Fedora provides remote desktop access. This provides two extremely useful features. Firstly it enables you, or another person to view and interact with your desktop environment from another computer system either on the same network or over the internet. This is useful if you need to work on your computer when you are away from your desk such as while travelling or even sitting in a Wi-Fi enabled coffee shop. It is also useful in situations where a co-worker or IT support technician needs access to your desktop to resolve a problem.
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Fedora provides remote desktop access. This provides two extremely useful features. Firstly it enables you or another person to view and interact with your desktop environment from another computer system either on the same network or over the internet. This is useful if you need to work on your computer when you are away from your desk such as while traveling or even sitting in a Wi-Fi enabled coffee shop. It is also useful in situations where a co-worker or IT support technician needs access to your desktop to resolve a problem.
Secondly, in addition to providing access to your primary desktop (the one you see when you switch on your monitor every morning) it enables you to create multiple desktops and connect to them remotely.
Secondly, in addition to providing access to your primary desktop (the one you see when you switch on your monitor every morning) it enables you to create multiple desktops and connect to them remotely.
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If the ''rpm'' command reports ''package vino is not installed'' then the next step is to perform the installation. This can be performed either using the ''Add/Remove Software'' tool, launched by selecting ''System->Administration->Add/Remove Software'' or from the command prompt in a terminal window. Within the Add/Remove Software tool, search for ''vino'', select checkbox next to item in the results list and click on ''Apply'' to install the package. To install from a terminal window, enter the following:
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If the ''rpm'' command reports ''package vino is not installed'' then the next step is to perform the installation. This can be performed either using the ''Add/Remove Software'' tool, launched by selecting ''System->Administration->Add/Remove Software'' or from the command prompt in a terminal window. Within the Add/Remove Software tool, search for ''vino'', select the checkbox next to the item in the results list and click on ''Apply'' to install the package. To install from a terminal window, enter the following:
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== Activating Remote Desktop Access ==
== Activating Remote Desktop Access ==
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The next step in setting up remote desktop access is to activate it and define some basic security settings. These settings are configured in the Remote Desktop Preferences dialog. To access this dialog, open the desktop ''System'' menu, select ''Preferences'' followed by ''Remote Desktop''. When selected the following window will appear:
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The next step in setting up remote desktop access is to activate it and define some basic security settings. These settings are configured in the Remote Desktop Preferences dialog. To access this dialog, open the desktop ''System'' menu and select ''Preferences'' followed by ''Remote Desktop''. When selected the following window will appear:
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* '''Allow other users to control your desktop''' - Allows users accessing your remote desktop to control the desktop. In other words the remote user can do anything to your desktop that they want using their mouse and keyboard as if they were sitting physically at the local system.
* '''Allow other users to control your desktop''' - Allows users accessing your remote desktop to control the desktop. In other words the remote user can do anything to your desktop that they want using their mouse and keyboard as if they were sitting physically at the local system.
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* '''You must confirm each access to this machine''' - When selected, this option cause a dialog to appear warning you of an attempt by a remote user to connect and prompting you to confirm or deny the connection. If you are likely to want to log in remotely you will need to turn this off since you will not be at the local system to accept your own connection.
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* '''You must confirm each access to this machine''' - When selected, this option causes a dialog to appear warning you of an attempt by a remote user to connect and prompting you to confirm or deny the connection. If you are likely to want to log in remotely you will need to turn this off since you will not be at the local system to accept your own connection.
* '''Require the user to enter this password''' - Specifies a password which must be entered by the remote user to access your desktop. It is strongly advised that you select this option and specify a password.
* '''Require the user to enter this password''' - Specifies a password which must be entered by the remote user to access your desktop. It is strongly advised that you select this option and specify a password.
== Accessing a Remote Fedora Linux Desktop using vncviewer ==
== Accessing a Remote Fedora Linux Desktop using vncviewer ==
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For ystems on which the vinagre tool is not available, the vncviewer tool can be used to access remote desktops. This tool can be installed on Fedora using the following command sequence in a terminal window:
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For systems on which the vinagre tool is not available, the vncviewer tool can be used to access remote desktops. This tool can be installed on Fedora using the following command sequence in a terminal window:
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Otherwise, enter the password and a new screen will appear containing the desktop from the remote system. If remote desktop control was enabled you can interact with the desktop as if you were sitting at the remote screen.
Otherwise, enter the password and a new screen will appear containing the desktop from the remote system. If remote desktop control was enabled you can interact with the desktop as if you were sitting at the remote screen.
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This section assumed that the remote desktop was being accessed from a Linux or Unix system. Access is also possible from a Windows system.
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This section assumed that the remote desktop was being accessed from a Linux or UNIX system. Access is also possible from a Windows system.
== Accessing a Remote Fedora Linux Desktop from a Windows System ==
== Accessing a Remote Fedora Linux Desktop from a Windows System ==
The remote desktop configurations we have explored so far in this chapter are considered to be insecure because no encryption is used. This is acceptable when the remote connection does not extend outside of an internal network protected by a firewall. When a remote session is required over an internet connection a more secure option is needed. This achieved by tunneling the remote desktop through a secure shell (SSH) connection.
The remote desktop configurations we have explored so far in this chapter are considered to be insecure because no encryption is used. This is acceptable when the remote connection does not extend outside of an internal network protected by a firewall. When a remote session is required over an internet connection a more secure option is needed. This achieved by tunneling the remote desktop through a secure shell (SSH) connection.
