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Connecting to Linux Instances using X2Go

Install the X2Go Client

Start an instance on Anvil with Xfce

Start a new instance with any of the images that include Xfce.

Steps:

  1. Under Compute... Instances... click the 'Launch Instance' button
  2. Choose 'Boot from image', and select your desired image (here 'CentOS 7.2 Xfce' is used)
  3. On the 'Access and Security' tab, ensure the 'default' security group is checked. This will allow incoming SSH access.
  4. On the 'Networking' tab, add the 'Cluster Interface' network only
  5. Launch the instance
  6. On the instances page, note the IP Address of your new instance

Connect with the X2Go Client

Create a new session with the following settings:

  1. Host: IP address of your instance
  2. Login: Depends on the Linux version (For example: CentOS - centos, Alma - almalinux, Ubuntu - ubuntu, Fedora - fedora, etc.) See the "Username to Connect" column on this page for a complete list. Here centos is used.
  3. RSA key: Configure with the id_rsa key pair you used to create the instance
  4. Session type: XFCE
  5. Click 'OK' to save your new session

We also recommend adjusting the settings as follows for better performance:

  1. Under Connection, set "Connection speed" to "WAN" and "Compression Method" to 4k-png.
  2. Under Media, ensure that both "Enable sound support" and "Client side printing support" are both unchecked.
  3. Shared folders can also impact performance. Ensure that none are listed under Shared folders by default unless they are needed.

Open the connection:

  1. Anvil instances are on a private network. To reach them with SSH, you'll need to connect to the Anvil VPN.
  2. Click on the session in X2Go Client to open it
  3. The first time you connect, you'll be asked to confirm the SSH key of the remote server.
  4. After a couple seconds, a desktop will open. Click 'Use default config' to get a standard Xfce Linux desktop.
  5. You're ready to use your Xfce Linux desktop