November 9, 2024

Windows Remote Desktop

What I want is some way to access my Windows 10 machine from my linux machine. I have a variety of reasons for wanting this. My keyboard and screen are nicer and more familiar on my linux machine. I am in general much more comfortable on linux and it can be handy to cut and paste into my favorite editor and thus onto my website from my linux machine.

I can just install the "rdesktop" package using dnf on Fedora 41.

Try rdesktop - it sucks and does not work

I install it, then type "rdesktop gila". It seems to get a good start, then fails with the following errors: 
Do you trust this certificate (yes/no)? yes
Failed to initialize NLA, do you have correct Kerberos TGT initialized ?
Failed to connect, CredSSP required by server (check if server has disabled old TLS versions, if yes use -V option).
Of course I don't have Kerberos set up in any way, why would I?

I search on this and find myself tangled up in TLS, NLA, and the usual alphabet soup of acronmyms. I don't want yet another research project, I just want quick and easy remote access to my windows machine.

Try remmina - it works!!

The rdesktop program is just one of many clients for the RDP protocol. Another that I see recommended is "remmina". It is also available as a Fedora package, so I install it and give it a try.

Typing "remmina" starts up a GUI. It has a pulldown menu at the top left that offers RDP, SSH, and VNC, with RDP the default. I enter "gila" into the entry field, and it brings up a login dialog, I type my password into the password field and it "just works"!

I get a graphical view of my current windows desktop with all the windows I have already started (using windows yesterday). I hadn't expected this, but it is nice. Sort of like VNC in "spy" mode to a linux system. The urgent thing is to get a bigger display area.

There is a command line window left over from yesterday and I am able to use it to find out things about the python I have on windows: 

python --version
Python 3.9.7
python
import wx
My only complaint about all of that is that I can't cut and paste like I wanted to to record the above information.

What about ssh?

I have a foggy memory of enabling this on windows and sure enough I can just do "ssh gila", give my password, and I am in. This of course does let me cut and paste since it is a good old terminal window.

What about bash?

I type bash in my ssh session. There is a long wait, then I get prompted as follows: 
[sudo] password for tom:
[ ok ] Starting OpenBSD Secure Shell server: sshd.
ssh service started
tom@Gila:/mnt/c/Users/Tom$
That is weird and unexpected, but does get bash running and I can type "ls" instead of "dir" now. Typing "vi" works now too (back with the Windows command thing I had to type "vim"). So this works with many of my hard boiled habits and may be a win -- we shall see.

Note that Fedora gives me python 3.13.0 as of November, 2024, whereas Windows has 3.9.7 -- but that is the least of my worries.

Have any comments? Questions? Drop me a line!

Adventures in Computing / [email protected]