Remote Desktop Setup on DigitalOcean

Overview

This project automates the deployment of a remote desktop environment on a DigitalOcean droplet using Terraform. It configures a Ubuntu 20.04 server with XFCE4, X2Go server for remote access, and a preconfigured user account.

Features

• Deploys a DigitalOcean droplet in the sgp1 region.
• Sets up a secure root password and a random password for the user gabriel.
• Installs XFCE4 as the desktop environment.
• Installs and configures X2Go for remote desktop access.
• Automatically provisions a 2GB swap file.

Prerequisites

• Terraform installed on your local machine.
• A DigitalOcean account with an API token.
• SSH access to the deployed droplet.

Deployment Steps

1. Configure Terraform

Edit deploy.tf and insert your DigitalOcean API token:

provider "digitalocean" {
  token = "your_digitalocean_api_token"
}

2. Initialize Terraform

Run the following command to initialize Terraform and download the required providers:

terraform init

3. Apply the Configuration

To deploy the droplet, execute:

terraform apply -auto-approve

Terraform will:

• Create a DigitalOcean droplet.
• Generate secure passwords for root and gabriel.
• Run setup.sh to configure the system.

4. Retrieve Access Credentials

After the deployment, retrieve the droplet IP and passwords:

terraform output

Expected output:

droplet_ip = "xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx"
root_password = (sensitive value)
gabriel_password = (sensitive value)

5. Connect to the Droplet

Using SSH:

ssh root@<droplet_ip>

Use the root password retrieved from Terraform.

Using X2Go:

1. Download and install X2Go Client.
2. Set up a new session with:
   • Host: <droplet_ip>
   • Login: gabriel
   • Session Type: XFCE
3. Use the password retrieved from Terraform.
4. Connect to the remote desktop environment.

Cleanup

To destroy the droplet and clean up resources, run:

terraform destroy -auto-approve

Security Considerations

• The generated passwords are sensitive and should be handled securely.
• Remove the stored password file (/home/gabriel/.password.txt) after first login.
• Consider setting up SSH keys for better security.

Troubleshooting

• Ensure the droplet is running: terraform show
• Check X2Go server logs: sudo systemctl status x2goserver
• Verify SSH authentication is enabled: cat /etc/ssh/sshd_config | grep PasswordAuthentication

License

This project is open-source and can be modified as needed.