Getting started with Xubuntu 22.04

[Melos]

Getting started with Xubuntu 22.04

I am trying to do a setup with Xubuntu 22.04 PC for testing. I know 22.04 is outdated, but this pc is available for testing.

~$ uname -r
6.8.0-60-generic

$ dpkg -l | grep -i vnc
ii  libvncclient1:amd64                           0.9.13+dfsg-3build2                         amd64        API to write one's own VNC server - client library
ii  tigervncserver                                1.15.0-1ubuntu1                             amd64        virtual network computing server software
ii  xtigervncviewer                               1.15.0-1ubuntu1                             amd64        virtual network computing client software for X

I am following https://github.com/TigerVNC/tigervnc/blob/master/unix/vncserver/HOWTO.md

First this confuses me:

"Limitations
You will not be able to start a TigerVNC server for a user who is already logged into a graphical session."

What is meant by "graphical session"?

Does this mean I may not login to XFCE with the 1st "(X)Ubuntu user which can use sudo and then connect with VNC?

"It is recommended to set option specifying the session you want to start."

Which session I must use with XFCE?

Is there a simple tutorial with 1.15? I read so much about changes, I am confused to do the right thing.

$ ls -1 /etc/tigervnc
vncserver-config-defaults
vncserver-config-mandatory
vncserver.users

What is mandatory for a 1st try? I just want to see it works before I configure special options.

[Pierre Ossman]

On 11/07/2025 19:24, Melos wrote:
>
> I am following
> https://github.com/TigerVNC/tigervnc/blob/master/unix/vncserver/HOWTO.md
>

Note that the HOWTO there is written for an unmodified TigerVNC. I'm
afraid Ubuntu modifies things a bit, so expect some variation.

> First this confuses me:
>
> "Limitations
> You will not be able to start a TigerVNC server for a user who is already
> logged into a graphical session."
>
> What is meant by "graphical session"?
>
> Does this mean I may not login to XFCE with the 1st "(X)Ubuntu user which
> can use sudo and then connect with VNC?
>

It means you cannot be logged in directly at the PC (local screen and
keyboard), and have a VNC session started at the same time. At least not
for the same user.

> "It is recommended to set option specifying the session you want to start."
>
> Which session I must use with XFCE?
>

It will pick the first it finds if you don't specify anything, so you
might be fine if you only have XFCE installed. Otherwise you need to
look at what's in the directory /usr/share/xsessions/. E.g.:

$ ls /usr/share/xsessions/
gnome-classic.desktop gnome.desktop

If I'd like to run GNOME classic, I'd need to specify "gnome-classic" in
the config. You need to remove the ".desktop" part.

> Is there a simple tutorial with 1.15? I read so much about changes, I am
> confused to do the right thing.
>

The HOWTO should be accurate for 1.15. But again, note that Ubuntu might
have changed things. We don't keep track of and document that.

> $ ls -1 /etc/tigervnc
> vncserver-config-defaults
> vncserver-config-mandatory
> vncserver.users
>
> What is mandatory for a 1st try? I just want to see it works before I
> configure special options.
>

The defaults should work fine, so you should be able to ignore those files.

Regards,
--
Pierre Ossman Software Development
Cendio AB https://cendio.com
Teknikringen 8 https://twitter.com/ThinLinc
583 30 Linköping https://facebook.com/ThinLinc
Phone: +46-13-214600

A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?