1.6

It could be anything from 1.0.0.1 to 255.255.255.255 (and any combination in between!).

Whatever the number is it doesn’t matter, just copy it (right click and selectCopy Link Address) or write it down (making sure to triple check that it’s right) and then give this to whomever will be supporting you and that’s it. You’re done!

Once they are ready to connect to you you will be notified that Another user is trying to view your desktop. Assuming you know it is a trusted source (a friend or family member), Allow this connection and they should have control of your system to provide the needed support.

For the Providing Support Setup & Configuration move on to the next page!

PROVIDING SUPPORT

Once vinagre is installed. Go to the mintMenu once again and search for remote. There should now be two entries here one was address above in the Receiving Support section. The other, Remote Desktop Viewer is the one we’re concerned with here. Go ahead and launch it and click on the Connect button on the top left.

This will give you a simple options window. The Protocol should be set (if not already) to VNC. The Hostshould be provided by the person you will be supporting. It should be their NUMBER (their IP address) that they should have found in Receiving Support Setup & Configuration section.

Note: If they didn’t have UPnP setup on their router they will only have a local IP address that will look something like 192.168.1.nnn (There are other variations, but they are much less common). When in doubt test it out and read the previous section as they may need to verify that UPnP is configured on their router.

Below Host is a number of Connection options. You may with to enable Scaling if the supported system will have a larger or smaller screen (or just to make it easier to provide support from a window with other programs open of your own).

Also, if you or they have a slower connection enabling Use JPG Compressionas well as reducing the Color Depth can help (at the cost of the quality of the remote display!).

Once all the settings are configured as required click the Connect button and once they hit the Allow button on the Another user is trying to view your desktop pop-up you should become connected!

Closing

Well there you have it. You should now either be able to receive support from a trusted party, or be able to provide it yourself (as well as have a hopefully useful link to provide to those you may be supporting!).

Variations on this setup can also be used to remote connect to your own systems be they headless or just inconvenient to physically access at times.

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