The latest version of this document can be found at wiki.

• https://github.com/neutrinolabs/pulseaudio-module-xrdp/wiki/README

Overview

xrdp implements Audio Output redirection using PulseAudio, which is a sound system used on POSIX operating systems.

The server to client audio redirection is implemented as per Remote Desktop Protocol: Audio Output Virtual Channel Extension [MS-RDPEA] specs, which means it is interoperable with any RDP client which implements it (most of them including: MS RDP clients, FreeRDP).

However, our Microphone redirection (client to server) implementation is proprietary and doesn't implement the [MS-RDPEAI] specs. Its only supported by the following clients so far: NeutrinoRDP client and rdesktop.

Here is how to build pulseaudio modules for your distro, so you can have audio support through xrdp.

In this instruction, pulseaudio version is 11.1. You need to replace the version number in this instruction if your environment has different versions. You can find out your pulseaudio version executing the following command:

pulseaudio --version

or

pkg-config --modversion libpulse

How to build

Debian 9 / Ubuntu

This instruction also should be applicable to the Ubuntu family.

Prerequisites

Some build tools and package development tools are required. Make sure install the tools.

apt install build-essential dpkg-dev

Prepare & build

Install pulseaudio and requisite packages to build pulseaudio.

apt install pulseaudio
apt build-dep pulseaudio

Fetch the pulseaudio source. You'll see pulseaudio-11.1 directory in your current directory.

apt source pulseaudio

Enter into the directory and build the pulseaudio package.

cd pulseaudio-11.1
./configure

Finally, let's build xrdp source / sink modules. You'll have two .so files module-xrdp-sink.so and module-xrdp-source.so.

git clone https://github.com/neutrinolabs/pulseaudio-module-xrdp.git
cd pulseaudio-module-xrdp
./bootstrap && ./configure PULSE_DIR=/path/to/pulseaudio-11.1
make

CentOS 7.x (7.5 or later requires this build procedure)

Prerequisites

Some build tools and package development tools are required. Make sure install the tools.

yum groupinstall "Development Tools"
yum install rpmdevtools yum-utils
rpmdev-setuptree

Prepare & build

Install pulseaudio and requisite packages to build pulseaudio.

yum install pulseaudio pulseaudio-libs pulseaudio-libs-devel
yum-builddep pulseaudio

Fetch the pulseaudio source and extract. You'll see `~/rpmbuild/BUILD/

yumdownloader --source pulseaudio
rpm --install pulseaudio*.src.rpm

Build the pulseaudio source. In this phase, pulseaudio is not necessarily needed to be built but configured however there's no way to do only configure.

rpmbuild -bb --noclean ~/rpmbuild/SPECS/pulseaudio.spec

Finally, let's build xrdp source / sink modules. You'll have two .so files module-xrdp-sink.so and module-xrdp-source.so.

git clone https://github.com/neutrinolabs/pulseaudio-module-xrdp.git
cd pulseaudio-module-xrdp
./bootstrap && ./configure PULSE_DIR=~/rpmbuild/BUILD/pulseaudio-10.0
make

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Fedora 33 Workstation

Linux/Fedora version uname -a Linux localhost.localdomain 5.10.14-200.fc33.x86_64 #1 SMP Sun Feb 7 19:59:31 UTC 2021 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

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Overview

Install Fedora 33 Workstation from DVD/USB -Select optional software groups C Development Tools and Libraries Development Tools System Tools

Read the following: -https://github.com/neutrinolabs/xrdp/blob/devel/README.md Requirements for building xrdp (only used for dependencies)

-https://github.com/neutrinolabs/pulseaudio-module-xrdp/wiki/README How to install and configure pulseaudio source files How to install and build xrdp modules for pulseaudio

-https://github.com/neutrinolabs/xrdp/wiki/Audio-Output-Virtual-Channel-support-in-xrdp How xrdp selects pulseaudio modules (older info. did not do any of the suggestions.)

Install pulseaudio source -Download source -Run ./configure to customize for your machine/version

Install xrdp module source -Download source -Run ./bootstrap to pre-build compile environment -Run ./configure make files -Make modules -Install modules in system directories

Note: -You cannot be logged in from a GUI session (on the hardware console) and xrdp at the same time.

