The Technology Investigation Service's Technology Evaluation team conducted an evaluation of the XRDP remote terminal tool.  This report summarizes their findings.National Science Foundation OCI-1053575Ope

The Technology Investigation Service's Technology Evaluation Team

The Technology Investigation Service's Technology Evaluation team conducted an evaluation of the XRDP remote terminal tool.  This report summarizes their findings.Submitted by Janet Brown (brown@psc.edu) on 2016-06-30T20:59:33Z
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  Previous issue date: 2016-06-30National Science Foundation OCI-1053575Ope

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Xrdp	Remote	Access	Evaluation	Report	Page	1		Xrdp	Remote	Desktop	Solution	Evaluation	Report			 2016	Version	2.0				 	Xrdp	Remote	Access	Evaluation	Report	Page	2			Table	of	Contents	A.	 Document	History	 	B.	 Document	Scope	 	C.	 Executive	Summary	 	D.	 Introduction	 	E.	 Prerequisites	 	F.	 Evaluation	Details	 	G.	 Suggestions	for	Evaluation	Procedure	Revisions	 	H.	 Evaluation	Result	 			 	Xrdp	Remote	Access	Evaluation	Report	Page	3			A. Document	History	Relevant	Sections	 Version	 Date	 Changes	 Author	Entire	Document	 0.1	 11/18/2015	 Created	Document	 S.	Litzinger	Test	Plan	 0.2	 12/14/2015	 Added	Section	 S.	Litzinger	Updating	Test	Results	 1.0	 02/11/2016	 	 Team	Updating	Evaluation		 1.5	 3/11/2016	 	 Team	Entire	Document	 1.75	 3/21/2016	 Rewrite		 P.	Enstrom	Entire	Document	 2.0	 4/1/2016	 Review	and	Revise	 Team		 	 	 	 		 	 	 	 			 	Xrdp	Remote	Access	Evaluation	Report	Page	4			B. Document	Scope		This	 document	 is	 the	 evaluation	 report	 for	 the	 functional	 evaluation	 of	 xrdp.	 	 The	 results	 of	 the	evaluation	and	the	collected	information	here	are	intended	for	the	benefit	of	the	XSEDE	project	and	the	general	eScience	community.		 	Xrdp	Remote	Access	Evaluation	Report	Page	5			C. Executive	Summary	and	Recommendation	Xrdp	was	selected	for	evaluation	to	determine	if	it	met	the	XSEDE	users’	requirements	to	open	and	maintain	an	interactive	graphical	session	to	a	remote	resource	for	a	period	of	at	least	several	days.	It	was	also	evaluated	to	determine	if	it	was	able	to	connect	multiple	users	to	the	same	server	at	the	same	time	with	each	user	having	their	own,	 individual	desktop	session.	Desktop	sharing	(Remote	Assistance)	was	also	evaluated.		The	 evaluation	 was	 performed	 on	 xrdp,	 which	 is	 an	 open	 source	 remote	 desktop	 program	 that	allows	a	user	to	 interact	with	a	machine	as	 if	 they	were	sitting	 in	 front	of	 it.	 	Xrdp	server	version	0.9.0-4	 was	 evaluated.	 	 Xrdp	 uses	 the	 remote	 desktop	 protocol	 (RDP)	 which	 is	 a	 proprietary	protocol	 developed	 by	 Microsoft.	 Any	 client	 which	 uses	 RDP	 can	 connect	 to	 the	 xrdp	 server.	Windows	machines	come	with	a	remote	desktop	application	which	acts	as	an	RDP	client.	In	general,	xrdp	worked	well	allowing	multiple	users	to	connect	to	a	single	server	each	with	their	own,	independant	desktop.	Long	duration	connections	were	not	a	problem	on	a	local	network	but	did	not	work	well	over	slower	or	less	reliable	networks.	Sound	support	is	not	included	in	xrdp	and	requires	 the	 use	 of	 additional	 client/server	 software	 that	 are	 independent	 of	 xrdp	 and	were	 not	evaluated.	We	do	not	 recommend	xrdp	as	 a	 remote	desktop	application	unless	 they	are	either	using	 it	 on	a	local	network	or	aren’t	using	 it	 to	display	video.	 It	will	meet	 the	user’s	requirements	over	a	 local	network	but	does	not	perform	well	over	remote	networks.					 	Xrdp	Remote	Access	Evaluation	Report	Page	6			D. Introduction	The	members	of	the	evaluation	team	were	Peter	Enstrom	and	Susan	Litzinger.	