Automatically starting remote desktop

Ubuntu comes with vino-server pre-installed.

To enable go to: System - Preferences - Remote desktop

• Check ‘Allow other users to view your desktop’.
• Check ‘Allow other users to control your desktop’.
• Uncheck ‘Ask you for confirmation’.
• Type in the password you want to use.

To enable using a script:

metacity --replace & disown
vino-preferences & disown
gconftool-2 -s -t bool /desktop/gnome/remote_access/enabled true

Check if the server is enabled:

gconftool-2 -g /desktop/gnome/remote_access/enabled

Note:

• Now you can use remote desktop with VNC, but you need to have a user logged in.
• Remote desktop uses TCP port 5900.

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Note: The following didn't work for me, instead I leave a user logged in and lock the screen

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To allow remote desktop at boot modify the gnome startup script to start vino-server:

sudo gedit /etc/gdm/Init/Default

/usr/lib/vino/vino-server &

Then add the line 'KillInitClients=false':

sudo gedit /etc/gdm/custom.conf

...
KillInitClients=false
...

Note: this file has been moved around quite a lot in Ubuntu history. This location is for Ubuntu 10.04.