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Installation steps from neutrino labs pulseaudio-module-xrdp readme.md file -Changing 11.1 in example to 14.0 for Fedora 33 Workstation -Adding additional steps for Fedora 33 Workstation

sudo -s (home-dir is now /root)

Add the following packages: (from https://github.com/neutrinolabs/xrdp/blob/devel/README.md) dnf install -y tigervnc-server openssl-devel pam-devel dnf install -y libX11-devel libXfixes-devel libXrandr-devel

(from many attempts at ./configure) dnf install -y libjpeg-devel fuse-devel perl-libxml-perl libtool-ltdl-devel dnf install -y libcap-devel libsndfile-devel libgudev-devel dnf install -y dbus-devel dbus-doc.noarch dbus-tests dnf install -y speex-devel speex-tools speexdsp-devel dnf install -y systemd-devel systemd-tests dnf install -y sbc-devel dnf install -y pulseaudio-libs-devel

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Find pulseaudio version

pulseaudio --version

pulseaudio 14.0-rebootstrapped

Check if xrdp modules are already installed

pulseaudio --dump-modules

note: no xrdp modules were listed on my system

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Retrieve and configure the pulseaudio source-version that matches your installed-version see the (extensive) list source-versions at https://freedesktop.org/software/pulseaudio/releases

wget https://freedesktop.org/software/pulseaudio/releases/pulseaudio-14.0.tar.xz

tar xf pulseaudio-14.0.tar.xz

cd pulseaudio-14.0

./configure

cd ..

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Retrieve, configure, and compile the source for the xrdp pulseaudio module. Note: use a fully-qualified path name for ./configure

git clone https://github.com/neutrinolabs/pulseaudio-module-xrdp.git

cd pulseaudio-module-xrdp

./bootstrap

./configure PULSE_DIR='/root/pulseaudio-14.0'

make

make install

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Verify modules are installed

ls $(pkg-config --variable=modlibexecdir libpulse)

... module-xrdp-sink.la module-xrdp-sink.so module-xrdp-source.la module-xrdp-source.so

Verify pulseaudio can use the xrdp modules.

pulseaudio --dump-modules

module-xrdp-sink xrdp sink module-xrdp-source xrdp source

Verify Fedora can see xrdp sink/source as audio options -Close any remote or console sessions to your host -Open a new xrdp session to your host -Click: Activities -> Show Applications -> Settings -> Sound Output Device should be "xrdp sink" Test button opens a dialog with "Left" and "Right" tests Clicking on "Left" and "Right" should make sound from your corresponding speaker

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Other distro

First off, find out your pulseaudio version using pulseaudio --version command. Download the tarball of the pulseaudio version that you have.

• https://freedesktop.org/software/pulseaudio/releases/

After downloading the tarball, extract the tarball and cd into the source directory, then run ./configure.

wget https://freedesktop.org/software/pulseaudio/releases/pulseaudio-11.1.tar.xz
tar xf pulseaudio-11.1.tar.xz
cd pulseaudio-11.1
./configure

If additional packages are required to run ./configure, install requisite packages depending on your environment.

Finally, let's build xrdp source / sink modules. You'll have two .so files module-xrdp-sink.so and module-xrdp-source.so.

git clone https://github.com/neutrinolabs/pulseaudio-module-xrdp.git
cd pulseaudio-module-xrdp
./bootstrap && ./configure PULSE_DIR=/path/to/pulseaudio-11.1
make

Install

Just make install should install built modules to the correct directory.

You can confirm if the modules properly installed by following command:

ls $(pkg-config --variable=modlibexecdir libpulse)

If you can see lots of module-*.so and module-xrdp-sink.so, module-xrdp-source.so, PulseAudio modules should be properly built and installed.

module-xrdp-sink.so and module-xrdp-source.so may be installed to the target directory, these files are not necessary and you can remove them safely.

Enjoy!

See if it works

To see if it works, run pavumeter in the xrdp session. Playback any YouTube video in Firefox. You'll see "Showing signal levels of xrdp sink" and volume meter moving.