SLES 12 and xrdp on gnome

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server SLES Install-Boot
1

Hi Folks.

I have got quite fimiliar with SLES 11 SP3 and now I wanted to move on to SLES 12. Not much luck so far, I already get stuck with some basics.

On SLES 11 I used xrdp to connect to the linux host with absolutely no problems. Quite different on SLES 12.

  1. I installed a standard host with just with no extra software from the install menu - out of the box.
  2. Then solving the problem with the screen resolution standard of 640x480 by setting the default during setup in kernel parameters.
  3. Yast; Software Management; add xrdp → ok; Open port in firewall - ok.
  4. Now here we go. SLES 11 was so kind to install as well a “service” for xrdp, SLES 12 anoyingly isn’t. So googleing, finding corresponding posts, create xrdp.service, install & start service. ok.
  5. Connecting to the host through MS RDP Client ends up in black screen with mouse pointer. Googleing again, finding other users with the same problem, but no real solution for SLES 12.

Investigating the issue and comparing to my SLES 11 box there are some findings:
A) on SLES 11 there is installed “xorg-x11-server-rdp”, this ist not the case on SLES 12. And did not find any helpful information about if I need this and if that is so, how to install it.
B) on SLES 11 the MS-RDP client on launch has a field called “Session” and the choices in this field are:
GNOME, IceWM, FVWM, TWM and Failsafe Terminal
on SLES 12 the third field is called “Module” and the choices are:
sesman-Xvnc, console, vnc-any, sesman-any, rdp-any, freerdp-any and sesman-X11rdp

well - I have tried them all with no luck. And I did not find any helpful postings or documentation to explain, what I need or what the difference is.

I do assume, that the old choics “GNOME” and the new choice sesman-X11rdp are somewhat the same…

Any ideas where to go from here?

2

Datanetservicesug,

It appears that in the past few days you have not received a response to your
posting. That concerns us, and has triggered this automated reply.

Has your issue been resolved? If not, you might try one of the following options:

Be sure to read the forum FAQ about what to expect in the way of responses:
http://forums.suse.com/faq.php

If this is a reply to a duplicate posting, please ignore and accept our apologies
and rest assured we will issue a stern reprimand to our posting bot.

Good luck!

Your SUSE Forums Team
http://forums.suse.com

3

GNOME and GDM on SLES12 are very badly broken. We have two SR’s open for several weeks now with absolutely no resolution. Multiple Windows X-Servers won’t work with SLES12 anymore. Even Suse’s own openSUSE and SLES11 can’t open a desktop to SLES12.

…and of course they removed KDM/KDE so there really isn’t any other option. Even IceWM is broken on the LOCAL console (no mouse support)…

Very bad!

[QUOTE=datanetservicesug;26387]Hi Folks.

I have got quite fimiliar with SLES 11 SP3 and now I wanted to move on to SLES 12. Not much luck so far, I already get stuck with some basics.

On SLES 11 I used xrdp to connect to the linux host with absolutely no problems. Quite different on SLES 12.

  1. I installed a standard host with just with no extra software from the install menu - out of the box.
  2. Then solving the problem with the screen resolution standard of 640x480 by setting the default during setup in kernel parameters.
  3. Yast; Software Management; add xrdp → ok; Open port in firewall - ok.
  4. Now here we go. SLES 11 was so kind to install as well a “service” for xrdp, SLES 12 anoyingly isn’t. So googleing, finding corresponding posts, create xrdp.service, install & start service. ok.
  5. Connecting to the host through MS RDP Client ends up in black screen with mouse pointer. Googleing again, finding other users with the same problem, but no real solution for SLES 12.

Investigating the issue and comparing to my SLES 11 box there are some findings:
A) on SLES 11 there is installed “xorg-x11-server-rdp”, this ist not the case on SLES 12. And did not find any helpful information about if I need this and if that is so, how to install it.
B) on SLES 11 the MS-RDP client on launch has a field called “Session” and the choices in this field are:
GNOME, IceWM, FVWM, TWM and Failsafe Terminal
on SLES 12 the third field is called “Module” and the choices are:
sesman-Xvnc, console, vnc-any, sesman-any, rdp-any, freerdp-any and sesman-X11rdp

well - I have tried them all with no luck. And I did not find any helpful postings or documentation to explain, what I need or what the difference is.

I do assume, that the old choics “GNOME” and the new choice sesman-X11rdp are somewhat the same…

Any ideas where to go from here?[/QUOTE]

4

Hi
Can you provide the two SR numbers either here or via a PM so can
follow up with my SUSE Contacts.

–
Cheers Malcolm °¿° LFCS, SUSE Knowledge Partner (Linux Counter #276890)
SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 GNOME 3.10.1 Kernel 3.12.36-38-default
If you find this post helpful and are logged into the web interface,
please show your appreciation and click on the star below… Thanks!

5

if you switch to icewm, you can at least get a screen. GNOME seems to not work at all in an xrdp session.

just edit /etc/xrdp/startwm.sh and prepend the list of Sessions with “icewm”.

but note that some applications (gnome-terminal) are still broken.

I’m a bit surprised that a package like xrdp made it into SLES in such a broken state.

  • init-script installed into the wrong directory
  • default configuration not working at all
6

Hi everyone.

Thanks a lot for shedding some light on this. If such a basic functionality is so corrupt in SLES 12 - what else will surprise us the same way? I’ll better wait for SP1…

The SR numbers would interest me too…
Thanks again.

7

Hello,

I was just running into the same problem. I used xrdp following:
https://www.server-world.info/en/note?os=SUSE_Linux_Enterprise_12&p=desktop&f=3

But then got the Black screen as well, but i noticed an error as xrdp was starting up “vnc error - only supporting 15 16 and 24 bpp connections” and simply changed the window’s rdp session from 32 bpp to 24 bpp and BAM!

Windows > Remote Desktop Connection > Display Tab > Colors > Select 24 > done