Creating a free RDP server on Google Cloud is a straightforward process that allows you to access a remote desktop environment without paying any upfront costs. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to create a free RDP server on Google Cloud:
Prerequisites:
- A Google Cloud account: If you don’t already have a Google Cloud account, you’ll need to sign up for one. You can start a free trial that provides $300 in credits to use for 90 days.
- Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) client: You’ll need an RDP client installed on your local machine to connect to your Google Cloud RDP server. Popular RDP clients include Microsoft Remote Desktop (Windows) and Remmina (Linux).
Steps:
- Sign in to your Google Cloud account: Navigate to the Google Cloud Platform Console and sign in using your Google Cloud credentials.
- Create a new instance: Click on the “Compute Engine” option from the left-hand menu. Then, select “VM instances” and click on the “Create Instance” button.
- Choose a machine type: Under the “Machine type” section, select a suitable machine type for your RDP server. The f1-micro instance is a good starting point as it’s eligible for the free tier.
- Configure boot disk: Under the “Boot disk” section, select “Debian 11 (bullseye)” as the operating system and choose an appropriate boot disk size.
- Set firewall rules: Click on the “Firewall” tab and create a new inbound firewall rule that allows RDP connections from your local machine. Specify the RDP port (3389) and the IP address range from which you want to connect.
- Review and create: Review your instance configuration and click on the “Create” button to launch your RDP server.
- Obtain external IP address: Once the instance is created, navigate to the “VM instances” page and locate your newly created instance. Click on the three dots next to the instance name and select “View external IP address.” This will show you the external IP address of your RDP server.
- Connect using RDP client: Open your RDP client on your local machine and enter the external IP address of your RDP server as the connection hostname. Provide your Google Cloud credentials when prompted to connect.
- Enjoy your free RDP server: You should now be connected to your free RDP server on Google Cloud. You can use this server for various tasks, such as remote desktop access, software development, or testing.
Remember to terminate your RDP instance when you’re not using it to avoid incurring unnecessary charges. You can do this by selecting the instance and clicking on the “Stop” button.
