Deploy a Fully Automated Xubuntu XRDP Desktop Environment on Google Cloud Platform
#Xubuntu #XRDP #GCP #GoogleCloud #Terraform #Packer #ActiveDirectory #NFS #InfrastructureAsCode
Deploy a Fully Automated Xubuntu XRDP Desktop Environment on Google Cloud Platform
In this video, we build a complete cloud-hosted Linux desktop environment using
Xubuntu and XRDP—fully domain-joined, backed by Google Filestore (NFS) for persistent
home directories, and deployed end-to-end on Google Cloud using Terraform and Packer.
This project creates a shared Linux development desktop that is lightweight, fast,
Active Directory–integrated, and easy to redeploy or scale on GCP.
What You’ll Learn
How to build a custom Xubuntu XRDP image for GCP using Packer
How Terraform provisions GCP networking, firewall rules, Mini-AD, Filestore,
and Compute Engine virtual machines
Domain-joining Linux systems using Samba 4 Mini-Active Directory
Mounting Google Filestore (NFS) for persistent user home directories
Using startup scripts to configure XRDP, domain authentication,
and desktop defaults
Resources Deployed
Custom-mode VPC with subnets and firewall rules
Samba 4 Mini-AD Domain Controller (AD DS + DNS) on Ubuntu (Compute Engine)
Google Filestore instance for NFS-backed Linux home directories
Packer-built Xubuntu XRDP image (XFCE desktop, browsers, VS Code, utilities)
Domain-joined Xubuntu XRDP Compute Engine VM with persistent home directories
Optional Windows Server for Active Directory administration
Terraform modules for networking, directory services, storage, and desktops
GitHub
https://github.com/mamonaco1973/gcp-x...
https://github.com/mamonaco1973/gcp-x...
Timestamps
00:00 Introduction
01:12 Prerequisites
01:42 Build the Code
03:01 Build Results
04:23 Demo
06:53 Add a New User