Xrdp	 is	 server	 software	 that	 runs	on	Linux	 systems	and	provides	 a	 remote	desktop	 solution	 that	allows	users	to	view	and	control	their	desktop	from	remote	 locations.	 It	allows	users	to	run	their	graphical	 applications	 on	 a	 remote	 machine’s	 desktop	 through	 clients	 that	 use	 Microsoft's	 RDP	protocol.	Xrdp	displays	an	X	windows	desktop	to	the	user.	All	Windows	systems	running	Windows	XP	or	newer	operating	systems	come	with	a	remote	desktop	application	that	can	work	with	Xrdp.	Xrdp	remains	under	active	development,	its	source	is	maintained	under	GitHub.	E. Prerequisites	Xrdp	 requires	 VNC	 to	 be	 installed	 on	 the	 server	 in	 order	 to	 supply	 the	 display	 for	 it.	 Xrdp	 is	compatible	with	multiple	different	VNC	software	packages.		This	evaluation	used	tightvncserver.	F. Evaluation	Details	The	requirements	for	this	evaluation	were:		1. Run	for	at	least	1	week	uninterrupted	2. Have	a	very	high	degree	of	reliability	for	maintaining	open	sessions	3. Support	audio	and	video	4. Maintain	a	responsive,	steady	network	connection	5. Update	the	screen	reasonably	quickly	6. Low	latency	mouse	tracking	and	scrolling	7. Allow	file	transfers	between	the	server	and	client	machine	8. Support	single	user,	multiple	sessions	to	same	server	9. Support	multiple	users,	concurrent	login	Testing	 took	place	on	servers	at	NCSA	and	PSC.	 	A	 server	at	NCSA	ran	the	xrdp	server	software	and	clients	at	NCSA,	PSC,		and	Florida	were	tested	with	it.	Test	1	:	Basic	Functionality	In	this	section	we	tested	routine	actions	a	user	would	expect	to	be	able	to	perform	on	their	desktop.	In	order	to	test	how	responsive	the	update	of	the	desktop	was,	we	used	a	browser	to	display	video	with	audio.	This	 allowed	us	 to	 easily	 detect	 any	 sluggishness	 in	 the	output.	We	also	 tested	 cut	and	paste	from	the	Xrdp	server	window	to	a	native	window	on	the	client	machine	and	vice	versa.	Also	tested	was	Xrdp’s	ability	to	transfer	files	between	the	server	and	the	client.		Steps	for	test	1	1. Select	a	test	server,	machine	A,	with	Linux	installed. 2. Select	2	machines,	B	and	C,	running	Windows	to	act	as	the	clients. Xrdp	Remote	Access	Evaluation	Report	Page	7		3. Create	accounts	for	2	users,	“tis”	and	“tis2”	on	the	server	(note,	use	different	passwords). 4. Install	xrdp	on	the	server. 5. Edit	the	/etc/xrdp/xrdp.ini	file	on	the	server. 6. Connect	a	Windows	machine	to	a	Linux	server	and	exercise	xrdp. 7. Connect	to	the	same	server	through	two	different	machines	connecting	as	the	same	user. 8. Connect	to	the	same	server	through	two	different	machines	connecting	as	the	same	user	on	the	same	port. 9. Connect	to	the	same	server	through	two	different	machines	connecting	as	different	users. 10. Attempt	to	connect	to	the	same	server	through	two	different	machines	connecting	to	the	same	port	as	different	users.	 Results	File	transfer	from	the	server	to	the	client	worked	fine	with	copy	and	paste	from	the	server	desktop	to	 the	 client	 desktop.	 Attempting	 to	 copy	 a	 file	 back	 the	 other	 direction	 failed.	 A	 message	 was	displayed	“The	file	or	folder	/to_stroit	does	not	exist”.		Copying	and	pasting	text	between	client/server	machines	worked	without	any	problems	both	from	the	client	to	the	server	and	back	the	other	direction.			Playing	 video	 over	 a	 local	 network	 connection	 worked	 fine	 but	 no	 sound	 was	 played.	 It	 is	documented	 that	 xrdp	 does	 not	 serve	 the	 audio.	 A	 separate,	 independent	 piece	 of	 client/server	software	would	need	to	be	installed	and	configured	to	provide	audio.	Attempting	to	play	video	over	a	non-local	network	did	not	work	very	well.	