docker-ubuntu-vnc-desktop/README.md

# docker-ubuntu-vnc-desktop

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docker-ubuntu-vnc-desktop is a Docker image to provide web VNC interface to access Ubuntu LXDE/LxQT desktop environment.

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- [Quick Start](#quick-start)
- [VNC Viewer](#vnc-viewer)
- [HTTP Base Authentication](#http-base-authentication)
- [SSL](#ssl)
- [Screen Resolution](#screen-resolution)
- [Default Desktop User](#default-desktop-user)
- [Deploy to a subdirectory (relative url root)](#deploy-to-a-subdirectory-relative-url-root)
- [Sound (Preview version and Linux only)](#sound-preview-version-and-linux-only)
- [Generate Dockerfile from jinja template](#generate-dockerfile-from-jinja-template)
- [Troubleshooting and FAQ](#troubleshooting-and-faq)
- [License](#license)

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## Quick Start

Run the docker container and access with port `6080`

```shell
docker run -p 6080:80 -v /dev/shm:/dev/shm dorowu/ubuntu-desktop-lxde-vnc
```

Browse http://127.0.0.1:6080/

<img src="https://raw.github.com/fcwu/docker-ubuntu-vnc-desktop/master/screenshots/lxde.png?v1" width=700/>

### Ubuntu Flavors

Choose your favorite Ubuntu version with [tags](https://hub.docker.com/r/dorowu/ubuntu-desktop-lxde-vnc/tags/)

- focal: Ubuntu 20.04 (latest)
- focal-lxqt: Ubuntu 20.04 LXQt
- bionic: Ubuntu 18.04
- bionic-lxqt: Ubuntu 18.04 LXQt
- xenial: Ubuntu 16.04 (deprecated)
- trusty: Ubuntu 14.04 (deprecated)

## VNC Viewer

Forward VNC service port 5900 to host by

```shell
docker run -p 6080:80 -p 5900:5900 -v /dev/shm:/dev/shm dorowu/ubuntu-desktop-lxde-vnc
```

Now, open the vnc viewer and connect to port 5900. If you would like to protect vnc service by password, set environment variable `VNC_PASSWORD`, for example

```shell
docker run -p 6080:80 -p 5900:5900 -e VNC_PASSWORD=mypassword -v /dev/shm:/dev/shm dorowu/ubuntu-desktop-lxde-vnc
```

A prompt will ask password either in the browser or vnc viewer.

## HTTP Base Authentication

This image provides base access authentication of HTTP via `HTTP_PASSWORD`

```shell
docker run -p 6080:80 -e HTTP_PASSWORD=mypassword -v /dev/shm:/dev/shm dorowu/ubuntu-desktop-lxde-vnc
```

## SSL

To connect with SSL, generate self signed SSL certificate first if you don't have it

```shell
mkdir -p ssl
openssl req -x509 -nodes -days 365 -newkey rsa:2048 -keyout ssl/nginx.key -out ssl/nginx.crt
```

Specify SSL port by `SSL_PORT`, certificate path to `/etc/nginx/ssl`, and forward it to 6081

```shell
docker run -p 6081:443 -e SSL_PORT=443 -v ${PWD}/ssl:/etc/nginx/ssl -v /dev/shm:/dev/shm dorowu/ubuntu-desktop-lxde-vnc
```

## Screen Resolution

The Resolution of virtual desktop adapts browser window size when first connecting the server. You may choose a fixed resolution by passing `RESOLUTION` environment variable, for example

```shell
docker run -p 6080:80 -e RESOLUTION=1920x1080 -v /dev/shm:/dev/shm dorowu/ubuntu-desktop-lxde-vnc
```

## Default Desktop User

The default user is `root`. You may change the user and password respectively by `USER` and `PASSWORD` environment variable, for example,

```shell
docker run -p 6080:80 -e USER=doro -e PASSWORD=password -v /dev/shm:/dev/shm dorowu/ubuntu-desktop-lxde-vnc
```

## Deploy to a subdirectory (relative url root)

You may deploy this application to a subdirectory, for example `/some-prefix/`. You then can access application by `http://127.0.0.1:6080/some-prefix/`. This can be specified using the `RELATIVE_URL_ROOT` configuration option like this

```shell
docker run -p 6080:80 -e RELATIVE_URL_ROOT=some-prefix dorowu/ubuntu-desktop-lxde-vnc
```

NOTE: this variable should not have any leading and trailing splash (/)

## Sound (Preview version and Linux only)

It only works in Linux. 

First of all, insert kernel module `snd-aloop` and specify `2` as the index of sound loop device

```shell
sudo modprobe snd-aloop index=2
```

Start the container

```shell
docker run -it --rm -p 6080:80 --device /dev/snd -e ALSADEV=hw:2,0 dorowu/ubuntu-desktop-lxde-vnc
```

where `--device /dev/snd -e ALSADEV=hw:2,0` means to grant sound device to container and set basic ASLA config to use card 2.

Launch a browser with URL http://127.0.0.1:6080/#/?video, where `video` means to start with video mode. Now you can start Chromium in start menu (Internet -> Chromium Web Browser Sound) and try to play some video.

Following is the screen capture of these operations. Turn on your sound at the end of video!

[![demo video](http://img.youtube.com/vi/Kv9FGClP1-k/0.jpg)](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv9FGClP1-k)


## Generate Dockerfile from jinja template

WARNING: Deprecated

Dockerfile and configuration can be generated by template. 

- arch: one of `amd64` or `armhf`
- flavor: refer to file in flavor/`flavor`.yml
- image: base image
- desktop: desktop environment which is set in flavor
- addon_package: Debian package to be installed which is set in flavor

Dockerfile and configuration are re-generate if they do not exist. Or you may force to re-generate by removing them with the command `make clean`.

## Troubleshooting and FAQ

1. boot2docker connection issue, https://github.com/fcwu/docker-ubuntu-vnc-desktop/issues/2
2. Multi-language supports, https://github.com/fcwu/docker-ubuntu-vnc-desktop/issues/80
3. Autostart, https://github.com/fcwu/docker-ubuntu-vnc-desktop/issues/85#issuecomment-466778407
4. x11vnc arguments(multiptr), https://github.com/fcwu/docker-ubuntu-vnc-desktop/issues/101
5. firefox/chrome crash (/dev/shm), https://github.com/fcwu/docker-ubuntu-vnc-desktop/issues/112
6. resize display size without destroying container, https://github.com/fcwu/docker-ubuntu-vnc-desktop/issues/115#issuecomment-522426037

## License

See the LICENSE file for details.