Debian 13 “Trixie” GNOME Desktop with RDP and SSH

Debian 13 “Trixie” GNOME Desktop provides a ready-to-use Linux desktop environment for Microsoft Azure. It includes the GNOME desktop, Firefox ESR, GNOME Terminal, Files, Text Editor, Git, SSH, XRDP remote desktop access, and UFW firewall protection.

What Is This Offer?

This image turns an Azure virtual machine into a complete remote Linux desktop. Users can connect graphically through Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) or manage the VM from a terminal using SSH.

The image is based on Debian 13 and uses the GNOME desktop environment. It is suitable for users who need a graphical Linux workspace without installing and configuring the desktop manually.

Who Is It For?

• Beginners: Learn and use Linux through a familiar graphical desktop.
• Developers: Create a remote development, testing, or staging environment.
• IT Administrators: Manage Linux systems using both graphical and command-line tools.
• Students and Trainers: Create cloud-based Linux labs and training environments.
• Businesses: Run secure remote desktops, internal tools, browser-based applications, and administrative workloads.

What Problems Does It Solve?

• Faster Deployment: GNOME and XRDP are already installed and configured.
• Easy Remote Access: Connect from Windows, Linux, or macOS using an RDP client.
• Reduced Setup Work: Avoid manually installing a desktop environment, display manager, and remote desktop service.
• Flexible Management: Use RDP for graphical access and SSH for command-line administration.
• Cloud-Based Workspace: Access your Linux desktop from different locations without relying on local hardware.

Included Software

• Debian 13 “Trixie”
• GNOME Desktop
• GNOME Display Manager
• XRDP and xorgxrdp
• OpenSSH Server
• Firefox ESR
• GNOME Terminal, Files, and Text Editor
• Git, curl, wget, and unzip
• UFW firewall
• Azure Linux Agent and cloud-init

How to Connect with Remote Desktop

1. Deploy the VM and create an administrator username and password.
2. In the Azure Network Security Group, allow inbound TCP port 3389 from your own trusted public IP address.
3. Open Microsoft Remote Desktop, Remmina, or another RDP client.
4. Enter the VM public IP address.
5. Log in using the username and password created during deployment.

Security recommendation: Do not open port 3389 to the entire internet. Restrict the Azure NSG rule to your own IP address, VPN, or trusted network.

How to Connect with SSH

Allow inbound TCP port 22 in the Azure Network Security Group, then connect with:

ssh username@VM_PUBLIC_IP

Firewall Protection

UFW is installed and configured to allow SSH and XRDP traffic. Check its status with:

sudo ufw status verbose

The configured inbound ports are:

22/tcp    SSH
3389/tcp  Remote Desktop

Recommended First Steps

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo ufw status verbose
systemctl status xrdp
systemctl status ssh

Important Notes

Customers are responsible for Azure NSG rules, user accounts, passwords, software updates, backups, monitoring, storage, application security, and any additional production hardening.

For better security, use strong passwords, restrict SSH and RDP access to trusted IP addresses, and consider Azure Bastion, VPN access, or just-in-time network access.

No additional software licence fee is charged by this offer. Azure infrastructure charges apply based on the selected VM size, storage, networking, and other deployed resources.

Prepared by ALSOURI LLC.