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Introduction

There are a few options to remotely control a Linux system, either text-based or a fully graphical desktop. Here is a quick overview:

Recommended login methods

SSH

SSH provides a simple but secure text-based login, like telnet once did. It can be used to type shell commands, transfer files, transfer X11 Window data, or other traffic through the same secure channel.

NoMachine NX

The NoMachine NX technology is a fast and reliable remote desktop solution. Suitable for connecting over the Internet, and even able to speed up RDP (Windows remote desktop).

Specific solutions

X11

The X11 window system is the foundation for all graphical applications on Linux. It supports remote desktop out of the box, though it requires a LAN to get decent speed. A remote X11 connection can be set up with SSH or through a XDMCP login session.

VNC

VNC is commonly supported across platforms, but it's really slow. In Linux, a VNC server can run stand-alone, or started on request using xinetd and XDMCP.