NoMachine Support

All you need to know

Home / Support / Documents / Getting Started with NoMachine for Raspberry Pi

Getting Started with NoMachine for Raspberry Pi

Start your journey to the next level of network computing

NoMachine is the ultimate remote desktop solution for editing and maintaining a desktop or server running on Linux ARM from a remote location. Those familiar with Linux ARM are probably well read on the different number of tiny sized computers available on the market such as Banana Pi, Beaglebone, Radxa Rock and CuBox TV. These little computers fit in the palm of your hand, yet pack enough power to run as a desktop PC. They are therefore perfect for NoMachine. One of the more popular devices that our users have shown interest in is the Raspberry Pi, so we've put together a quick guide to get your Raspberry Pi set up on your network. All you need is NoMachine installed on all of the devices you want to use.

Get your RPi ready

  • First, you will need to set up your device, so that you can then install NoMachine on it. The RPi website provides a very simple guide to setting up your device, also with a monitor and keyboard. Check out the link here https://www.raspberrypi.com/documentation/computers/getting-started.html.
  • There are a number of Linux distributions available that run on the Raspberry Pi as well as the device’s own official Raspberry Pi OS at https://www.raspberrypi.com/software/. We have tested a selection which are documented in the article dedicated to Raspberry Pi in our knowledge base and we recommend you use one of those. We'll use its own native desktop, Raspberry Pi OS, for this guide.

Download and install NoMachine

  • Now you've set up the Raspberry Pi OS desktop, let's get NoMachine installed.
  • There are two ways you can use your Raspberry Pi. Use it as the device you want to connect from, or as a NoMachine server.
  • NoMachine is installed on both sides. On RPis being used as clients to connect from, you can install any NoMachine software package, including Enterprise Client, all NoMachine packages include the free client component used for connecting to your target machine. On the device you want to remotely access, choose between NoMachine Personal Edition or Enterprise Desktop.
  • The bonus of installing Enterprise Desktop on your Raspberry Pi is that it enables web access to that device. You can connect to your RPi from any other device using a browser.
  • Once you've got your Raspberry Pi plugged in and you're logged on to its desktop, download the NoMachine package compatible with your device. Please consult the following article for more information about compatible packages for Pi models. There are multiple ARM versions of NoMachine available and what you install depends on what architecture your RPi device is running.
  • You can also use the wget command to download the package:
    wget https://www.nomachine.com/ed/arm/v10/deb -O nomachine.deb
  • Open the location of where you have downloaded the NoMachine package.
  • Proceed with installing, for example, from a terminal run:
    $ sudo dpkg -i nomachine_10.0.1_1_arm64.deb
  • If you downloaded using wget:
    sudo dpkg -i nomachine.deb
  • To connect to this machine, the server software must be activated with a license file. You can generate an evaluation license or purchase a subscription. Evaluation licenses are generated from your User Area. If you don’t have an account already, you can create one here.
  • Upload the license file by opening the NoMachine application and going to Settings > Server > Updates > License info panel.
  • If you prefer CLI, upload the license file to your device and activate the software with command:
    $sudo /etc/NX/nxserver --subscriptionset path_to_server.lic
  • More information about activating the software is available in the knowledge base article here.
  • NoMachine installs out-of-the-box with standard default configuration. If you want to know more about how to install and configure NoMachine software futher, you can find complete installation and configuration instructions for Linux packages at https://www.nomachine.com/documents.
  • Let's start using NoMachine.
Installing NoMachine from the command line on Raspberry Pi

Fig. 1 – Installing NoMachine from the command line

Connect to and from your Raspberry thin client

  • To connect with NoMachine, you need the IP address or Machine Id of the NoMachine-enabled computer you want to reach. If you are new to NoMachine, you should check out our illustrated tutorial which explains where to find the IP address or Machine Id of the remote machine. You’re now ready to connect!
  • Once you have these details, go to the device you want to connect from and open NoMachine.
  • Insert the IP address or Machine Id of the machine you want to connect to in the search field and click 'Connect'.
  • Don’t forget you’ll need system account credentials for the desktop you want to access. Insert them when prompted and you’re in.
Connect from your Raspberry Pi to any Mac Windows Linux device

Fig. 2 - Connect from your RPi to control another computer

Connect to your Raspberry Pi from any device

Fig. 3 - Connect to your Raspberry Pi's desktop from any device

NoMachine Is for Everybody

Do it all and do it better

NoMachine is hands-down the best remote desktop solution on the market today. It packs a serious punch with professional-grade features that let you work and create without limits, from anywhere. NoMachine Personal Edition, suitable for everyone, does everything you could ever need from a remote access tool. Get lag-free desktop control and capture remote access sessions in real-time, get terminal access for quick remote scripting and fixing, move data effortlessly and print documents, rest easy with robust two-factor authentication to protect logins. Need more? Unlock advanced capabilities, centralized management and business-scale remote access designed to power entire organizations with the full suite of NoMachine Enterprise products.

This website uses cookies to help us give you the best experience when you visit our website. By continuing to use this website, you consent to our use of these cookies (Privacy Policy).