Clarification regarding installation

[xcpn]

I would like some help with installation on Debian via Method 3.

The documentation says to "download the deb files and install", but v1.1.15 has a ZIP file with the bare binaries or three different types of DEB files.

Which one is the main/initinal installer? Am I supposed to install all three DEB files in random order, or it needs to be in specific order? The docs don't clarify this detail, and all self-hosted projects I have installed had an initial installer that needed to be in place first, or just one installer overall.

[ELHart05]

Those three .deb files aren't three parts of one installer, they're three separate packages, and there's no required order. Here is what each one is (per architecture):

• rustdesk-server-hbbs_1.1.15_<arch>.deb - the ID/rendezvous server (hbbs). This is the main one; it's what clients register against.
• rustdesk-server-hbbr_1.1.15_<arch>.deb - the relay server (hbbr). It carries the session when a direct P2P link can't be made.
• rustdesk-server-utils_1.1.15_<arch>.deb - just the rustdesk-utils CLI helper (key handling and a few maintenance commands). Optional.

For a normal self-hosted setup you want both hbbs and hbbr. They are independent packages with no dependency on each other (each only depends on systemd), so the install order doesn't matter. utils is optional and you can skip it.

Pick the build that matches your CPU architecture:

dpkg --print-architecture     # amd64, arm64, armhf, or i386

Then install with apt. Use the ./ prefix so apt treats them as local files and pulls the systemd dependency:

sudo apt install ./rustdesk-server-hbbs_1.1.15_amd64.deb ./rustdesk-server-hbbr_1.1.15_amd64.deb
# optional helper:
sudo apt install ./rustdesk-server-utils_1.1.15_amd64.deb

Each package drops its binary into /usr/bin and installs a systemd unit that the package enables and starts automatically:

• hbbs -> rustdesk-hbbs.service
• hbbr -> rustdesk-hbbr.service

So there's no separate "run" step. Verify both are up:

systemctl status rustdesk-hbbs rustdesk-hbbr

Data lives in /var/lib/rustdesk-server/, logs in /var/log/rustdesk-server/. The public key you put into the client is generated on first start:

sudo cat /var/lib/rustdesk-server/id_ed25519.pub

The ZIP with the bare binaries is just an alternative to the debs: the same hbbs / hbbr / rustdesk-utils executables with no packaging and no service files, for when you'd rather run them by hand or wire up your own service manager. It's one or the other, you don't combine the ZIP with the debs.

[xcpn]

Hey @ELHart05, thanks for the reply.

I have a few questions if you know to answer for me if you don't mind.

1. After configuring clients to use my server, are all clients only able to connect to other clients using the same server?

I configured a client to use the server and the status shows green "Ready". When I try to connect to a client that is using the public servers, I get the error "Remote desktop is offline". Does that mean that if I configure multiple clients to use the same server, they can only see clients in the same server and no longer able to interact with clients that use public/other servers? I also tested with two clients both connected to the same server and it works fine.

That's kinda bad if true, because I obviously don't want to configure random clients to use my server if I'd need to connect to them once or twice to help them with stuff. I would like to know if that is the case and if there is a middle ground somehow, maybe a way to create a shortcut that when opened that way the configuration changes or something like that.

2. Do I need API to check what clients are connected to my server, or for anything else also?

I ran rustdesk-utils doctor IP_ADDRESS and got this.

Checking IP address: IP_ADDRESS
Is IPV4: true
Is IPV6: false
TCP Port 21114 (API): ERROR
TCP Port 21115 (hbbs extra port for nat test): OK in 0 ms
TCP Port 21116 (hbbs): OK in 0 ms
TCP Port 21117 (hbbr tcp): OK in 0 ms
TCP Port 21118 (hbbs websocket): OK in 0 ms
TCP Port 21119 (hbbr websocket): OK in 0 ms

All ports per documentation are open via UFW.

ufw allow 21114:21119/tcp
ufw allow 21116/udp

From the other methods to install RustDesk Server I see I can optionally use InfiniteRemote for API access using Addressbook(?).

Is this needed only so I can check what clients are connected to my server? I see that rustdesk-utils doesn't offer an option to check clients, but I can still read the sqlite3 database table and see them from there. For now when configuring clients I have left the 'API Server' entry empty.

3. Does installing a new version of the DEB packages take care of updates?

If a new version comes out and I install the .deb packages the same way, do they check if a previous version is already in place and take care of the updates? Do they work the same way .deb installers work or there is manual work to be done when updating to newer versions?