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Akisame
Asked: 2019-02-20 06:45:01 +0800 CST

headless ubuntu server with desktop gui with working gpu

  • 772

I've ordered a dedicated (headless) server with an nvidia GeForce GT 710B GPU at ikoula (offsite data center). Now I am trying to get a full blown desktop gui to run on it so I can actually run what I want to run on it (streaming an AI learning a task using OBS). I got a desktop with TightVNC but it doesn't have access to the GPU using that method and thus OBS will not start.
xrdb installs and I can get a login window but when I login I simply get the default blue screen. (see images)

I have created a virtual monitor using the following command:

sudo nvidia-xconfig -a --allow-empty-initial-configuration \
--use-display-device="DFP-0" --connected-monitor="DFP-0" \
--custom-edid="DFP-0:/home/$USER/edid.txt"

and I am able to run startx without problem I just can't seem to login to a desktop.

my current /etc/X11/xorg.conf file generated from the above code: http://paste.ubuntu.com/p/HdWpJfzPvx/

I tried logging in onto root and I got a desktop. So somehow in my config I get a desktop for root but not for other users...

Ps. a monitor emulator plug is "not possible in my price range"

edit: it runs sometimes but it is very random. Does ANYONE know a proper way to boot mate or xfce4 on a remote ubuntu server with xrdp??? It just doesn't seem to work for me....

enter image description here enter image description here enter image description here

Edit: I really need help with this guys......I am about to just delete everything and leave it. I had it working yesterday but it seems to be really really inconsistent. I had it working on display :11.0 but now I can't even get it to open a display....

If anyone can get this to work I'll be eternally grateful.

/var/log/Xorg.0.log
/var/log/Xorg.1.log
/var/log/xrdp.log
/var/log/xrdp-sesman.log
/etc/X11/xorg.conf
/etc/xrdp/startwm.sh

What it currently does when I connect to xrdp and login is hang for 20 seconds and then I am back to the login screen. If you require more data let me know. enter image description here

Edit: tried x2go as suggested but got this error: enter image description here

server nvidia vnc headless 18.04

4 Answers

  1. Best Answer

    I fixed it.

    I supplied a EDID file from https://github.com/linuxhw/EDID/tree/master/Digital/Nvidia I configured Xorg using this nvidia-xconfig line:

    sudo nvidia-xconfig -a --allow-empty-initial-configuration --use-display-device=None \
--virtual=1920x1200 --busid {busid} --use-display-device="DFP-0" \ 
--connected-monitor="DFP-0" --custom-edid="DFP-0:/etc/X11/edid.txt"

    Where busid = gpu bus id

    After that simply start x sudo startx and login.

    later on I found that TurboVNC works a bit more stable. I installed VirtualGL and TurboVNC

    made sure to forward the gpu to the VNC session and ran this:

    sudo dpkg -i virtualgl_*.deb
sudo -i
/opt/VirtualGL/bin/vglserver_config

rmmod nvidia-nomode
rmmod nvidia-nvm
rmmod nvidia
reboot
xauth merge /etc/opt/VirtualGL/vgl_xauth_key
sudo dpkg -i turbovnc_*.deb
/opt/TurboVNC/bin/vncserver -geometry 1920x1080

    Final xorg.conf

    • 5

  2. I had similar problems in the past. I don't know the exact solution to you're specific problem but these might help you.

    • Install the desktop version of Linux. You can always change the systemd default boot target to prevent the GUI on the host server. You don't need a running graphical gui on the host server to use XRDP.
    • Always make sure you fully logged out before connecting via XRDP, maybe consider creating an additional user only for XRDP. It's not like Windows where you can steal a session.
    • You might need to create a .Xauthority file in the users home directory (I'm not sure about this one)
    • If you have on-board graphics, use these first to configure XRDP, When this is stable. You can make the change to the other GPU. As far as I can see, the problems you have now are not GPU related.

    • In your log files. I see often following message Cannot read private key file /etc/xrdp/key.pem: Permission denied You should check the permissions on that key.pem file. I've looked on my system and this permissions should work. 

       User@UbuntuUEFI:~$ ls -la /etc/xrdp/key*
 lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 38 Feb 24 18:47 /etc/xrdp/key.pem -> /etc/ssl/private/ssl-cert-snakeoil.key
 User@UbuntuUEFI:~$ ls -la  /etc/ssl/certs/ssl-cert*
 -rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1070 Feb 11 11:35 /etc/ssl/certs/ssl-cert-snakeoil.pem
 User@UbuntuUEFI:~$

    • In some cases it helps to try it first on a local virtual machine before using remote hardware. It could help you find the problem.

    • 1

  3. Try x forwarding over ssh.

    ssh -X user@host gnome-session
or
ssh -Y user@host gnome-session

    If you still get blank background on remote server, ssh and install sudo apt-get install gnome-desktop or other preferred desktop.

    • 0

  4. Xrdp will default to a basic xwindows session that will be different from the installed xwindows shell you already have and most times will run in a different x display like X1 not X0. By logging to xrdp you can launch a proper window manager like gnome-session or openbox but it will limit a lot of your xwindows things you can do correct. You can also fix an .xinitrc script to launch a terminal or launch a session manager like gnome-session. For me it would be better to install the group desktop environement if you already dont have, and then install a vnc root console tool to connect to the X:0 (x console) on the system. This will connect you to the default graphical interface of the ubuntu and will have better support overall. Alternative you have to tweak xrdp to connect vino the default vnc of the ubuntu like in this answer:

    Use xrdp to connect to desktop session

    • 0