Docker-Vnc Desktop Configuration.

Posted on 2023-11-03 Edited on 2024-04-20 In Tips Views: Waline: Word count in article: 2.4k Reading time ≈ 2 mins.

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When using public servers, users typically have regular user accounts with limited permissions, unable to configure the server freely according to their preferences. To meet this demand, Docker is often used to allow root privileges within containers for environment configuration. VNC, a commonly used remote desktop tool, facilitates server-side rendering of graphical interfaces, which is particularly useful for experiments requiring interfaces (such as mujoco, habitat, igibson environments). This article mainly discusses configuring VNC desktop within Docker and provides a pre-packaged image: kezhiadore/ubuntu-vnc - Docker Image | Docker Hub

It's lovely rubbish

First, start from an initial Ubuntu 18.04 image, download, launch, and enter the container:

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docker pull ubuntu:bionic
docker run -itd --name ubuntu-vnc ubuntu:bionic
docker exec -it ubuntu-vnc

As this container doesn't have a desktop, install the xfce4 desktop:

1	apt install xfce4 xfce4-goodies xorg dbus-x11 x11-xserver-utils

Then, install vncserver after entering:

1 2	apt update apt install tigervnc-standalone-server tigervnc-common

Configure startup files in the user directory:

apt install vim
vim ~/.vnc/xstartup

## Add the following script

#!/bin/sh
unset SESSION_MANAGER 
unset DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS 
startxfce4 &
[ -x /etc/vnc/xstartup ] && exec /etc/vnc/xstartup 
[ -r $HOME/.Xresources ] && xrdb $HOME/.Xresources 
xsetroot -solid grey
 
# Save and close the file. The above commands will be executed automatically whenever starting or restarting the TigerVNC server.

# Change file permissions
chmod +x ~/.vnc/xstartup

Start vncserver:

1	vncserver :1

The vncserver needs initial configuration for passwords. Once configured, use a vnc client to access port 5091 to connect to the remote desktop.

Tips

After entering the desktop, some applications like Google Chrome may not run under root user mode. Creating a user and launching the remote desktop under that user's identity can resolve this.
If you encounter issues with terminal not opening, change application->settings->preference in the terminal settings.
Chinese display garbled characters may result from font and encoding issues. You can refer to the following tutorials for solutions:

Tips

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