How to access your Virtual Desktop

Assuming that you have a capable device and a decent internet connection, there are 3 ways to access your ubiDesktop^® Virtual Desktop:

1. Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) or NX Protocol (for Linux VD only)
2. VNC^® Protocol (Virtual Network Computing)
3. Third-party software of your choice (e.g. Team Viewer, Anydesk, FreeNX, etc.)

You may need to install the related client software to use these services, according to the operating system you are using on your physical device, as shown below:

1. RDP / NX (Recommended)

This is the fastest and best-performing way to access your Virtual Desktop. Once a VD is deployed, these services, RDP for Windows^® and NX for Linux, start automatically to let you log-in and take control of your system.

Once you installed the client, you can either use the file provided by the “Get Access” button or, if you need to change some settings, create your own connection profile by opening the RDP/NX client.

You can find your RDP/NX address on your ubiDesktop dashboard, as shown in the picture below:

RDP Client (for Windows Virtual Desktop)

• Windows
  You don’t need to install anything as Microsoft Remote Desktop client is already included in all Windows® versions. If you are using an old version like Windows® 7, then we strongly suggest you upgrade RDP client to version 8.0 through Windows Update, so that you can get the best performance.
  
• Mac OS
  You need to install Microsoft Remote Desktop for Mac from the App Store. If you already have it, please make sure it is the latest version.
  
• Linux
  You would need a client that supports RDP like Remmina, which is already included in many Linux distributions. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have the same performance of Microsoft RDP Client.
  
• Android
  You need to install Microsoft Remote Desktop for Android from the Google Play Store.
  
• iOS
  You need to install Microsoft Remote Desktop (Mobile) for iOS from the App Store.

NX Client (for Linux Virtual Desktop)

You need to install NoMachine, available for Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Android and iOS.

Please note that RDP/NX support at most 1 concurrent session. If you need multiple users accessing your VD at the same time, then you need to use additional software like RDP Wrapper or the paid version of NoMachine.

2. VNC^®

This service is provided directly by the hypervisor, so it works below the operating system of your Virtual Desktop and does not consume resources from your VD. That means that you can always use it, even if RDP/NX doesn’t work for some reason such as system crash, bad firewall rules, wrongly configured VPN, etc. This way, you can fix problems and regain control of your Virtual Desktop.

Since VNC genuinely simulates your physical presence in front of your Virtual Desktop, in some cases it might be useful in order to start programs that would refuse to run (or stay on) inside a remote session like RDP or NX.

You can find your VNC address and password on your ubiDesktop dashboard, as shown in the picture below:

VNC Client

To access through VNC protocol you need a VNC client and the most famous one is RealVNC Viewer, which supports the vast majority of operating systems, but there are other valid clients such as TightVNC Viewer, Remmina, Vinagre, etc.

Do not install VNC Server/Service as this could lead to your PC being controlled by others! If the installation package includes both Viewer and Server, select custom installation and untick the Server/Service part. You only need the Viewer/Client.

On Mac OS you don’t need to install anything as Safari browser has a built-in VNC client. It is enough to put the VNC address in the address bar with this format vnc:\\hostname:port.

Please bear in mind that VNC is slower than RDP/NX, it should be used only if RDP/NX doesn’t work!

RealVNC issues

If you choose RealVNC Viewer, you need to set the image quality to a fixed level such as High or Medium from the Application Preferences, because if left to Automatic (default) it could lead to connection drops or random errors.

3. Third-party software

Since you have full admin rights on your Virtual Desktop, you are free to install whatever you wish to control your desktop remotely, such as TeamViewer, AnyDesk, Chrome Remote Desktop, FreeNX, X11 Forwarding, etc. In some cases, you may need to add a public IPv4 address to make the VD reachable from the Internet, as, normally, the VD is behind NAT with a private IP address.

Please note that we can’t give any support if you decide to use a service of your choice.