x2goclient(1)

💖 x2goclient(1) — X2Go Client (Qt4) 💖

okay bestie, pull up a chair, we're reading the x2goclient manual together and honestly? it's giving main character energy from the first line. this is the X2Go Client page, section 1 of the manual, and yes we are doing the whole thing, no skimming, no "tl;dr", we are thorough here 💅

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✨ NAME ✨

x2goclient — the client app you use to launch server-side X2Go sessions. that's it, that's the whole name section, she's brief and she's iconic 🎀

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

x2goclient <options>

literally just run her with some options and go 🦋

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🫶 DESCRIPTION 🫶

x2goclient is a GUI application for launching server-side X2Go sessions. so like, a window, with buttons, that connects you to a session running on a server somewhere else. slay ✨

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💅 HELP AND DEBUG OPTIONS 💅

when you're lost, confused, or just nosy, these are your girls. x2goclient has the following help and debugging options:

• --help — shows you all the available command line options. your first stop, fr fr 🙈
• --help-pack — shows the available pack methods, then exits. short but useful.
• -v, --version — outputs the X2Go Client version to stderr. (yes, stderr, not stdout, that's the vibe.)
• --debug — turns on extensive console output so you can debug X2Go Client. loud and proud, perfect for when something is acting up 😭
• --changelog — shows the changelog file. history class but make it useful 💜
• --git-info — shows the Git commit history. heads up: not available on all X2Go Client builds, so don't be shocked if she ghosts you.

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🎀 GUI OPTIONS 🎀

these ones are all about controlling how the GUI behaves. like little styling choices but for your whole app window ✨

• --no-menu — hides the menu-/toolbar. default: false.
• --maximize — starts the client maximized. default: false. she takes up the WHOLE screen, no crumbs 👑
• --hide — hides the client (starts hidden). default: false.
• --keep-trayicon — always keeps the "accelerated X" icon in the system tray. without this option the default behaviour is: switch the tray icon to the session's icon once the session successfully starts or resumes. so basically, do you want the icon to glow up mid-session or stay exactly as she is 💅
• --tray-icon — shows the tray icon. default: false. important: this option overrides the global tray icon settings and also forces the tray icon to be shown in hidden X2Go Client mode. she said "I WILL be seen" 😤
• --hide-foldersharing — hides every element in the X2Go Client GUI that's related to folder sharing. out of sight, out of mind 🦋
• --close-disconnect — closes X2Go Client after a session gets disconnected. no lingering, no drama, she leaves 💀
• --client-ssh-port — the local ssh port, used for filesystem export. default: 22.
• --autostart=<app> — launches <app> when the session starts, in "published applications" mode. this parameter should go along with --session=<session-profile-name>, and that session profile needs to be configured as a session profile of type "Published Applications". they're a package deal, don't separate them 🫶
• --support-menu=<html-file> — adds a "Support..." submenu item to X2Go Client's "Help" menu. the support information is provided via a simple HTML file. example:

<html><body>
<h1>IT-Support for X2Go</h1>
DAS-NETZWERKTEAM | Mike Gabriel:<br />
<a href="mailto:support@das-netzwerkteam.de">
    support@das-netzwerkteam.de
</a><br />
<br />
Thanks for using X2Go...
</body></html>

• --background=<svg-file|dir> — uses a custom/branded background image (SVG format) for X2Go Client's main window. i.e. it replaces the blue gradient area in X2Go Client with some background of your own (business/workgroup/project). and if you hand her a directory, she'll randomly pick an SVG file inside of it. surprise me bestie 🎁
• --branding=<svg-file> — uses a custom icon (SVG format) for additional branding, replacing the default one in the lower left corner of X2Go Client's main window. little logo, big impact ✨

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🌈 MISCELLANEOUS OPTIONS 🌈

these options change X2Go Client's behavior globally. some might not be available on all platforms, so vibe check your OS first 💅

