XRDP will not work

[provensen]

I am new to AnduinOS, but not new to Ubuntu. I am able to install XRDP on Ubuntu with a Gnome desktop just fine. But when I attempt to install XRDP on AnduinOS and try it, it will not work. Is anybody else having this issue with XRDP? If so, how to did you resolve it?
My systemctl status xrdp:
`systemctl status xrdp
● xrdp.service - xrdp daemon
Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/xrdp.service; enabled; preset: enabled)
Active: active (running) since Mon 2025-10-06 10:16:43 EDT; 3h 0min ago
Invocation: ec4536b8bcd34e038f663882893c0b21
Docs: man:xrdp(8)
man:xrdp.ini(5)
Main PID: 863 (xrdp)
Tasks: 1 (limit: 9419)
Memory: 2.3M (peak: 30.6M)
CPU: 1.000s
CGroup: /system.slice/xrdp.service
└─863 /usr/sbin/xrdp --nodaemon

Oct 06 13:08:16 anduin xrdp[9878]: [INFO ] xrdp_wm_log_msg: Performing login request for admin
Oct 06 13:08:16 anduin xrdp[9878]: [INFO ] xrdp_wm_log_msg: login was successful - creating session
Oct 06 13:08:17 anduin xrdp[9878]: [INFO ] xrdp_wm_log_msg: session is available on display 10 for user admin
Oct 06 13:08:17 anduin xrdp[9878]: [INFO ] xrdp_wm_log_msg: Connecting to session
Oct 06 13:08:17 anduin xrdp[9878]: [INFO ] loaded module 'libxup.so' ok, interface size 10416, version 4
Oct 06 13:08:17 anduin xrdp[9878]: [INFO ] lib_mod_connect: connecting via UNIX socket
Oct 06 13:08:17 anduin xrdp[9878]: [INFO ] lib_mod_log_peer: xrdp_pid=9878 connected to Xorg_pid=9886 Xorg_uid=1000 Xorg_gid=1000 client=[::ffff:(my IP address)]:49978
Oct 06 13:08:17 anduin xrdp[9878]: [INFO ] xrdp_wm_log_msg: Connecting to chansrv
Oct 06 13:08:17 anduin xrdp[9878]: [INFO ] Received memory_allocation_complete command. width: 1700, height: 935
Oct 06 13:08:21 anduin xrdp[9878]: [ERROR] Xorg server closed connection`

I have already set systemctl set-default multi-user.target. Please help.

[provensen]

I found that Anduin uses gnome-remote-desktop out of the box, and when I installed xrdp on top, I could not connect. I removed xrdp, and enabled gnome-remote-desktop. This is a shame, because I prefer xrdp instead of using gnome-remote-desktop.
I also tried removing gnome-remote-desktop and re-installing xrdp, and I still couldn't connect. AnduinOS will not allow xrdp.
If anybody knows a way to install and use xrdp on AnduinOS, please respond back. I give up. Thank you.

[Anduin2017]

Hi @provensen,

Thank you for taking the time to try AnduinOS and for sharing your detailed feedback. I appreciate you documenting your experience, and I want to personally address the issues you've encountered with XRDP.

As the creator of AnduinOS, I want to clarify the design philosophy behind the operating system and explain why we've chosen GNOME Remote Desktop as the default, officially supported solution for remote access. I also want to correct a misunderstanding: it is entirely possible to get XRDP working on AnduinOS, and your assertion that "AnduinOS will not allow xrdp" is inaccurate. I will provide instructions below, but first, it is crucial to understand why this is not the recommended path.

The AnduinOS Philosophy: A Modern, Secure, Wayland-First Experience

AnduinOS is designed to be a modern Linux desktop operating system. This means we embrace forward-looking technologies that offer better security, performance, and a more streamlined user experience. A core part of this philosophy is our default use of the GNOME desktop environment running on the Wayland display server protocol.

As the Linux ecosystem undergoes a major "paradigm shift" from the aging X11 to the more secure and efficient Wayland architecture, AnduinOS is committed to being at the forefront of this transition. This fundamental choice influences many other decisions, including our approach to remote desktop access.

Why GNOME Remote Desktop is the Default Choice

gnome-remote-desktop was chosen because it is the native, officially supported remote access solution for the modern GNOME and Wayland stack. Its architecture is fundamentally aligned with our goals for AnduinOS.

1. Native Wayland Integration: Unlike XRDP, which is an X11-era technology, gnome-remote-desktop is built for Wayland. It works by directly and efficiently capturing the screen content from GNOME's Wayland compositor (Mutter) using modern frameworks like PipeWire. This deep integration ensures a smoother, more stable, and more performant experience on a modern GNOME desktop. XRDP, by contrast, fundamentally relies on X11 and cannot work in a pure Wayland session.

