Setup a GUI for your remote Ubuntu server using X2Go

If you are used to accessing your server with SSH or VNC, this may be helpful. We can use X2Go (https://wiki.x2go.org/doku.php/start) to access the remote server with a GUI. Multiple users can access the server with different sessions at the same time unlike VNC’s desktop sharing. This works with both Ubuntu 16.04 and 18.04. Make sure you have sudo on the server and your server and client are in the same network or server has a public IP.

For ease, let’s gather some parameters first.

• Server name = my_server (Does not have to be the actual server name. Just to be used as session name in X2Go)
• Server IP = xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx
• Your Ubuntu username on server = my_username

On server

1. Install X2Go server

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:x2go/stable
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install x2goserver x2goserver-xsession

2. Install XFCE

sudo apt-get install xfce4

On Client

a) If you are using Ubuntu on client

1. Add X2Go repository

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:x2go/stable
sudo apt-get update

2. Install X2Go client

sudo apt-get install x2goclient

3. Install PyHoca-GUI

sudo apt-get install pyhoca-gui

b) If you are using Windows on client

1. Download and install X2Go client from

https://code.x2go.org/releases/binary-win32/x2goclient/releases/4.1.2.0-2018.06.22/x2goclient-4.1.2.0-2018.06.22-setup.exe

Give all the permissions and allow access through firewall, when asked.

2. Download and install PyHoca-GUI from

https://code.x2go.org/releases/binary-win32/pyhoca-gui/releases/0.5.0.4-20150125/PyHoca-GUI_0.5.0.4-20150125_win32-setup.exe

Give all the permissions and allow access through firewall, when asked.

Next, on client

1. Open X2Go Client

2. Create a new session

3. Setup new session as follows. Refer to the parameters we gathered first.

4. Click on the name of,

5. Enter your Ubuntu password for the user account “my_username" on server, give all the permissions and allow access through firewall, when asked.

6. You are good to go.