Over	a	slow/unreliable	network	it	was	unusable.	Connecting	to	the	same	machine	as	either	the	same	or	different	users	resulted	in	each	connection	getting	it	own,	independent	desktop.	A	desktop	could	be	shared	if	both	connections	were	made	to	the	 same	 port	 and	 if	 the	 second	 connection	 used	 the	 same	 password.	 It	 didn’t	 matter	 what	username	was	specified	for	the	second	connection,	it	was	ignored.	As	long	as	the	password	matched	the	connection	was	allowed.	No	indication	was	given	to	the	first	connection	that	someone	else	was	now	able	to	see/use	their	desktop.	Test	2	:	Advanced	Functionality	In	 this	 section,	 we	 tested	 features	 beyond	 the	 basic	 set	 and	 how	 it	 would	 handle	 induced	 error	conditions	and	report	the	problems	to	the	user.		We	tested	reconnecting	to	an	existing	session	and	tested	 its	 functionality.	We	tested	connecting	a	large	number	of	different	users	to	the	same	server	at	once.	The	network	was	interrupted	briefly	to	see	how	xrdp	handled	 the	 interruption.	A	 longer	 interruption	was	 then	 tested	as	well.	We	 tested	attempting	 to	 connect	with	 a	 non-existent	 user	 and	 to	 an	 inactive	 port.	We	 tested	 rebooting	 the	server	while	a	connection	was	active.	Steps	for	test	2	1. Select	a	test	server,	machine	A,	with	Linux	installed.	2. Select	a	machine	B	running	Windows	to	act	as	the	client.	Xrdp	Remote	Access	Evaluation	Report	Page	8		3. Create	an	account	for	user	“tis”	on	the	server.	4. Install	xrdp	on	the	server.	5. Edit	the	/etc/xrdp/xrdp.ini	file	on	the	server.	6. Reconnect	to	a	session	and	exercise	xrdp.	7. Briefly	interrupt	the	network	while	connected,	see	if	it	recovers.	8. Interrupt	the	network	for	several	minutes	then	restore.	9. Attempt	to	connect	through	xrdp	with	a	non-existent	login.	10. Attempt	to	connect	to	xrdp	with	a	port	that	is	not	active	in	xrdp.	11. Connect	multiple	users	to	the	same	server	at	once.	12. Reboot	the	server	while	an	xrdp	connection	is	active.	Results	A brief network interruption paused the video but the video resumed when the connection was reestablished. The generic error message "An internal error has occurred" was displayed and the connection was terminated after the network connection was interrupted for several minutes or more. Reconnecting to the port the session is running on manually does work after the interruption is over but it doesn't attempt to reconnect automatically.	Attempts to connect to an xrdp server that failed gave adequate messages regarding the problem with the connection. Although	 attempting	 to	 connect	 to	 a	 port	 not	 in	 use	 by	 xrdp	 gives	 a	 generic	message	"VNC	error	-	problem	connecting,	some	problem".	Using a desktop through xrdp on one connection while someone else is connected through another worked fine but was disconcerting if they weren’t aware of the other connection. There is no indication on the desktop that there is another active, remote xrdp client controlling it.	Working with other testers to open multiple sessions to the same server as different users worked well. 16	 simultaneous	 connections	were	opened	 to	 the	 same	server	 from	3	different	 client	machines	where	2	were	on	the	same	LAN	and	one	across	the	country.	The	connections	all	were	made	successfully	and	each	connection	had	its	own	desktop	on	the	server.	The	process	of	making	the	connection	slowed	a	lot	as	more	connections	were	added.		A	problem	was	encountered	with	 the	xrdp	server	where	sometimes	 it	would	get	 into	a	state	where	a	connection	 to	 a	 specific	 user	 from	a	 specific	 client	machine	 that	 should	have	been	allowed	would	be	rejected.	