This is a step-by-step tutorial that covers the installation of an Ubuntu VPS with Wine and a VNC server for remote connection. The hosting company used in this tutorial is Vultr.
Copy & paste commands into the SSH Terminal by highlighting the command/text block in this guide, pressing CTRL-C to copy, and then right-clicking into the SSH Terminal. This method will save time, so you don't have to write out each command letter by letter.
| Application | Description |
|---|---|
| BitVise SSH Client | For remote access to the terminal and to upload files via SFTP. |
| TightVNC (client) | For remote desktop connections. |
| HPC/CE Server Template | These are compatible with Linux. |
Technical Note on Vultr Subscription Plans
You pay for whatever you need. However, you need at least 150 MiB RAM per server to cover peak times. Multiply that by the number of servers you need to estimate your costs. Note that each plan allocates a defined amount of storage space, which may need to be increased depending on how many maps you intend to upload.
Download the SAPP server template of your choice. Note: You will need a file decompression tool like WinRAR or 7-zip to extract the HPC.Server.zip or HCE.Server.zip.
Download and install BitVise SSH Client and TightVNC (client) on your PC.
- Navigate to the Deploy page on Vultr.
- Select Cloud Compute.
- Choose your server location.
- Under Server Type, select Ubuntu 21.10 x64.
- Choose your monthly subscription plan.
- Select any Additional Features you require (optional).
- Label your VPS instance and click Deploy Now.
- Fill in the host & username (get from the VPS control panel overview page).
- In the Initial method drop-down box, select password.
- Paste your password in the password field (get from the VPS control panel overview page).
- Make sure Store encrypted password in profile is ticked.
- Click Save profile as and save.
- Click Login. You will be prompted to accept and save a host key. Click Accept and Save.
- Click the New Terminal Console button.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386 |
Add multiarch support. |
wget -nc https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/winehq.key |
Add the WineHQ Ubuntu repository. |
sudo -H gpg -o /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/winehq.key.gpg --dearmor winehq.key |
Get and install the repository key. |
sudo add-apt-repository 'deb https://dl.winehq.org/wine-builds/ubuntu/ impish main' |
Add the repository. |
sudo apt update |
Update the package database. |
sudo apt install --install-recommends winehq-stable |
Install Wine. |
wine --version |
Verify the installation has succeeded. |
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
apt install xfce4 xfce4-goodies tightvncserver |
Install the graphical environment and TightVNC Server. |
vncserver |
Start the TightVNC Server for the first time and create a password. If you need to restrict remote desktop control, select a read-only password. |
vncserver -kill :1 |
Stop your TightVNC session to adjust other settings. |
nano ~/.vnc/xstartup |
Open the TightVNC config file. Add the following line to the end: startxfce4.To save and exit nano, press CTRL-S (save), CTRL-X (exit). |
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
nano /etc/systemd/system/vncserver.service |
Create a new unit in systemd. Insert the following config: [Unit] Description=TightVNC server After=syslog.target network.target [Service] Type=forking User=root PAMName=login PIDFile=/root/.vnc/%H:1.pid ExecStartPre=-/usr/bin/vncserver -kill :1 > /dev/null 2>&1 ExecStart=/usr/bin/vncserver -geometry 1920x1080 ExecStop=/usr/bin/vncserver -kill :1 [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target To save and exit nano, press CTRL-S (save), CTRL-X (exit). |
systemctl daemon-reload |
Reload systemd. |
systemctl enable --now vncserver |
Enable autorun of the TightVNC server and start it. |
Enable the firewall so that only certain ports are accessible from the outside world.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
sudo ufw allow 2302:2303/udp |
Allow UDP connections for Halo on ports 2302, 2303. |
sudo ufw allow 2310:2312/udp |
Allow UDP connections for server ports (or any port range you desire). |
ufw allow 5901/tcp |
Allow connections to port 5901 if you don't have a static IP. |
ufw allow from 0.0.0.0 to any port 5901 |
Optionally allow your specific IP Address and reject all others. Replace 0.0.0.0 with your own IPv4 address. |
ufw default deny incoming |
Deny other inbound connections if you did the previous step. |
sudo ufw enable |
Enable the UFW. |
Make a note of the new SSH port you create, as you'll need it for future connections to BitVise.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config |
Change the default SSH port for added security. Locate the line #Port 22 and uncomment it. Change the value to an appropriate port number (e.g., Port 22000). To save and exit nano, press CTRL-S (save), CTRL-X (exit). |
systemctl restart sshd |
Restart the SSH server. |
apt install net-tools |
Install net-tools. |
| `netstat -tulpn | grep ssh` |
sudo ufw allow 22000/tcp |
Add a rule to allow the new SSH port. You will need to specify the port in the BitVise port field for future SSH connections. |
Fail2ban will monitor incoming traffic and automatically block suspicious IPs.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
apt install fail2ban -y |
Install Fail2Ban. |
systemctl enable fail2ban |
Ensure the Fail2Ban service starts automatically when the VPS is restarted. |
- Open BitVise and log in.
- Click the New SFTP Window button.
- Navigate to /root/Desktop.
- Transfer the server folder that you extracted (HPC Server or HCE Server).
- Navigate to the server folder you uploaded (e.g.,
cd ~/Desktop/HPC Server/Wine Launch Files) - Double-click on
run.desktopto launch your server. Upon the first launch, you may be prompted to install some mono software in order to launch the server. Follow the on-screen prompts to do this.
- Open TightVNC Viewer and enter your VPS IP followed by the port you set during TightVNC Server setup, e.g.,
127.0.0.1:5901. - Click Connect and enter the password you set during TightVNC Server setup.
- You should now see your Ubuntu desktop.