Integration

Remote desktop protocols work alongside other infrastructure. This section covers common integration scenarios.

Topics

• Tailscale

  ---

  Secure remote access to VMs from anywhere

  Tailscale Integration

• GPU Passthrough

  ---

  Remote access when GPU is passed to VM

  GPU Passthrough

Common Scenarios

Home Server Access

Access your home lab VMs from anywhere:

[macOS Laptop] ──Tailscale──► [Home Server] ──► [VMs]
    RDP/VNC                     Tailscale      VNC/RDP/SPICE

Solution: Tailscale Integration

Windows Gaming VM

Remote desktop to a Windows VM with GPU passthrough:

[macOS] ──────► [Windows VM + GPU]
   ?               Direct display to nothing

Challenge: RDP/VNC don't work well with passed-through GPU

Solution: GPU Passthrough scenarios

Mixed Environment

Multiple VMs, different protocols:

VM	OS	Best Protocol	Client
dev-linux	Ubuntu	VNC	RealVNC
win-work	Windows 11	RDP	MS Remote Desktop
kvm-local	Fedora	SPICE	Web console

Solution: Tailscale for all, protocol per VM type

Security Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      Internet                            │
│                          │                               │
│                          X  ← Blocked                    │
│                                                          │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   Tailscale Network                      │
│                                                          │
│  [macOS Client] ◄──────────────────► [Home Server]      │
│       100.x.x.1        WireGuard          100.x.x.2     │
│                        Encrypted                         │
│                                                          │
│                            │                             │
│                            ▼                             │
│                     [VMs on Server]                      │
│                      VNC/RDP/SPICE                       │
│                                                          │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Key points: - VNC/RDP/SPICE never exposed to internet - All traffic through Tailscale (WireGuard encrypted) - Access from anywhere with Tailscale installed

Quick Setup

1. Install Tailscale Everywhere

# On server
curl -fsSL https://tailscale.com/install.sh | sh
sudo tailscale up

# On macOS
brew install --cask tailscale
# Open Tailscale, sign in

2. Configure VM for Remote Access

VNC for Linux:

<graphics type='vnc' port='5900' listen='0.0.0.0'/>

RDP for Windows:

Set-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Terminal Server' -Name "fDenyTSConnections" -Value 0

3. Connect via Tailscale

# VNC
open vnc://server.tail-network.ts.net:5900

# RDP
# Add PC: server.tail-network.ts.net in MS Remote Desktop

See detailed guides: - Tailscale Integration - GPU Passthrough