how to install xrdp on ubuntu 14.04 (trusty)?

Question

I have tried to install xrdp on Ubuntu using apt-get install xrdp, but have run into issues similar to other users such as listed in these posts:

• ubuntu 14.04 xrdp grey
• No login box for xrdp
• Blank Remote Desktop 13.04
• How do I set up xrdp session that reuses an existing session?
• Copy and Pasting issues with XRDP

How can I install xrdp easily and robustly?

Answer 1

I use the scareygliders script to install XRDP as it is more stable than the default ubuntu xrdp package and also gives you copy and paste functionality between the host and client.

However, I had issues setting up XRDP with lubuntu and standard ubuntu desktops so I eventually went with xubuntu desktop:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
# I'm not sure if xvfb is required, but have installed it just to be sure
sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop xfce4 xvfb 

git clone https://github.com/scarygliders/X11RDP-o-Matic.git
cd X11RDP-o-Matic
sudo ./X11rdp-o-matic.sh --justdoit
echo xfce4-session >~/.xsession
# if screensaver hogs the cpu
echo 'mode: off' > ~/.xscreensaver

Answer 2

To have xrdp working with ubuntu 14.04, you need to specify an alternate desktop. In order to have a working xrdp install, perform the following actions

1. install xrdp (sudo apt-get install xrdp)
2. install alternate desktop (in this example, let's say you want to install xfce),so you would type in a terminalsudo apt-get install xfce4
3. Finally, you have to tell xrdp that you want to use xfce, so from a terminal session, you type the following command echo xfce4-session >~/.xsession
4. Try to connect and you should be good to go

You can find detailed instruction via this link. If you do not like xfce; you can install other desktop alternative such as LXDE,Mate-desktop,kde....

Answer 3

I did it this way - coming from many different sources and try and error - but now it even works through Microsoft RD client on my iOS iPad 2 - fun!

Windows: I did install Windows 10 Pro Hyper V I did install virtual machine first generation - Ubuntu 14.04 LTS

Ubuntu: I did install xubuntu-desktop (for xfce4 which works - I do not care for my taste if I like or not - it works!) I did install xrde I did create a remote user I did grant sudo group to it I did create with sudo rights via vi a .xsession file (like others) in the home directory of the created remote user I made the .xsession file being able to execute via chmod in the home directory of that created remote user But - and that I only found once - I did start my .xsession file first with:

#!/usr/bin/env bash

I did not use echo ...

I entered via vi line two:

xfce4-session

After that I did a restart of the virtual Ubuntu machine

And after the restart I was able to go to the IP of the virtual Ubuntu with the remote user created ending in a running graphical xfce4 session in the out of the box Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection without that grey screen.

I was so lucky and proud with all tha reading which I tried myself not getting a satisfying result like others with blank/grey screens and doing a combination like that from different sources myself running it as RDP session from Windows 10 or - as already written - through my iPad 2 that I like to share my experiences here with others helping me getting to this point - thanks to all!