• --xserver-start-limit=<num> — (Windows-only) limits the X.Org Server start count to at most <num> tries. default: 3. if <num> is zero or a negative number, no limit is imposed. the limits for <num> are platform dependent. and if the value you passed is out of bounds, X2Go Client falls back to the default value. she's got boundaries, respect them 🚧

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💖 SESSION PROFILE DEFAULTS 💖

you can set certain defaults for session profiles via command line switches, using these options:

• --user — pre-selection of user at client startup. LDAP mode only. iykyk.
• --command=<default-command> — the default command for session startup.
• --ssh-port — use this default TCP/IP port for the connection. default: 22.
• --ssh-key — use this SSH private key file by default. 🔑
• --autologin — by default, search for standard SSH key file names, or try using an SSH agent. she'll find a way in 🧚
• --link — sets the default link type (modem, isdn, adsl, wan or lan). default: adsl.
• --pack — sets the default pack method. default: '16m-jpeg'.
• --quality — sets the default image quality (0-9). default: 9.
• --set-kbd — overwrites the current keyboard settings. no override by default.
• --kbd-layout — sets the keyboard layout. default: 'de'.
• --kbd-type — sets the keyboard type. default: pc105/us, depend on our clients language setup, though.
• --clipboard=<both|client|server|none> — sets the default clipboard mode. 📋
• --geometry=<W>x<H>|fullscreen — sets the default geometry. default '800x600'.
• --dpi=<dpi> — sets the DPI of X2Go Agent to <dpi>. default is set to the same as the local display.
• --sound — activates sound for the session. not enabled by default. turn it UP 🔊
• --sound-system — which soundsystem to use: arts, esd, pulse. default: pulse.
• --xinerama — use Xinerama by default.
• --session-icon=<128x128px-icon-png-file> — use a custom session icon by default. she's got a face now 💅

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🦋 THIN CLIENT OPTIONS 🦋

the following command line options are primarily interesting if x2goclient is used as a login manager on X2Go thin clients:

• --thinclient — lets X2Go Client run without a window manager. bare bones, and honestly kind of a vibe.
• --sessionid=<session-profile-id> — pre-selection of a session profile, by its session profile ID, at client startup.
• --session=<session-profile-name> — pre-selection of a session profile, by its session profile name, at client startup.
• --no-session-edit — disables session editing. look, don't touch 🚫
• --pgp-card — use openPGP Card authentication. default: false.
• --external-login=<smartcard-logins> — authenticate via SMART card. this is the path to the login notification file.
• --add-to-known-hosts — adds the DSA/RSA host key fingerprint to .ssh/known_hosts in case of "authenticity of server can't be established". trust issues: resolved 🫶
• --read-exports-from — specifies a directory where some external mechanism (e.g. a script) can notify x2goclient about new block devices (CD/DVDs, USB sticks, etc.).
• --haltbt — shows a "Shutdown" button in the top left corner of X2Go Client. when pressed, X2Go Client will create the file $HOME/.halt. an external script has to watch for this file and trigger a thinclient shutdown once it appears. so the button makes a file and the file makes the magic happen ✨

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🌸 PORTABLE OPTIONS 🌸

X2Go Client can be installed on a USB-Flashdrive as a portable application. if installed that way, the following options support the portable setup of X2Go Client:

• --portable — starts X2Go Client in "portable" mode. this implies... (TODO). yes, the manpage literally says TODO, we're not filling in that blank for her, that's her business 🙈
• --home=<dir> — sets the user's home directory. this is the directory where X2Go Client will store settings and cache files. 🏠
• --session-conf=<file> — path to an alternative session profile config. default: $HOME/.x2goclient/sessions.
• --clean-all-files — in portable mode, X2Go Client removes several directories it has created (and probably directories you don't want to have removed on a normal system):

$HOME/.ssh
$HOME/ssh
$HOME/.x2go

if --clean-all-files is used on the command line, also the directory containing the configuration files of X2Go Client gets removed:

$HOME/.x2goclient

⚠️ bestie, read that twice. this one deletes things. on a normal system those are NOT directories you probably want gone. handle with care, okay? 😭

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💜 BROKER OPTIONS 💜

in case you want to retrieve x2goclient session profiles from an X2Go Session Broker, use the following options:

• --broker-url=<URL> — specifies the <URL> of the X2Go Session Broker. X2Go Client can access http:// and ssh:// style URLs.

syntax of <URL> for HTTP brokerage:

http(s)://<user>:<password>@<hostname>:<port>/path/to/broker

syntax of <URL> for SSH brokerage:

ssh://<user>:<password>@<hostname>:<port>/usr/bin/x2gobroker (or any executable that provides the broker via SSH).