When	it	was	in	this	state	that	user	could	still	log	in	from	another	machine	or	as	a	different	user	from	the	client	that	was	not	being	allowed	to	connect	with	the	original	user.	The	rejected	combination	could	not	log	in	until	the	xrdp	server	was	restarted.		Test 3:  Remote/Long-term Connection	In this test, we exercised long-distance, long-duration connections between clients and servers. Server machines were at NCSA and client machines were at NCSA and PSC. Server machines Xrdp	Remote	Access	Evaluation	Report	Page	9		were running YouTube videos in a loop to continually update the display to make it easy to verify that the connection was still active. Clients were connected to the servers and the connections were left alive for 7 days. We checked on the connections every day during the 7 days to make sure connections between the clients and servers were still active. 	Steps for test 3	1. Select a test server, machine A, with Linux installed.	2. Select 2 machines, B and C, running Windows to act as the clients.	3. Test machines A and B should be on the same LAN.	4. Test machine C should be off site.	5. Create accounts for user “tis” on the machines.	6. Install xrdp on the server.	7. Test a week long connection between machines on the same LAN.	8. Test a week long connection between machines not on the same LAN.	Results	On the local LAN a connection stayed up for 6 days, the connection terminated on the 7th day when another tester rebooted the machine. A later test confirmed that the connection stayed active for a full 7 days on a local connection.	Despite numerous attempts, we were rarely able to keep a connection up for 7 days.  Xrdp seemed unable to maintain a stable connection for a week or more. Video and audio did not play well remotely.	No	error	messages	were	displayed	and	no	log	entries	could	be	found	to	explain	why	the	connections	were	dropped.	The	sessions	could	be	reconnected	to	if	 the	active	port	that	 it	was	running	on	was	specified.		 	Xrdp	Remote	Access	Evaluation	Report	Page	10			G. Installation	Information	The	documentation	 on	 the	 xrdp	website	was	 not	 very	 helpful	 for	 installing.	Other	websites	 have	instructions	for	installing	and	building	xrdp.	OpenSUSE:					#	 yum	 -y	 install	 xrdp	 tigervnc-server					#	 systemctl	 start	 xrdp.service					#	systemctl	enable	xrdp.service	CentOS:					#	 yum	 -y	 install	 xrdp	 tigervnc-server					#	 service	 xrdp	 start					#	 chkconfig	 xrdp	 on					#	chkconfig	vncserver	on	H. Usage	Information	Once	the	xrdp	server	is	running	it	can	be	connected	to	by	using	client	software	that	communicates	using	the	Window’s	RDP	protocol.	On	a	Windows	machine,	searching	for	“remote	desktop	connection”	brings	up	application	that	allows	you	to	specify	the	server	and	login	name/password	to	use	to	connect	to	the	server	running	xrdp.			 	Xrdp	Remote	Access	Evaluation	Report	Page	11			I. Evaluation	Result	We	 recommend	 xrdp	 for	 use	 connecting	 multiple	 users	 to	 a	 single	 server,	 each	 with	 their	 own	independent	desktop.	It	worked	well	allowing	users	to	suspend	sessions	and	either	resume	it	from	the	same	client	or	grab	it	on	a	different	one.	While	it’s	performance	was	acceptable	over	a	local	LAN,	it	performed	poorly	streaming	videos	and	maintaining	a	long	connection	over	remote	networks.	We	do	not	recommend	it	for	these	uses.	The	project	is	currently	under	active	development.			J. Suggestions	for	Evaluation	Procedure	Revisions	None	

Xrdp Remote Desktop Solution Evaluation Report

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Xrdp Remote Desktop Solution Evaluation Report

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