How to install a Graphical User Interface on Ubuntu Server

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UPDATED: 5 months ago | Elijah Were

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Installing a graphical user interface on ubuntu enables you to have access to your server using a desktop environment. The experience you get is equivalent to more like running a physical computer with Ubuntu installed.

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In this blog, I will walk you through how to install a graphical user interface on your Ubuntu server. And to cut the story short, let’s jump to it.

Install a remote Desktop Server on Ubuntu

A remote Desktop Server is an application we install on our remote Ubuntu server to enable us to access the graphical user interface using a remote desktop client on the local machine.

There are a couple of remote desktop servers out there, but in this article, we will install and use something called xrdp

Installing xrdp server on Ubuntu

An xrdp is an open-source application that makes the implementation of Microsoft’s Remote Desktop Protocol possible on other operating systems other than Windows like Linux distributions.

At this point, I’m assuming that your Ubuntu Linux server is up and running and that you have root access to it. So, before we install xrdp server and as a common culture with Linux, we need to update our system with the following command;

sudo apt-get update

Now that the system is up to date, let’s install xrdp server by running the following command;

sudo apt install xrdp

The xrdp service will start automatically. But let’s confirm if it’s truly working by running the following command;

sudo systemctl status xrdp

If it’s working, then you should be seeing active (running) message on your terminal.

Install Gnome on Ubuntu Server

Gnome provides a desktop graphical user environment for ubuntu and we can install it by running the following command;

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-gnome-desktop

During the process of installing Gnome, you will be prompted to upgrade some important packages, and so you will have to type y, meaning yes to be able to continue. At this point, it can take a couple of minutes for all the necessary packages to be installed. I advise you to wait patiently for this process to complete.

Select a display manager

Gnome ships with a display manager and during the installation process, a screen will pop up so you can select the right display manager for your use. In this case, you need to select gdm3 which will offer you the full desktop experience of Ubuntu. So, select gdm3 as seen in the image below;

Install and configure the firewall on Ubuntu

When the installation of Gnome is complete, we need to open port 3389 for xrdp server to listen through the firewall;

Install iptables firewall

In this article, we’re using iptables firewall. You can use any other firewall you like as long as the applicable rules are implemented. And to install iptables firewall, use the following command;

sudo apt-get install iptables

Confirm if iptables firewall is active by running the following command;

systemctl status iptables

The first rule to implement is to enable port 22 for SSH access. This is important because if we don’t open it and the system abruptly shuts down, we’re going to be locked out forever. Use the following command to achieve this;

sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 22 -j ACCEPT

Now, let’s open 3389 to allow xdrp to listen through the firewall by running the following command;

sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 3389 -j ACCEPT

Connecting to the Ubuntu server using an xrdp client.

If you’re using windows as your local machine, you can remotely connect to your Ubuntu server with a graphical user interface installed using the native Windows Remote Desktop Client as seen in the image below;

Windows Remote Desktop client to access Ubuntu Desktop remotely

Enter your server login credentials

The login credentials you used to have SSH access to your machine are the same details you need to access your server’s desktop interface. This means that in the Windows Remote Desktop client, you will fill in as follow;

Under computer name, fill in your server’s IP address
Under user name, insert the same user name you used for SSH.

Press the save button so your credentials are saved on file and then hit connect . Finally, you will be prompted to insert your password, which is the same password you used for SSH connection.

That’s all and enjoy

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