Ubuntu server as remote PC

Description

Bash script to turn an Ubuntu 20.04 server into a basic and lightweight remote PC, with LXQt as desktop environment, and VNC access via an SSH tunnel.

Installed software

• LXQt (with Openbox)
• TigerVNC Standalone Server
• Chromium

Requirements

• Ubuntu 20.04
• At least 4 GB of RAM
• At least 20 GB of storage

Optional modes

• --include-initial-setup / -iis - Includes some initial server setup in case the server was just created; namely, it adjusts the clock and sets up a password for the current user. Useful for Google Cloud VMs. Ignore if you did this already on your own.
• --dns / -dn - Sets up OpenDNS nameservers (more options available in resolved.conf).
• --full / -fl - Does all of the above.

Usage

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/ManuelFte/Ubuntu-server-as-remote-PC

Enter the script's directory:

cd Ubuntu-server-as-remote-PC

[Optional] Open main.sh and set the correct timezone in the user variables:

nano main.sh

Run the script:

bash main.sh [<mode(s)>]

After the script has finished, type one of these commands in the client machine to connect:

a) If you're using login via SSH key:

ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa -L 7000:localhost:5901 -N -v <user>@<IP>

b) If you're using login via password:

ssh -L 7000:localhost:5901 -N -v <user>@<IP>

Then, also from the client machine, use a VNC program like TigerVNC to connect to localhost:7000 (on Linux you can use vncviewer localhost:7000).