Today I decided to figure out how to connect an old computer to my new computer so I could use my main desktop’s screen and keyboard, instead of having another computer setup cluttering up my office or taking up space in another room.  I have seen and heard about this capability over the years but never bothered to learn how to do it, since by the time I would upgrade to a new computer the previous computer completely died.  Upgrading the old “dead” computer didn’t make sense regarding total cost, so why bother.

Another goal in this adventure is to learn the Linux operating system.  Once again this is something I have never explored since Windows has completely given me everything I have needed, or thought I had needed, for a price.  Well, I am no longer looking to pay that price, whether it is monetary, time, or just convenience, as it has not gotten me anywhere, or attributed to increasing my computer knowledge.

I have two old computers that I had replaced within the last two years that have been sitting in my closet waiting for their chance to shine once again.  Both are HP Pavilions I bought at Walmart in 2015.  Both had been purchased when I talked my wife into playing World of Warcraft with me, and even though it wasn’t the most ideal computer for online gaming, it didn’t matter because we were having fun, together. Those computers were, for the most part, sufficient, or when compared to what I had replaced, then amazing. Like all technology, the need to upgrade became apparent with one of the expansions of World of Warcraft. 

The Linux distro I use is Mint, mainly because when I started to learn about Linux when I bought my first raspberry pi 2 in 2016, it was explained as a beginner distro close to a Window experience. On top of that, I finally got my Linux Format issue 281 in the mail last month, February 2022. Issue 281 was from Oct 2021, but contained a Mint 20.2 DVD, making installing Mint a breeze.

So, I needed to learn how to do this and I did what any good first-year Millennial would do… look it up on YouTube.

First Video

Remote Desktop to Ubuntu from Windows 10 – How to remote desktop to an Ubuntu Machine from Windows, by The Technology – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNeRn1a7iEE

My first problem is I’m not using Ubuntu but I figure I’d still learn something, each Linux distribution can’t be that far different from the other.  In this video little explanation is given at the level I require; granted I’m not a total noob, but I would like a little more info. 

First questions, what is xrdp, what exactly am I installing on my computer, and is it widely used?

Go go Google search (huzzah Inspector Gadget reference… yay)

“What is xrdp?

Xrdp is a free and open-source implementation of Microsoft RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) server that enables operating systems other than Microsoft Windows (such as Linux and BSD-style operating systems) to provide a fully functional RDP-compatible remote desktop experience.”

Good enough Second video

How to Remote Desktop from Windows to Linux Ubuntu Mint Debian | XRDP, by Happy Ghost – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7dOxDIIPXI

What I liked about the video was it got straight to the point while adding some explanation.  Unfortunately, I still don’t understand some concepts as I am feeling more like a total noob than I thought I was in the first video.

The first problem, is what is an SSL-cert?  The explanation in the video states “XRDP uses the /ect/ssl/private/ssl-cert-snakeoil.key file that is readable only by members of the “SSL-cert” group.”

You lost me on snake oil and needing to quote “SSL-cert”

Second, what is ufw? The short explanation is, if your firewall is running (and why wouldn’t it be?) it allows port 3389 on the firewall.  Great, what’s port 3389?  In just a few short seconds I see snake oil, a nonrunning firewall, and access to a port; GREAT, now I just need to sit back and let the hacker rummage through my system.

At this point, I stop the video to get clarification on my questions.  Feeling like a total squirrel because, during this time, I think of a domain name, and check for its availability.  Which spirals into making a new website for the rest of the day.

Day two, back to figuring out port 3389, just glancing at previous google answers

“What is the purpose of an SSL certificate?

An SSL certificate is a bit of code on your web server that provides security for online communications. When a web browser contacts your secured website, the SSL certificate enables an encrypted connection. It’s kind of like sealing a letter in an envelope before sending it through the mail.”

“What uses TCP port 3389?

Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) is a Microsoft proprietary protocol that enables remote connections to other computers, typically over TCP port 3389. It provides network access for a remote user over an encrypted channel.”

How do you prevent global exposure? Shouldn’t that be the computer’s firewall?

Next UFW – stands for Uncomplicated FireWall – first thought “Awe, this is already complicated.”  The video I watch was, UFW Full Tutorial | HackerSploit Linux Security by Linode – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lt2itMlreQo

Wow, a lot of information was found on that video, which I was completely unprepared for.  I took notes, I will need to learn what my notes mean later, for now, I just want to make my computer talk with my other computer.

How to: Linux Portion

So, the first thing I needed to do was install the packages on my Linux computer.  This would be the program that would allow remote access.

This would be done on the command line/ terminal

~$ sudo apt update     # I am unsure if this needs to be done, just something I had seen in other videos

~$ sudo apt install xrdp -y      # or just go to the software manager like I did and download xrdp

Enter in the password if you have it set up like that for admin privileges

Now we need to enable xrdp at the computer boot up

~$ sudo systemctl enable xrdp          #  at this point I don’t know much about Linux but I am figuring systemctl means system control

~$ sudo systemctl status xrdp          # Check that it is active and running

~$ sudo adduser xrdp ssl-cert

~$ sudo systemctl restart xrdp

~$ sudo ufw status

~$ sudo ufw allow 3389/tcp

~$ sudo ufw status      # This is to see if the new rule was created

~$ ifconfig       # Check the IP of the Linux computer marked as inet 192.168.0.123

Log out of the Linux system

How to: Windows Portion

On the Window Computer

Open the remote desktop connection app [which is part of the window system]

Put the IP address in the white box and click connect

I had a certificate error since it could not be authenticated but I just click yes, and just like magic, I was able to connect.  Huzzah!!

Now just need to log in with the Linux username and password.

After all this, I feel like now I need to learn some more about port security.