How to Install Remote Desktop with X2Go on Ubuntu 20.04

X2Go is open source software that functions as a remote desktop server on Linux-based operating systems. The X2Go server is only available for Linux, but the X2Go client is available for Linux, Windows, macOS, and FreeBSD.

X2Go basic features

• Graphical Remote Desktop that works well over both low bandwidth and high bandwidth connections
• The ability to disconnect and reconnect to a session, even from another client
• Support for sound
• Support for as many simultaneous users as the computer’s resources will support (NX3 free edition limited you to 2.)
• Traffic is securely tunneled over SSH
• File Sharing from client to server
• Printer Sharing from client to server
• Easily select from multiple desktop environments (e.g., MATE, GNOME, KDE)
• Remote support possible via Desktop Sharing
• The ability to access single applications by specifying the name of the desired executable in the client configuration or selecting one of the pre-defined common applications

Install Desktop Environment

Install the desktop environment first on Ubuntu Server 20.04. The desktop environment used is XFCE.

Install xfce4 and all required dependency packages:

Select lightdm for the display manager:

Install X2Go Server

Install X2Go server on Ubuntu Server 20.04. X2Go is available in the default repositories Ubuntu 20.04, so there’s no need to add a repository anymore.

Install X2Go server:

Create User

Create a new user on the server because there are no other users besides the root user.

Create a new user with the name musaamin:

Enter user musaamin into group sudo to be able to run sudo commands.

Install X2Go Client

Install X2Go client on Ubuntu Desktop 20.04:

Connect to X2Go Server

Run the X2Go client application, a window will open to create a session, or click the menu Session-> New session.

Enters:

• Session name
• Host, server IP address
• Login, username
• SSH port, SSH port number, default 22
• Use RSA/DSA key for ssh connection, private key file path if login using private key
• Session type, select XFCE

Then click OK.

Double click on the session name to connect to the server.

The X2Go client is successfully connected to the X2Go server.