This is the reason KDE Plasma Desktop Built-in screen sharing feature. If you’ve ever performed remote support professionally or helped someone, have you ever been on a call where problem solving was secondary to the impossible task of figuring out what to expect? on your user’s screen. How many times have you described complex computer tasks only to realize that your user hasn’t even turned on the computer?
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Network safety
DE Plasma uses a point-to-point invitation model for screen sharing. The user launches an application, starts a Virtual Network Connection (VNC) server, where the facilitator can view and even control the computer remotely. If this sounds insecure, there’s still firewall interference. If you are a supporter for someone who is not on the same network as you, you must establish a secure path from your network to the user’s network before screen sharing. Ideally, you should do this before you get a warning:
1. Configure the user’s router to route the VNC port (5900 by default, but you can use any port you like) to their computer.
2. Open a service in the user’s local firewall to allow VNC traffic (on the port you specified in the first step).
Remote screen sharing
To start a screen sharing session, the user must start the application krfb (short for KDE remote frame buffer). This starts the VNC server and generates a temporary password.
The default port that krfb uses is 5900, but you can change that if needed in the krfb settings. However, this is something you should do first, so you can avoid trying to explain to the user how to change the port of the protocol.
View and control
While this window is open, you can log in via VNC using your favorite VNC client. KDE includes the application krdc (short for KDE remote desktop client). On a supporting computer, launch it and give it the destination IP address. When you are prompted for a password, enter the password that is visible in the krfb session you are connecting to.
Once connected, you can see the user’s screen and you can guide them. If they have trouble following your instructions, you can control their mouse. By default, krfb (that’s the app they’re running) asks them for permission before handing over control back to you.
Seeing what your users see can speed troubleshooting and reduce time for both. Provided you have your network set up for support first, the combination of krfb and krdc are valuable tools for Linux professionals to guide new users.
In addition, you can also create your own Desktop Environment on Linux here.
