Guacamole is an open-source remote desktop gateway that allows you to access your desktop from anywhere. In this tutorial, we will install Guacamole on EndeavourOS.
Before beginning the installation process, ensure that you have the following:
Guacamole depends on a few packages to work correctly. These packages need to be installed beforehand. The following command installs these packages:
sudo pacman -S tomcat guacamole-server freerdp
After installing the required packages, it's time to configure the Guacamole server. This operation involves two stages:
Copy the guacamole.properties.example file to /etc/guacamole/guacamole.properties using the following command:
sudo cp /etc/guacamole/guacamole.properties.example /etc/guacamole/guacamole.properties
Open the /etc/guacamole/guacamole.properties file using a text editor of your choice, navigate to the authentication section, and adjust the values as per your preference.
The most common authentication types include:
Guacamole is a web-based application that is served by Tomcat. Therefore, it is essential to configure Tomcat correctly.
Open the /usr/lib/systemd/system/tomcat.service file using a text editor of your choice and locate the following line:
User=tomcat
Group=tomcat
Replace tomcat with your username and your group name, respectively.
Start the Tomcat service by using the following command:
sudo systemctl enable tomcat
sudo systemctl start tomcat
Copy the Guacamole .war file to the Tomcat webapps folder:
sudo cp /usr/share/guacamole/guacamole.war /var/lib/tomcat/webapps/
Restart the Tomcat Server:
sudo systemctl restart tomcat
Assuming everything went well, you can access Guacamole on your server's public address via the established port. The default port for Guacamole is 8080, and you can access it via the following URL:
http://<server-public-ip>:8080/guacamole/
In conclusion, Guacamole is a powerful and versatile server that allows you to access your desktop from anywhere. In this tutorial, we have walked you through the process of installing and configuring Guacamole on EndeavourOS.
If you want to self-host in an easy, hands free way, need an external IP address, or simply want your data in your own hands, give IPv6.rs a try!
Alternatively, for the best virtual desktop, try Shells!
