RustDesk

#lang-rust #ports #remote-desktop #self-hosting 

RustDesk is an open-source remote desktop software that allows remote access to and control of other computers. In addition to a client, which is available for various operating systems, a server compound is also required for hole punching (see: How does RustDesk work?). Although there are public servers, it is possible to host a RustDesk server yourself, as there is a free version (RustDesk Server) in addition to a paid version (RustDesk Server Pro).

Note

For this guide you should be familiar with the basic concepts of

License

All relevant legal information can be found here:

Prerequisites

To make the application accessible from the outside, open three ports in the firewall:

 [isabell@stardust ~]$ uberspace port add
 Port 40130 will be open for TCP and UDP traffic in a few minutes.
 [isabell@stardust ~]$ uberspace port add
 Port 40131 will be open for TCP and UDP traffic in a few minutes.
 [isabell@stardust ~]$ uberspace port add
 Port 40132 will be open for TCP and UDP traffic in a few minutes.
 [isabell@stardust ~]$

At least two of these should be consecutive, as one of them cannot be specified explicitly, but results from the other selected port. In our case, we will specify 40131 and 40132 explicitly later (see Setup daemons), 40130 will then be used automatically.

Installation

Create a new directory, enter the directory you just created, download the latest version, unpack the archive and delete it afterwards:

Note

Replace 1.1.10-3 with the version of the latest release.

[isabell@stardust ~]$ mkdir ~/rustdesk
[isabell@stardust ~]$ cd ~/rustdesk
[isabell@stardust rustdesk]$ wget "https://github.com/rustdesk/rustdesk-server/releases/download/1.1.10-3/rustdesk-server-linux-amd64.zip"
[isabell@stardust rustdesk]$ unzip -j rustdesk-server-linux-amd64.zip
[isabell@stardust rustdesk]$ rm rustdesk-server-linux-amd64.zip
[isabell@stardust rustdesk]$

Configuration

Setup daemons

Warning

Replace isabell with your username and 40131/40132 with your ports!

Create ~/etc/services.d/rustdesk_hbbs.ini with the following content:

[program:rustdesk_hbbs]
directory=%(ENV_HOME)s/rustdesk/
command=%(ENV_HOME)s/rustdesk/hbbs -r isabell.uber.space:40132 -p 40131 -k _
autostart=yes
autorestart=yes
startsecs=30

Create ~/etc/services.d/rustdesk_hbbr.ini with the following content:

[program:rustdesk_hbbr]
directory=%(ENV_HOME)s/rustdesk/
command=%(ENV_HOME)s/rustdesk/hbbr -p 40132 -k _
autostart=yes
autorestart=yes
startsecs=30

Explanation of used parameters:

-r: Specifies a relay server so that the client doesn't have to.
-p: Specifies a custom port.
-k: "-k _" prevents users from establishing unencrypted connections by requiring a key.

After creating the configuration, tell supervisord to refresh its configuration and start the services:

[isabell@stardust ~]$ supervisorctl reread
rustdesk_hbbr: available
rustdesk_hbbs: available
[isabell@stardust ~]$ supervisorctl update
rustdesk_hbbr: added process group
rustdesk_hbbs: added process group
[isabell@stardust ~]$ supervisorctl status
rustdesk_hbbr                            RUNNING   pid 26020, uptime 0:03:14
rustdesk_hbbs                            RUNNING   pid 26021, uptime 0:03:14
[isabell@stardust ~]$

If they are not in the RUNNING state, check your configuration.

Setup client

Note

These settings may be located elsewhere on mobile devices and/or have a slightly different name.

When you start the client for the first time, the line “Ready, For faster connection, please set up your own server” will be displayed at the bottom. This means that you are currently connected to a public server. To use your own server, go to Settings -> Network and enter the following:

Warning

Replace isabell with your username and 40131 with your port!

ID server: isabell.uber.space:40131
Relay server:
API server:
Key: <paste the content of ~/rustdesk/id_ed25519.pub here>

Note

The file id_ed25519.pub was created automatically (as were several others) when hbbs or hbbr was started successfully for the first time.

You should now only see “Ready” at the bottom of the client window.

Best practices

Security

Keep the software up to date. If you do not want third parties to be able to connect to your server, keep the public key (= the content of the file id_ed25519.pub) secret or only pass it on to authorized persons.

Updates

Note

Check the GitHub release page regularly to stay informed about the newest version.

To update the software, download the latest version and replace the files hbbs, hbbr and rustdesk-utils.

Tested with RustDesk Server 1.1.10-3, Uberspace 7.15.11

Written by: no-one <https://github.com/no-one>