2. Superior Out-of-the-Box Security: Security is paramount. gnome-remote-desktop uses the FreeRDP library and enforces Network Level Authentication (NLA) by default. NLA is a critical security feature of the RDP protocol that requires user authentication before a full remote session is established, effectively mitigating brute-force attacks and certain remote code execution vulnerabilities. As noted in comprehensive analyses, the stable version of XRDP critically lacks support for NLA, making it less secure when exposed to a network. For this reason, using XRDP safely requires complex workarounds like SSH tunneling or strict firewall rules, whereas gnome-remote-desktop is secure by design.

3. Seamless User Experience: On AnduinOS, enabling remote access with gnome-remote-desktop is effortless. It's integrated directly into the system settings ("Settings" -> "Sharing"), allowing users to enable RDP access with a simple toggle switch. There are no configuration files to edit or complex commands to run. This "out-of-the-box" experience is a core tenet of our user-friendly philosophy.

How to Install XRDP on AnduinOS (The Legacy Method)

While it is not the recommended solution, you are correct that installing XRDP on an Ubuntu-based system is straightforward. The reason it "will not work" out of the box on AnduinOS is because XRDP is incompatible with our default Wayland session. To make it work, you must globally disable Wayland and force the system to fall back to the older Xorg (X11) display server.

This is a significant compromise, as you lose the security and performance benefits of Wayland, but it can be done. Here are the steps:

1. Install XRDP:

   sudo apt update
   sudo apt autoremove gnome-remote-desktop -y
   sudo apt install xrdp -y

2. Configure the XRDP Session to use GNOME:
   Edit the startwm.sh file:

   sudo nano /etc/xrdp/startwm.sh

   Replace its content with the following to ensure it properly initializes a GNOME session:

   #!/bin/sh
   if test -r /etc/profile; then
       . /etc/profile
   fi
   if test -r ~/.profile; then
       . ~/.profile
   fi
   unset DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS
   unset XDG_RUNTIME_DIR
   exec env GNOME_SHELL_SESSION_MODE=ubuntu /usr/bin/gnome-session --session=ubuntu

3. Disable Wayland:
   This is the most critical step. You must edit the GDM (GNOME Display Manager) configuration file:

   sudo nano /etc/gdm3/custom.conf

   Uncomment the WaylandEnable=false line to force GDM to use Xorg:

   # GDM configuration storage
   [daemon]
   # Uncomment the line below to force the login screen to use Xorg
   WaylandEnable=false

4. Restart Services:
   Apply the changes by restarting GDM and XRDP.

   sudo systemctl restart gdm3
   sudo systemctl restart xrdp

   After these steps, you should be able to connect to your AnduinOS machine using an RDP client.

The Architectural Conflict: Why XRDP and Modern GNOME are a Poor Match

Even after forcing the system back to X11, you may find the XRDP experience with GNOME to be subpar. This is not a fault of AnduinOS, but a well-documented architectural conflict.

• XRDP is a "bridge", translating RDP commands to an X11 backend. It performs best with simple, 2D-based desktop environments like XFCE, which only update small portions of the screen at a time. This perfectly aligns with RDP's optimization model of sending only "damaged regions."
• Modern GNOME is a 3D-accelerated compositing desktop. It uses the GPU for complex animations, transparency, and effects. This means that for almost any action (like dragging a window), a large portion of the screen is constantly being redrawn. This completely defeats RDP's optimizations, forcing XRDP to fall back to an inefficient mode of sending large bitmap updates, resulting in high CPU usage and a laggy user experience that is often described as "unbearably slow."

For these reasons, the industry best practice for XRDP in server environments is to pair it with a lightweight desktop like XFCE, not a resource-intensive one like GNOME.

A Strong Recommendation: Embrace the Future with GNOME Remote Desktop

I understand you have a preference for XRDP, but I strongly encourage you to give the native gnome-remote-desktop another try. It is the superior solution for a modern desktop OS like AnduinOS.

• Better Performance: On a Wayland-based GNOME desktop, it is significantly more responsive and resource-efficient.
• Modern Features: It is under active development by the GNOME project and is continuously improving. Key features like audio redirection (on GNOME 43+) and headless login (on GNOME 46+) are being implemented in a modern, integrated way using PipeWire.
• Future-Proof: As Wayland becomes the undisputed standard and X11 is eventually phased out from major distributions, gnome-remote-desktop will be the only viable, fully supported path forward. XRDP's long-term survival in the desktop space depends on a massive effort to develop a native Wayland backend, which is a monumental task.

I hope this detailed explanation clarifies our design choices and helps you achieve a successful remote desktop experience, preferably with the more secure and integrated native solution.