How to Set Up a Linux Virtual Desktop with AWS DCV

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Setting up Amazon DCV virtual sessions on Linux can be tricky because they don’t start automatically like console sessions do. However, with a simple workaround, you can automate the process quite easily.

First, it’s important to understand the difference between console and virtual sessions. Console sessions can be set to start automatically by adjusting the DCV configuration file, which is usually located at /etc/dcv/dcv.conf. You can activate this feature using the create-session parameter. But, virtual sessions are different—they require a manual setup and can’t be auto-started directly from the configuration file.

So, how can you get virtual sessions to start automatically? The best way is to set up a startup script or a systemd service that runs when your system boots up or when a user logs in. This script will execute the creation command for the virtual session.

Here’s how to do it:

Create a systemd service or a script that runs during startup or login.
Use the following command to create the virtual session, replacing <username> with your specific user name:

dcv create-session –owner –storage-root %home% –type virtual

After running this command, verify that the session was successfully created with:

dcv list-sessions

Keep in mind some important points:

Virtual sessions support custom screen resolutions and multiple monitors. This is more flexible than console sessions, which often have resolution limits, especially without a GPU.
The session owner must match the user who will connect to the session.
Make sure the DCV server is active and running before attempting to create a session.

While it’s true that DCV doesn’t have a built-in auto-start feature for virtual sessions like it does for console sessions, setting up a startup script or systemd service helps you automate this process on Rocky Linux 8. This way, your virtual sessions will be ready to go automatically whenever your system starts or when users log in.

Sources:

Deep Learning graphical desktop on Ubuntu Linux with AWS Deep Learning AMI (DLAMI) | AWS re:Post
Install GUI on Amazon Linux 2023 | AWS re:Post
Deep Learning desktop on Amazon Linux 2023 | AWS re:Post