Enable GUI access to a Rocky Linux VM

This guide explains how to install a lightweight graphical environment (XFCE) and configure XRDP to enable remote desktop access to your Rocky Linux virtual machine.

Note: You must have sudo privileges to perform the installation steps.

---

🔧 Step 1: Update the System

sudo dnf update -y

 

🧪 Step 2: Install EPEL repository

The installation of the XFCE desktop environment requires to install the EPEL repository which is a repository that provides high-quality software packages for RHEL-distributions.

sudo dnf install epel-release -y

🎛️ Step 3: Install XFCE Desktop Environment

sudo dnf groupinstall "Xfce" -y

 

📦 Step 4: Install XRDP

sudo dnf install xrdp -y

 

🔄 Step 5: Enable and Start XRDP

sudo systemctl enable xrdp --now

Check the service status:

sudo systemctl status xrdp

You should see "active (running)".

 

🔐 Step 6: Open RDP Port in Firewall

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=3389/tcp 
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

 

🛠️ Step 7: Set XFCE as the Default Desktop for XRDP Sessions

Create or modify your user’s .Xclients file:

echo "startxfce4" > ~/.Xclients chmod +x ~/.Xclients

To apply this for all new users, you can add it to /etc/skel/:

echo "startxfce4" | sudo tee /etc/skel/.Xclients 
sudo chmod +x /etc/skel/.Xclients

 

🔄 Step 8: Reboot the system

To ensure all services and graphical environment changes take effect, reboot the virtual machine:

sudo systemctl reboot

Wait a few moments for the system to come back online.

💻 Step 9: Connect via Remote Desktop

From your local machine, open your Remote Desktop Client (RDP) and connect to:

---

If you need further help, please contact your system administrator or open a support ticket with the helpdesk (helpdesk@unil.ch).