Launch an Ubuntu desktop on EC2¶

To launch an Ubuntu desktop on EC2, you’ll first need to launch an Ubuntu instance and then install the Ubuntu desktop on it.

Launch an Ubuntu instance¶

To launch an Ubuntu instance, you can either use the EC2 console or the AWS CLI. To ensure that you are selecting the latest Long Term Support (LTS) or Pro version, check the Ubuntu release notes for any updates.

Using the EC2 Console¶

On the EC2 console, launch an instance by selecting an Ubuntu AMI.

The recommended hardware requirements to run an Ubuntu desktop is at least 2 CPU cores, 8GB of RAM and 8GB of volume. However, if you intend to install additional applications, you’ll need a higher volume size.

Configure your security group to allow SSH and RDP ports (22 and 3389 respectively).

Using the AWS CLI¶

Retrieve the latest AMI ID for an Ubuntu image using one of the following commands:

Ubuntu LTS:

aws ssm get-parameters --names /aws/service/canonical/ubuntu/server/24.04/stable/current/arm64/hvm/ebs-gp3/ami-id

Ubuntu Pro:

aws ssm get-parameters --names /aws/service/canonical/ubuntu/pro-server/24.04/stable/current/arm64/hvm/ebs-gp3/ami-id

Now launch the instance by referring to the instructions for launching using the AWS CLI.

Install Ubuntu desktop¶

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade -y
sudo apt-get install -y ubuntu-desktop
sudo reboot

Note

Don’t disconnect the session after executing these commands. The installation process may take several minutes, and a disconnection could interrupt it.

Install and configure RDP¶

Install the xrdp server:

sudo apt-get install -y xrdp

Configure it to use SSL to get an encrypted connection:

sudo usermod -a -G ssl-cert xrdp

Set up a password for the Ubuntu user:

sudo passwd ubuntu

Restart the service:

sudo systemctl restart xrdp

Configuring the Ubuntu session¶

Using Nano or your favorite text editor, create the following file:

sudo nano /usr/local/bin/ubuntu-session

Insert the following content:

#!/bin/sh

export GNOME_SHELL_SESSION_MODE=ubuntu
export DESKTOP_SESSION=ubuntu-xorg
export XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP=ubuntu-xorg
export XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP=ubuntu:GNOME

exec /usr/bin/gnome-session --session=ubuntu

And make the script executable:

sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/ubuntu-session

Finally, we need to update the session manager to use our new session configuration:

sudo update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/x-session-manager x-session-manager /usr/local/bin/ubuntu-session 60

Connect to your instance¶

Connect to your instance using any RDP client, such as Remmina. You can get the public IP address of the instance from the EC2 console and the RDP connection port is 3389.

The default username for the EC2 instance is ubuntu.

When prompted to input a password, use the password you configured for the user.