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Remote-Desktop-with-xrdp.md

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This doc is WIP

What is xrdp?

xrdp is a tool which allows us to remotely access Shatterdome's desktop using RDP (Microsoft's Remote Desktop Protocol) from any operating systems. It allows multiple users to log in at the same time, which is a perk over TeamViewer and NoMachine (tools we've used in the past).

Installation

  • Windows 10
    • There's nothing to install - Windows 10 starts with it! The program is called Remote Desktop Connection.
  • Windows 11
    • TODO
  • MacOS
    • Install Microsoft Remote Desktop from the app store.
  • Linux
    • TODO

Connecting to Shatterdome while on NIU's network

Once you have it installed, use the following instructions (from here) (tested on Windows 10):

  1. Search for a program called Remote Desktop Connection. image
  2. Click "Show Options" in the bottom-left corner.
  3. Enter "10.156.209.2" as the Computer. Enter your username on shatterdome as the User name. Optionally check "Allow me to save credentials" if you want that. image
  4. Click Connect. Click Yes if asked about connecting when the identity of the remote computer cannot be verified. image
  5. Enter your shatterdome password if it asks for one. image
  6. You should now be remotely connected to Shatterdome.

What to do if your xrdp is slow

My xrdp was very sluggish at first. To speed it up, I followed only instruction 1 from this StackOverflow answer. You're welcome to follow the other steps too, but I only needed to do the first one for a big improvement. For redundancy, here's the step 1:

  1. Change RDP settings, then run the RDP session and connect to the remote machine: image

Connecting to Shatterdome when not on NIU's network

This section is WIP, we haven't nailed down something that works great. Here's notes for things we've tried:

  1. Using NIU's AnyConnect VPN (works, but is a pain to install). Steps:
    1. Install the Cisco AnyConnect Secure Mobility Client. I'm not sure if there's multiple ways to do this, but when Drake was setting it up he had to visit the Tech Desk in the Founders Library so they could install it on his laptop.
      1. Supposedly it can be downloaded from here. Drake hasn't tried it but it probably works.
    2. After you (somehow) obtain it, launch the client and connect to secure.niu.edu. It will require a sign-in of your NIU account
    3. After the connection is established, connect to Shatterdome as if you were in NIU's network (i.e. using 10.156.209.2 in xrdp).
  2. Port forwarding and using Turing/Hopper's static IP to connect to NIU's network (Drake hasn't been able to get it working in testing). Here's some notes related to his attempts: 
    1. mddmprovost@DESKTOP-21RFLUN:~ $ ssh -Y [email protected] -L 4000:localhost:4000
[email protected]'s password:
Warning: No xauth data; using fake authentication data for X11 forwarding.
Linux hopper 4.19.0-18-amd64 #1 SMP Debian 4.19.208-1 (2021-09-29) x86_64
The programs included with the Debian GNU/Linux system are free software;
the exact distribution terms for each program are described in the
individual files in /usr/share/doc/*/copyright.
Debian GNU/Linux comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY, to the extent
permitted by applicable law.
You have mail.
Last login: Sun Jan  2 20:30:52 2022 from 73.50.58.118
z1872355@hopper:~ $ ssh -X [email protected] -L 4000:localhost:4000
[email protected]'s password:
Welcome to Ubuntu 20.04.3 LTS (GNU/Linux 5.11.0-41-generic x86_64)
 * Documentation:  https://help.ubuntu.com
 * Management:     https://landscape.canonical.com
 * Support:        https://ubuntu.com/advantage
341 updates can be applied immediately.
To see these additional updates run: apt list --upgradable
Your Hardware Enablement Stack (HWE) is supported until April 2025.
*** System restart required ***
Last login: Sun Jan  2 22:51:56 2022 from 10.158.56.120
drakeprovost@shatterdome:~ $
      1. Nomachine should connect to 127.0.0.1, or localhost, not shatterdome's ip
    2. In PowerShell, I get (note the 'Permission denied'): 
      PS C:\Users\mddmp> ssh -Y [email protected] -L 4000:localhost:4000
The authenticity of host 'turing.cs.niu.edu (131.156.224.99)' can't be established.
ECDSA key fingerprint is SHA256:6N6o7ZGEsqYp2qDM1vJsA4786NHRgZIyxG6sHYqesHg.
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no/[fingerprint])? yes
Warning: Permanently added 'turing.cs.niu.edu,131.156.224.99' (ECDSA) to the list of known hosts.
[email protected]'s password:
bind [127.0.0.1]:4000: Permission denied
channel_setup_fwd_listener_tcpip: cannot listen to port: 4000
Could not request local forwarding.
Linux turing 5.10.0-10-amd64 #1 SMP Debian 5.10.84-1 (2021-12-08) x86_64

The programs included with the Debian GNU/Linux system are free software;
the exact distribution terms for each program are described in the
individual files in /usr/share/doc/*/copyright.

Debian GNU/Linux comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY, to the extent
permitted by applicable law.
You have mail.
Last login: Wed Feb  9 22:16:57 2022 from 10.167.5.157