TigerVNC remote setup in Ubuntu

README.md

TigerVNC Installer

Installation

# For server
sh -c "$(wget -O- https://gist.githubusercontent.com/elkuno213/4eb921b320c7a8c53ba72ec24e0b48b3/raw/tigervnc_install.sh)" -- server

# For client
sh -c "$(wget -O- https://gist.githubusercontent.com/elkuno213/4eb921b320c7a8c53ba72ec24e0b48b3/raw/tigervnc_install.sh)" -- client

Usage

• Automatically configures systemd service
• Default password: password (change in script)
• Opens port 5901 (configure firewall if needed)

Connection Methods

[Optional] Copy the server's password file into the client:

scp -rp <server-user>@<server-ip>:~/.vnc/passwd $HOME/.vnc/passwd.<server-user>

1. Direct connection:

vncviewer localhost::5901 -via <server-user>@<server-ip> [-passwd $HOME/.vnc/passwd.<server-user>]

2. SSH Tunnel:

ssh -Y -L 5901:localhost:5901 <server-user>@<server-ip>             # Terminal 1
vncviewer localhost::5901 [-passwd $HOME/.vnc/passwd.<server-user>] # Terminal 2

Troubleshooting

• Gray screen: Ensure chmod +x ~/.vnc/xstartup on server
• Service status: systemctl status vncserver@1
• Connection issues: Verify SSH tunnel with netstat -tuln | grep 5901

Security

• Change default password in script (DEFAULT_PASSWORD)
• Use SSH tunnels instead of opening VNC ports
• Configure firewall to restrict access to port 5901

Supports: Ubuntu/Debian (apt)

tigervnc_install.sh

#!/bin/bash
#
# TigerVNC Installer Script
# -----------------------
# This script installs and configures TigerVNC server or client
# based on the provided argument.
#
# Usage: ./tigervnc_install.sh [server|client]

# Constants
DEFAULT_PASSWORD="password"

# Usage information
usage() {
    echo "Usage: $0 [server|client]"
    echo "  server - Install and configure TigerVNC server"
    echo "  client - Install and configure TigerVNC client"
    exit 1
}

# Check if argument is provided
if [ $# -ne 1 ]; then
    usage
fi

install_server() {
    echo "Installing TigerVNC server..."

    # Determine package manager and install tigervnc server
    if command -v apt-get &> /dev/null; then
        apt-get update
        apt-get install -y xfce4 xfce4-goodies
        apt-get install -y tigervnc-standalone-server tigervnc-common tigervnc-xorg-extension
    else
        echo "Unsupported package manager. Please install TigerVNC server manually."
        exit 1
    fi

    # Create necessary directories
    mkdir -p $HOME/.vnc

    # Set up VNC password
    echo "Setting up default VNC password..."
    echo "$DEFAULT_PASSWORD" | tigervncpasswd -f > $HOME/.vnc/passwd
    chmod 600 $HOME/.vnc/passwd  # Restrict permissions to owner only
    echo "Default VNC password set successfully."

    # Create a basic xstartup file if it doesn't exist
    if [ ! -f $HOME/.vnc/xstartup ]; then
        cat > $HOME/.vnc/xstartup << 'EOF'
#!/bin/sh
# Start up the standard system desktop
unset SESSION_MANAGER
unset DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS
/usr/bin/startxfce4
EOF
        chmod +x $HOME/.vnc/xstartup
    fi

    # Create systemd service file for VNC
    # Consider whether running as root or regular user
    if [ "$(id -u)" -eq 0 ]; then
        # For root user
        cat > /etc/systemd/system/[email protected] << 'EOF'
[Unit]
Description=TigerVNC service
After=syslog.target network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=root
Group=root
WorkingDirectory=/root

PIDFile=/root/.vnc/%H:590%i.pid
ExecStartPre=-/bin/sh -c "/usr/bin/tigervncserver -kill :%i > /dev/null 2>&1"
ExecStart=/usr/bin/tigervncserver -fg -depth 24 -geometry 1920x1080 -localhost no :%i
ExecStop=/usr/bin/tigervncserver -kill :%i

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF

        systemctl daemon-reload
        systemctl enable [email protected]
        systemctl start [email protected]
    else
        # For regular user
        mkdir -p $HOME/.config/systemd/user
        cat > $HOME/.config/systemd/user/[email protected] << 'EOF'
[Unit]
Description=TigerVNC service
After=syslog.target network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=%u
Group=%u
WorkingDirectory=%h

PIDFile=%h/.vnc/%H:590%i.pid
ExecStartPre=-/bin/sh -c "/usr/bin/tigervncserver -kill :%i > /dev/null 2>&1"
ExecStart=/usr/bin/tigervncserver -fg -depth 24 -geometry 1920x1080 -localhost no :%i
ExecStop=/usr/bin/tigervncserver -kill :%i

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF

        systemctl --user daemon-reload
        systemctl --user enable [email protected]
        systemctl --user start [email protected]
    fi

    echo "TigerVNC server installed and configured successfully."
    echo "The server is now running on display :1 (port 5901)"
    echo "Make sure your firewall allows connections to port 5901"
}

install_client() {
    echo "Installing TigerVNC client..."

    # Determine package manager and install tigervnc client
    if command -v apt-get &> /dev/null; then
        apt-get update
        apt-get install -y tigervnc-viewer
    else
        echo "Unsupported package manager. Please install TigerVNC client manually."
        exit 1
    fi

    # Create .vnc directory
    mkdir -p $HOME/.vnc

    echo "TigerVNC client installed successfully."
    echo
    echo "Configuration Instructions:"
    echo "--------------------------"
    echo "- Copy the server's password file:"
    echo "    $ scp -rp <server-user>@<server-ip>:~/.vnc/passwd $HOME/.vnc/passwd.<server-user>"
    echo
    echo "- Connection methods:"
    echo "    1. Direct connection:"
    echo "    $ vncviewer localhost::5901 -via <server-user>@<server-ip> -passwd $HOME/.vnc/passwd.<server-user>"
    echo
    echo "    2. SSH tunnel:"
    echo "    $ ssh -Y -L 5901:localhost:5901 <server-user>@<server-ip>"           # Terminal 1
    echo "    $ vncviewer localhost::5901 -passwd $HOME/.vnc/passwd.<server-user>" # Terminal 2
}

# Main script logic
case "$1" in
    server)
        install_server
        ;;
    client)
        install_client
        ;;
    *)
        usage
        ;;
esac

exit 0