If you would like to connect to your Linux workstation the same way you connect to Windows workstations, or if you want to be able to connect from any Windows system to your Linux desktop without any other programs, than you probably want to use Remote Desktop Protocol . The good news is that Linux has an open-source implementation of the RDP protocol! Basically, the solution uses the following: xrdp to have your own RDP-speaking server - which will allow you to connect using Microsoft Remote Desktop, or any other client implementation ( rdesktop , remmina ) X11vnc will provide the interface to your desktop (it connects to an active X session, unlike other VNC servers which create a new session) First, you need to setup X11vnc and make sure it works properly; then you can setup xrdp and make the connection between xrdp and x11vnc. Then you are done. Setup x11vnc install x11vnc on your system (e.g. apt-get install x11vnc ) configure x11vnc to start when you login (via the GU...