How to Use Remote Desktop (rdesktop)

Procedures To Use Remote Desktop (rdesktop) in Redhat/Fedora/CentOS

Remote Desktop application connects RDP ( Remote Desktop Protocol ) of OS from Linux machine. In this article, we will learn how to take over remote desktop of Windows Terminal using Hostname and IP Address.

Check for the following points before connecting to remote host

Enable remote desktop under Windows OS.
Enable RDP port no. 3389 in Firewall.
Under MS-Windows desktop > > Right Click My Computer > > Select properties > > Select Remote tab > > Enable Remote desktop > > Save changes.
Require at least one user with password.

To Install rdesktop (Remote Desktop)

Use the following command to verify whether rdesktop application has been already installed in your Linux distribution.

[root@linuxhelp ~]# rpm -qa rdesktop
rdesktop-1.7.1-1.el6.x86_64

Install with YUM command to resolve dependencies.

[root@linuxhelp ~]# yum -y install rdesktop
Loaded plugins: auto-update-debuginfo, fastestmirror, protectbase, refresh-packagekit, security
Setting up Install Process
Loading mirror speeds from cached hostfile
 * base: centos.webwerks.com
 * epel: download.ispsystem.com
 * epel-debuginfo: kartolo.sby.datautama.net.id
 * extras: centos.webwerks.com
 * ispsystem-base: download.ispsystem.com
 * ispsystem-stable5: download.ispsystem.com
 * rpmforge: mirror.nl.leaseweb.net
 * rpmfusion-free-updates: kartolo.sby.datautama.net.id
 * rpmfusion-free-updates-debuginfo: kartolo.sby.datautama.net.id
 * rpmfusion-nonfree-updates: kartolo.sby.datautama.net.id
...
...
...

Now the installation has been completed.

To use rdesktop with hostname

Run the following command to connect Windows host from Linux desktop, using hostname

To resolve host name make entry at /etc/hosts file if you don’ t have DNS Server in your environment.

[root@linuxhelp ~]# rdesktop -u Admin linuxhelp

Explanations:

-u : username (Admin)
linuxhelp : hostname

To use rdesktop with IP Address

Run the following command to connect Windows host from Linux machine, using IP address.

[root@linuxhelp ~]# rdesktop -u Admin 192.168.7.101