Arch Linux User Repository

I maintain the latest built package at:

https://github.com/frealgagu/archlinux.chrome-remote-desktop/releases/

Thanks @frealgagu for packaging this, @nightuser for the existing session patch and @Brinsky for the instructions.

I've compiled both instructions with screenshots and added it to my blog if anyone is having issues with the install. Otherwise, just follow the instructions in the comments by @Brinsky from 2019-12-06 13:58.

Here's how I got this working with the new web app (remotedesktop.google.com):

1. Build and install the package
2. run crd --setup
3. (Optional) Configure execution of your preferred window manager in ~/.chrome-remote-desktop-session
4. Go to http://remotedesktop.google.com/headless
5. Click "next" and "authorize" through each instruction
6. Copy/paste and run the provided "Debian" command, which should look like the following: DISPLAY= /opt/google/chrome-remote-desktop/start-host --code="<UNIQUE_CODE>" --redirect-url="<https://remotedesktop.google.com/_/oauthredirect>" --name=
7. Set up a name and PIN
8. Wait for successful output containing "Host ready to receive connections."
9. Run crd --start

I created a diff for PKGBUILD that works for 116.0.5845.10

8c8
< pkgver=115.0.5790.10
---
> pkgver=116.0.5845.10
14c14
< depends=("gtk3" "libutempter" "libxss" "nss" "python-psutil" "xorg-server-xvfb" "xorg-setxkbmap" "xorg-xauth" "xorg-xdpyinfo" "xorg-xrandr")
---
> depends=("gtk3" "libutempter" "libxss" "nss" "python-psutil" "xorg-server-xvfb" "xorg-setxkbmap" "xorg-xauth" "xorg-xdpyinfo" "xorg-xrandr" "xf86-video-dummy" "python-packaging" "python-pyxdg")
23c23
<   "a49ac21281a220c17afcfdcdf4a274d1e094927aea135f53ee7eb39a2c1b07a4"
---
>   "84396947d787cbe90073e944c272856871086c2671d82ac59f6ee9f460476459"
39a40,46
>
>   # fix problem with missing import xdg.BaseDirectory
>   # point xorg_binary to the location that it is installed in Arch Linux
>
>   sed -i -r   -e 's|import xdg$|import xdg, xdg.BaseDirectory|' \
>               -e 's|xorg_binary = "/usr/lib/xorg/Xorg"|xorg_binary = "/usr/lib/Xorg"|' \
>               "${srcdir}/opt/google/chrome-remote-desktop/chrome-remote-desktop"

@truncs I was able to successfully start chrome-remote-desktop@user.service after I modified xorg_binary (line 1447). Arch installs Xorg in /usr/lib/Xorg whereas debian installs it in /usr/lib/xorg/Xorg.

$ diff chrome-remote-desktop.orig /opt/google/chrome-remote-desktop/chrome-remote-desktop
46c46
< import xdg
---
> import xdg, xdg.BaseDirectory
1447c1447
<     xorg_binary = "/usr/lib/xorg/Xorg";
---
>     xorg_binary = "/usr/lib/Xorg";

Changing from

import xdg

to

import xdg, xdg.BaseDirectory

helped me resolve the error for now.

Although it leads to a new error

Aug 11 14:47:33 earth chrome-remote-desktop[355503]:   File "/opt/google/chrome-remote-desktop/chrome-remote-desktop", line 1409, in _wait_for_x
Aug 11 14:47:33 earth chrome-remote-desktop[355503]:     raise Exception("Could not connect to X server.")
Aug 11 14:47:33 earth chrome-remote-desktop[355503]: Exception: Could not connect to X server.
Aug 11 14:47:33 earth chrome-remote-desktop[355503]: 2023-08-11 14:47:33,352:INFO:Cleanup.

@ewuplse01 is correct that even after installing python-pyxdg, the following occurs when attempting to start the chrome-remote-desktop service:

File "/opt/google/chrome-remote-desktop/chrome-remote-desktop", line 2576, in main
  desktop.setup_audio(host.host_id, backoff_time)
File "/opt/google/chrome-remote-desktop/chrome-remote-desktop", line 1013, in setup_audio
  xdg.BaseDirectory.get_runtime_dir(strict=False), runtime_dirname)
  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
AttributeError: module 'xdg' has no attribute 'BaseDirectory'

@oxfordquant Version: 116.0.5845.10 has new dependencies: python3-packaging, python3-xdg. I could not get this version to run as @user service. It exited with xdg errors even after I installed python-pyxdg.

Looks like the latest version is 116.0.5845.9 according to the packages file: https://dl.google.com/linux/chrome-remote-desktop/deb/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages I was able to install by manually editing the PKGBUILD but would be great if this were updated in AUR.

Got this while retrieving this package. Does it need a version bump? Thanks.

==> Making package: chrome-remote-desktop 115.0.5790.10-1 (Wed 26 Jul 2023 01:09:32 PM EDT)
==> Retrieving sources...
  -> Downloading chrome-remote-desktop-115.0.5790.10.deb...
  % Total    % Received % Xferd  Average Speed   Time    Time     Time  Current
                             Dload  Upload   Total   Spent    Left  Speed
  0  1449    0     0    0     0      0      0 --:--:-- --:--:-- --:--:--     0
curl: (22) The requested URL returned error: 404
==> ERROR: Failure while downloading https://dl.google.com/linux/chrome-remote-desktop/deb/pool/main/c/chrome-remote-desktop/chrome-remote-desktop_115.0.5790.10_amd64.deb
    Aborting...
 -> error downloading sources: /home/xxx/.cache/yay/chrome-remote-desktop
         context: exit status 1

Package seems to require package 'dpkg' yet it is missing from the PKGBUILD dependencies.

So if you cant get it to start, install dpkg then it should work.

A PR for the latest version (112.0.5615.18) is here: https://github.com/frealgagu/archlinux.chrome-remote-desktop/pull/19

The diff to apply to the current master branch is:

diff --git a/PKGBUILD b/PKGBUILD
index 934df48..dc542f5 100644
--- a/PKGBUILD
+++ b/PKGBUILD
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 # Contributor: Mateus Rodrigues Costa <charles [dot] costar [at] gmail [dot] com>

 pkgname=chrome-remote-desktop
-pkgver=111.0.5563.12
+pkgver=112.0.5615.18
 pkgrel=1
 pkgdesc="Access other computers or allow another user to access your computer securely over the Internet"
 arch=("x86_64")
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ source=(
   "crd"
 )
 sha256sums=(
-  "85283f18c8ee012ce572519a94c42b2041b8fb28fa7ddc2c132d670d6931bbe7"
+  "c4dda4236e0d25523fab390e741c7a43334e1b2932d96443af3d2fed43fcc49d"
   "e5da5ae89b5bc599f72f415d1523341b25357931b0de46159fce50ab83615a4b"
   "fcc38269eb1cc902abff9688eda9377a22367e39b9f111f87c0dd8e77adb82e2"
   "021110f49d465294517eec92eeb24ebca41e264ef33cbdda78732add1f269d02"

All,

From comments in the Gentoo net-misc/chrome-remote-desktop ebuild:

# Use curl to find the answer:
#  curl -q https://dl.google.com/linux/chrome-remote-desktop/deb/dists/stable/main/binary-amd64/Packages | grep ^Filename

As of 15:50 US Eastern Standard Time on 2023/3/3, the current version is:

pool/main/c/chrome-remote-desktop/chrome-remote-desktop_111.0.5563.12_amd64.deb

HTH :)

Clemmitt Sigler