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RustDesk - Remote Desktop using a Native Client

Current Solutions for Native Clients

Windows RDP 

  • Does not work with Windows Home 
  • Windows Pro cost $200 USD
  • Windows cannot remote into Mac  - not natively 
  • You can remote into Linux using xRDP

VNC

  • Can be used with all Systems, however it is not open source
  • Touch to Install 
  • Latency is high 
  • Not secure unless you are using VNC cloud 
  • Low features

TeamViewer

  • Free for Personal use  - which is good
  • Need to go over TeamViewer's Servers

Need something that can be self hosted through my own servers with performance 

AnyDesk

  • If you want to host server, its not free  - paid option

RustDesk

  • Free
  • Host your own Server for free
  • Open source
  • works over Tailscale
  • GPU acceleration

Steps:

Download RustDesk on your Client

Unlock Security settings 

Enable Direct IP access

Add Port 21118

Set a Permanent Password

Now you can remote into the Machine over your local network - IP to IP - Direct and Unecrypted.  - this can be enough for most things - most use cases over LAN. 

Now you can use tailscale on your devices and access them over the tailscale IP as well. 

Rust Desk Server - Install it in the cloud or a raspberry pi  - will need port forwarding 

the server operates as a relay server  - when there is no local connectivity to the server you are connecting to

Spin up a Server in the cloud  - can be a basic server 1 CPU core, 1 GB Ram is sufficient 

Log into the server 

update and upgrade 

Install docker 

Setup Rusk Desk Server

Use Docker compose

mkdir rustdesk

cd rustdesk

nano docker-compose.yml

Copy and paste the yml file 

Save the file

Docker compose up -d

check if the servers are running 

Check the data folder

cd date

get the contents of the id_er25519.pub

cat id_er25519.pub

this will give you your public key - we are going to need this key

copy everything including the = sign and upto it.  

took note of your server IP address 

chage your server

Click on the network tab

Click on ID-relay server

for ID Server - add in your IP address 

Same IP address for your relay server

for Key - add your public key that you copied 

and Save

check your home page - it will be set to secure

this will need to be done on every server

Now instead of using the IP address you would use the ID of your remote computer to connect to it

to this way - it connects over the relay

 

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