Installing XFCE Desktop Environment on CentOS Stream Release 9 with XRDP Support

CentOS Stream release 9 is a cutting-edge Linux distribution that provides a stable yet dynamic platform for developers and system administrators. If you prefer a lightweight and customizable desktop environment, XFCE is an excellent choice. Additionally, if you need to access this environment remotely, XRDP provides a convenient way to do so via the Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). Let’s dive into the installation process and also cover how to uninstall if needed.

🛠️ Prerequisites

• A system running CentOS Stream release 9
• Sudo or root privileges
• Stable internet connection

📦 Installing XFCE Desktop Environment

Before you start, make sure your package index is up to date:

sudo dnf update -y

Install the XFCE package group:

sudo dnf groupinstall -y "Xfce"

Set the default target to graphical (runlevel 5):

sudo systemctl set-default graphical.target

Reboot your system to start using XFCE:

sudo reboot

After the reboot, you should be greeted with the XFCE login screen.

🖥️ Installing XRDP

To install XRDP for remote desktop access, follow these steps:

Install theEPEL repository:

sudo dnf install -y epel-release

Install XRDP:

sudo dnf install -y xrdp

Start and enable XRDP service:

sudo systemctl enable --now xrdp

Allow XRDP through the firewall:

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=3389/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

You can now connect to your CentOS system with any RDP client using the system’s IP address.

🔄 Uninstalling XFCE and XRDP

Should you need to remove XFCE and XRDP, here are the steps:

Remove XFCE:

sudo dnf groupremove -y "Xfce"
sudo dnf remove -y thunar

Remove XRDP:

sudo systemctl stop xrdp
sudo systemctl disable xrdp
sudo dnf remove -y xrdp
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --remove-port=3389/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

If you changed the default target, revert it back to multi-user (runlevel 3):

sudo systemctl set-default multi-user.target

Reboot your system:

sudo reboot

Your system should now boot into the command-line interface without the XFCE desktop environment and XRDP.