Secure VNC Setup on Linux VPS with XFCE and Google Chrome

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for setting up a secure VNC server on a Linux VPS, installing the lightweight XFCE desktop environment, and integrating Google Chrome.

1. Install Main Packages

sudo apt install curl iptables build-essential git wget lz4 jq make gcc nano automake autoconf tmux htop nvme-cli libgbm1 pkg-config libssl-dev libleveldb-dev tar clang bsdmainutils ncdu unzip libleveldb-dev  -y

2. Install XFCE Desktop Environment

First, install the XFCE graphical user interface:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install xfce4 xfce4-goodies -y

3. Install VNC Server

Install VNC Server to allow remote access to the graphical interface of your VPS:

sudo apt install tightvncserver -y

# Activate clipoboard in VNC
sudo apt install autocutsel

4. Config VNC Server

1. Start VNC Server for the first time to set up a password:

vncserver

• This will run a VNC screen on :1 port

2. Stop VNC Server to config it:

vncserver -kill :1

3. Configure VNC to use XFCE and automatically open Terminal

Open the xstartup configuration file and edit it to start XFCE along with the Terminal:

nano ~/.vnc/xstartup

Replace the content of the file with:

#!/bin/bash
xrdb $HOME/.Xresources
startxfce4 &
xfce4-terminal &
autocutsel &
-geometry 1920x1080 -depth 24

4. Make the xstartup file executable:

chmod +x ~/.vnc/xstartup

5. Start a VNC session

1. Start a VNC session on display :1 and port 5901

vncserver :1 -geometry 1920x1080 -depth 24

• If needed, you can run multiple sessions by entering :2 or more

6. Connect VNC from a Windows Machine

1. Download VNC Viewer from RealVNC and install it on your Windows machine.

2. Open VNC Viewer and connect to IP_VPS:5901 or IP_VPS:1, then enter the VNC password when prompted.

3. Now, you should see the desktop interface of your VPS, with the Terminal automatically opened upon login.

• To copy & paste anything in the VNC xefc terminal, you can use shift+ctrl+c & shift+ctrl+v

Optional. Enable ports for your VNC seasons

If you had problem connecting the VNC, you can try openning the ports

• You might better activate your firewall for security reasons first:

sudo ufw allow ssh
sudo ufw enable

• Allow VNC connections:

sudo ufw allow 5901/tcp

• For multiple VNC sessions, allow each port:

sudo ufw allow 5901/tcp
sudo ufw allow 5902/tcp

Optional: To kill VNC sessions if needed

vncserver -kill :1

7. Install Google Chrome on the VPS

1. Open Terminal (if it hasn't automatically opened in the VNC session).

2.Download Google Chrome:

sudo wget https://dl.google.com/linux/direct/google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb

3. Install Google Chrome:

sudo apt install ./google-chrome-stable_current_amd64.deb

If you encounter dependency errors, run:

sudo apt --fix-broken install

4. Launch Chrome in VNC (add --no-sandbox if necessary):

google-chrome --no-sandbox

• It has to be running in a seperate terminal than your actual work