• --broker-cacertfile=</path/to/cafile.crt> — specifies a special (self-signed) root-CACert file that shall get used when connecting to an X2Go Session Broker via https (SSL). 🔐
• --broker-noauth — the X2Go Session Broker is accessible without authentication. doors wide open, apparently.
• --broker-krblogin — login to X2Go Session Broker via GSSAPI. only supported with ssh:// broker URLs.
• --auth-id=<USERNAME> — use this <USERNAME> for authenticating against the X2Go Session Broker. this option mostly makes sense together with --broker-autologin or --broker-ssh-key. they run in a trio 🫶
• --broker-autologin — for SSH based X2Go Session Brokers. if an SSH agent is available or default key files exist, then try those for authentication against the X2Go Session Broker. she'll try the usual suspects first 🧚
• --broker-autologoff — enforces re-authentication against X2Go Session Broker after a session has been suspended or terminated. no free passes, log back in 💅
• --broker-ssh-key=<SSHPRIVKEY> — for SSH based X2Go Session Brokers. full path to a valid SSH private key file. 🔑
• --broker-name=<NAME> — sets the broker name to display in X2Go Client. this parameter is optional.
• --connectivity-test — runs a connectivity test against X2Go Session Broker. not supported by all broker implementations.
• --change-broker-pass — sends a change-password request to an X2Go Session Broker. not supported by all broker implementations. (yes, she says that twice, she means it.)
• --broker-noauth-with-session-username — informs the broker to use the username you entered for X2Go Server authentication when selecting a server/session. only has functionality if --broker-noauth is used. these two are besties, one doesn't work without the other.
• --broker-use-creds-for-session — uses broker credentials as session user/password credentials when using broker mode with broker authentication. currently only affects direct RDP sessions.
• --broker-logoutbt — shows a "Logout" button in the top left corner of X2Go Client. when logged in to a broker, pressing this button lets you login to the broker again. logout to log in, we love a plot twist 🔄

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okay that's part one bestie, and there's more coming, so don't go anywhere 💖✨

💀 LDAP OPTIONS (deprecated) 💀

NOTE: LDAP support won't be continued in X2Go Client 2 (next generation of X2Go Client). so like… it's giving end of an era, bestie 😭

If you want a slightly different approach than X2Go Client's LDAP functionality, that vibe is available via the X2Go Session Brokerage feature. ngl, that's the glow-up route ✨

But in case you do wanna control x2goclient via an LDAP server, here are the options, no cap:

• --ldap=<host:port:dn> — starts things up with LDAP support (disabled by default, so it's not doing anything unless you ask it to 🙈). Example:

--ldap=ldapserver:389:o=organization,c=de

• --ldap1=<host:port:dn> — failover LDAP URI No. 1. backup bestie energy 🫶
• --ldap2=<host:port:dn> — failover LDAP URI No. 2. the backup to the backup, iconic 💅
• --ldap-printing — allows client side printing in LDAP mode. yes ma'am, print it 🖨️✨

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👑 AUTHOR 👑

This manual has been written by Mike Gabriel <mike.gabriel@das-netzwerkteam.de> for the X2Go project (<https://www.x2go.org>). absolute legend behavior fr fr 🌟

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and that's a wrap on the whole page, bestie!! 🎀 this one's Version 4.1.2.3, dated Jun 2023, and it's the x2goclient(1) manual page — go forth and slay your sessions 💖🦋