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I have a system dual-booting Windows 7 Pro and Bio-Linux ("Bio-Linux provides more than 500 bioinformatics programs on an Ubuntu Linux 10.04 base" 10.04 is LTS, supported until April 2013).

I have grub set to show the list of operating systems at startup and wait for user input to select what OS to boot into. I'd like to run remote desktop on both operating systems. I am very familiar with the Windows side but new to Ubuntu.

Do I need a separate IP address for each OS or can I use the same one on both? Right now I have two different IP addresses, one assigned to each OS, but I'd be happy to use just one if that is possible.

How can I control which OS to remote in to if I use the same IP address? I got remote desktop to respond on the Ubuntu side but it seems to only give me the terminal, how can I get to the GUI desktop?

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You can use the same IP address for each OS, since only on OS can be on at a time. Depending on the functionality you want, you may need a separate remote control program for each OS. Here are some of the common options for Ubuntu:

Vinagre - The benefit of this is that it is available in the repos, and uses VNC, which is one of the original remote control programs. When you connect using VNC, it brings up the desktop, exactly the same way that you would see as if you were in front of it. i.e. if you open a program on your physical desktop, walk away, and then remote control in with VNC, that program will still be open. Any VNC viewing program will work fine with this solution.

X2Go - X2Go is, in my opinion, a nicer remote control program. It allows you to start a new session (or connect to a previously running session). This means that if someone were sitting in front of your desktop, you could start a new session, so you would not interfere with their work. It is also more secure as it transfers the data over SSH. The server component is not available in the repos, unfortunately. More information on installing it can be found on the x2go website.

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  • Thanks for the suggestions. I will try Vinagre and X2Go. I will have to experiment to see which OS will answer if I use a single IP address and the computer is not logged in.
    – P Sears
    Jul 27, 2012 at 14:25
  • You mention that you are dual-booting. I'm a little confused. This means only one OS can be on at a time. Are you instead referring to running one OS in a virtualized environment? Also, none of these will turn the computer on if it isn't already, or give you control of GRUB remotely.
    – reverendj1
    Jul 27, 2012 at 19:08

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