How to Remote Login via XDMCP in Ubuntu

Unlike vncviewer that just duplicates the current screen on a remote system, XDMCP allows several different users to login and run different X sessions at the same time.

Turn on the XDMCP feature on the server

To turn on the XDMCP feature on the server computer:

  1. Select the menu: System -> Administration -> Login Window
  2. In the Login Window Preferences dialog window, select: Remote Tab -> Style: Same as Local
  3. Then close the dialog window and restart the server computer.

Login from a client PC running Ubuntu

There is more than one way to login from a client PC

Connect from the login screen

  1. Logout from your current session
  2. Select Actions on the login screen
  3. Choose "Run XDMCP Chooser"
  4. Add the host name or the ip address of computer you want to login to.

Connect from the current X session

To login to a remote X server from the current session you need to install the xnest package.

Then you can use tsclient program or run the Xnest command like this:

$ Xnest -ac -kb -query 192.168.1.1 :1 -geometry 1024x768

 

Danilo