Remote Desktop

Remote Desktop, a software included with Fedora, enables you to connect to remote computer over the internet. Remote desktop will allow you to see and control your connected PC as though you were sitting directly in front of it. In this post, I will discuss how to set up remote desktop on Fedora 7. Here, I will refer to local system as “my computer” and other as “remote computer”. The connection will be established over TCP port 5900. Before you proceed, make sure that the port is not blocked by a firewall. I will walk you through the steps to set up remote desktop.

Steps to be performed on "remote computer", i.e., the computer which will be accessed from "my computer":

1. Launch the Remote Desktop Preferences by clicking

The Remote Desktop Preferences window looks like this:

a. Allow other users to view your desktop: If you select this option, the Remote Desktop users will only be able to view the desktop. They will not be able to perform any keyboard or mouse operations.

b. Allow other users to control your desktop: If you select this option, the remote desktop users will able to control the Desktop.

c. Ask you for confirmation: If you select this option, whenever the remote desktop user tries to share your desktop, a confirmation window will pop up on the "remote desktop". On pop up window there will be two buttons titled "Refuse" and "Accept". Remote desktop user can either accept or refuse the connection. This option enables remote desktop user to be aware of other users who connect to remote computer.

d. Require the user to enter this password: If you select this option, user at the "my desktop" needs to enter the password in order to access the remote desktop.

e. Password: Enter the password for the remote user who attempts to view or control your session.

Steps to be performed on "my computer", i.e., on the local computer from where remote computer will be accessed:

First, install VNC Viewer on this computer.

1. Launch the terminal by clicking

2. Switch to super user mode. You will require the root password.

3. Install VNC Viewer

4. Launch the VNC Viewer by clicking

The VNC Viewer window looks like this:

Here, you need to enter the IP address or host name of the remote computer and click the “OK” button. Once you click the "OK" button, a window will pop up on the remote desktop and ask the user to "Accept" or "Refuse" the connection. The remote user is one who is sitting in front of the "remote desktop". Fedora desktop can be accessed by any kind of computer if that computer has VNC viewer software installed. The permission window looks like this:

If the remote user accepts the connection, then the "my computer" user will be able to view the remote desktop. After accepting the connection "my computer" window looks like this:

System administration is one of the most common uses of the remote desktop software. Once the administrator has entered the password, the remote desktop software enables the administrator to access the remote computer from the administrator's computer. Then, administrator can perform any software operations as in local computer. This saves the time that it would take the administrator to physically go and perform the software operations on the remote computer.