Step 1 – Connect via RDP

Your server’s IP address and root password are shown on the Server Details page in your client panel. The same credentials are used for RDP, SSH and VNC console access.

Use any RDP client to connect to your desktop:

Connection settings:

• Host: your.server.ip
• Port: 3389 (default)
• Username: root
• Password: from your client panel

If you placed the server behind a VyOS router on a private network, either configure port forwarding (port 22 for SSH, port 3389 for RDP), or connect over a VPN and reach the desktop on the server’s private IP.

Step 2 – Connect via SSH (Optional)

For command-line access, connect via SSH:

ssh root@your.server.ip

Root Login Warning

When you log in via RDP or SSH, you may see a warning about running as root. This is expected – all our templates use root access by default for convenience so you can configure the server immediately. You can create a regular user account later if needed.

Installing Additional Software

Install software using apt from the terminal or from the XFCE application menu:

# Install Chromium browser
apt update && apt install -y chromium-browser

# Install LibreOffice
apt install -y libreoffice

# Install VS Code
snap install code --classic

OS Updates

To update the system manually:

apt update && apt upgrade -y

Fail2Ban – Brute-Force Protection

Your server comes with Fail2Ban pre-configured to protect both SSH and RDP from brute-force attacks.

Useful commands:

# Check banned IPs
fail2ban-client status xrdp
fail2ban-client status sshd

# Unban an IP
fail2ban-client set xrdp unbanip 1.2.3.4

If you accidentally lock yourself out, connect via VNC console in your client panel and unban your IP.

Service Management

xrdp runs via systemd. Common commands:

# Check RDP service status
systemctl status xrdp

# Restart RDP
systemctl restart xrdp

# View xrdp logs
journalctl -u xrdp -n 100

What’s Pre-Configured

• Dual desktops: XFCE for RDP (lightweight, fast) and Gnome for VNC console in your client panel (emergency fallback)
• Display mode: X11 (Wayland is not compatible with RDP on Ubuntu 24.04 – causes black screens)
• Desktop update protection: core desktop packages (display server, login manager, xrdp, XFCE) are excluded from automatic updates to prevent RDP breakage. Security updates for other packages continue normally

Software Included

Minimum Requirements

• XFCE Documentation: docs.xfce.org
• Ubuntu Desktop: ubuntu.com/desktop