Hi all,
Installing x2goserver on the remote host (your workstation in the closet) and opening up sshd is how I do this.
You install x2goclient on your own workstation to connect to the remote host.
The good:
- connects over ssh
- Gives you a full desktop environment (for some desktop environments)
- multiple users are supported at the same time.
- Faster that remote X and RDP
- Supports XFCE4 desktops (with compositing disabled) and other lightweight desktops
The bad:
- Does not support some modern desktops like GNOME
- Does not support some graphical features like GLX or compositing. But there are not many applications that actually use these features or it can be worked around.
x2goserver/client is used a lot in various areas like HPC, remote teaching. You can run some pretty heavy graphical programs like Libreoffice, Intellij, vscode, matlab, firefox, google-chrome. Sound even works. Video, not so much. Video "works" for some things but it's very jerky.
There is hope in the future, with support coming for more modern desktops, with the introduction of x2go-kdrive. There seems to be some recent life in the development of this, but it's not really here yet.