Installing VNC Server on Ubuntu 20.04

Ubuntu is a popular Linux distribution known for its user-friendly interface and wide range of desktop environments. 'Ubuntu Install Vnc Server 20.04' They include GNOME desktop, KDE Plasma Desktop, Mate Desktop, Budgie Desktop, Xfce/Xubuntu Desktop, Cinnamon Desktop, and many more. For this particular post, we will install the XFCE desktop environment.

Installing a desktop environment on Ubuntu is quite easy. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t install one. As of writing this post, there are several Linux desktop environments available for you to install. On booting up, you will get a command-line interface to execute your commands. If you intend to connect via VNC to an Ubuntu 22.04 or 20.04 server, then you’ll notice that the server doesn’t come with a preinstalled Desktop Environment.

To begin, you need to install the VNC Server on your Ubuntu machine. First, update your package list by running the following command:

```

sudo apt update

```

Next, install the XFCE desktop environment and the VNC Server by running the following command:

```

sudo apt-get install xfce4 vnc4server

```

Once the installation is complete, you need to configure the VNC Server. You can do this by creating a new configuration file for the VNC Server.

```

sudo nano /etc/vnc/config.d/vncservers.conf

```

In this file, add the following lines:

```

securedir=/home/user/.vnc

geometry=1024x768

localhostonly=yes

```

Replace `user` with your actual username. Save and close the file.

Next, you need to start the VNC Server and enable it to start automatically on boot. You can do this by running the following command:

```

sudo service vncserver start

sudo update-rc.d vncserver defaults

```

Now, you can connect to your Ubuntu machine using a VNC client. There are some popular VNC viewers that you can choose from. A VNC Client (also called VNC Viewer) is the software that you’ll run on your local machine and will enable you to control your VNC server remotely.

If you need help creating a sudo user in Ubuntu, we have a tutorial for that. For my server, I’m using a cheap VPS with high RAM from Contabo (check out our review of their VPS if you’re interested – or use a raspberry pi).

In this article, we will show you how to install and configure the VNC Server on your Ubuntu machine. We will also cover some popular VNC viewers that you can choose from.

Configuring VNC Deepin Desktop Environment (DDE)

To configure VNC to use the Deepin Desktop Environment (DDE), follow these steps:

* Install DDE by running the following command: `sudo apt-get install dde-core`

* Configure DDE by running the following command: `sudo nano /etc/vnc/config.d/dde.conf`

* Add the following lines to the file:

```

securedir=/home/user/.vnc

geometry=1024x768

localhostonly=yes

dde-session-command=startplasmashell --replace

```

Replace `user` with your actual username. Save and close the file.

Configuring VNC to Use KDE Plasma Desktop

To configure VNC to use the KDE Plasma Desktop, follow these steps:

* Install KDE Plasma Desktop by running the following command: `sudo apt-get install kde-plasma-desktop`

* Configure KDE Plasma Desktop by running the following command: `sudo nano /etc/vnc/config.d/kde.conf`

* Add the following lines to the file:

```

securedir=/home/user/.vnc

geometry=1024x768

localhostonly=yes

kde-session-command=startplasmashell --replace

```

Replace `user` with your actual username. Save and close the file.

Configuring VNC to Use Other Desktop Environments (And Switching Between Them)

To configure VNC to use other desktop environments, follow these steps:

* Install the desired desktop environment by running the following command: `sudo apt-get install 'desktop_environment_name'`

* Configure the desktop environment by running the following command: `sudo nano /etc/vnc/config.d/'desktop_environment_name'.conf`

* Add the following lines to the file:

```

securedir=/home/user/.vnc

geometry=1024x768

localhostonly=yes

'desktop_environment_session_command'

```

Replace `'desktop_environment_name'` with the name of the desktop environment you installed, and `user` with your actual username. Save and close the file.

Step 5: Setting up the VNC as a system service

To set up the VNC server as a system service, follow these steps:

* Create a new configuration file for the VNC server by running the following command: `sudo nano /etc/init.d/vncserver`

* Add the following lines to the file:

```

#!/bin/sh

### BEGIN INIT INFO

# Provides: vncserver

# Required-Start: $syslog

# Default-Stop: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

### END INIT INFO

case '$1' in

start)

/usr/bin/vncserver -geometry 1024x768 :1

;;

stop)

pkill -9 vncserver

;;

restart)

stop; start;

esac

```

Save and close the file.

Set up an SSH Tunnel with Your Terminal

To set up an SSH tunnel, follow these steps:

* Install OpenSSH by running the following command: `sudo apt-get install openssh-server`

* Configure OpenSSH by running the following command: `sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config`

* Add the following lines to the file:

```

AllowTcpForwarding yes

```

Save and close the file.

Step 4: Establish a secure connection to the VNC Desktop

To establish a secure connection to the VNC desktop, follow these steps:

* Install the Real VNC Viewer by running the following command: `sudo apt-get install vnc-viewer`

* Start the Real VNC Viewer and connect to your Ubuntu machine using the IP address and port number you specified earlier.