Accessing Arch Linux Server Remotely: Using x2go instead of SSH Agent

Introduction

In this article, we will discuss how to access an Arch Linux server remotely using x2go instead of the standard SSH agent. Specifically, we will focus on using the gcr agent instead of the standard gnome-keyring SSH agent.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, it is assumed that you have an Arch Linux server set up and running on your local area network (LAN). Additionally, you should have a basic understanding of how to use the command line interface (CLI) in Linux.

Installing x2go on the Client Machine

The first step is to install x2go on the client machine that you will be using to access the Arch Linux server. You can do this by opening a terminal and entering the following command:

Once the installation is complete, you can launch the x2go client by entering the following command:

Configuring x2go for Remote Access

After launching the x2go client, you will need to configure it for remote access to the Arch Linux server. To do this, click on the "New session" button and enter the following information:

• Session name: A name for the session (e.g. "Arch Linux Server")
• Host: The IP address or hostname of the Arch Linux server
• Login: Your username on the Arch Linux server
• SSH port: The SSH port on the Arch Linux server (default is 22)
• Session type: Choose "XFCE" or "LXDE" as the desktop environment

Once you have entered this information, click on the "OK" button to save the session.

Configuring SSH Agent on the Client Machine

By default, x2go will use the standard gnome-keyring SSH agent for authentication. However, in this article, we will be using the gcr agent instead. To do this, you will need to configure the SSH agent on the client machine.

First, you will need to install the gcr agent by entering the following command:

Once the installation is complete, you can start the gcr agent by entering the following command:

Next, you will need to configure x2go to use the gcr agent for authentication. To do this, open the x2go client and edit the session that you created earlier. In the "Advanced" tab, check the box next to "Use SSH agent forwarding" and enter the following command in the "SSH agent command" field:

Once you have made these changes, click on the "OK" button to save the session.

Connecting to the Arch Linux Server

Now that everything is set up, you can connect to the Arch Linux server by double-clicking on the session that you created earlier in the x2go client. After entering your password, you should be able to access the desktop environment on the Arch Linux server.

In this article, we have discussed how to access an Arch Linux server remotely using x2go instead of the standard SSH agent. Specifically, we have focused on using the gcr agent instead of the standard gnome-keyring SSH agent. By following the steps outlined in this article, you should be able to remotely access your Arch Linux server using x2go and the gcr agent.

References

• Arch Linux Wiki: X2go

• x2go.org: Installing the x2go client

• Arch Linux Wiki: GnuPG

• gcr.org: gcr