I began by thinking about network boot, but the immediate problem became using a laptop as a screen and input device for a more capable Linux machine. Those are related ambitions, yet a remote desktop could be tested before committing to a PXE setup. I had to choose between opening a separate session and mirroring the host’s physical desktop; each solves a different version of the problem.
I tried the separate-session path first and kept checking the ordinary details: could it draw a responsive desktop, carry audio, move clipboard content, and persist the session? Later reports said that combination worked, with limits when I tried a game. The shared-physical-screen alternative had its own rough edges. The useful result is a thin-client session I described using, plus a clearer picture of what still separated it from reliable game streaming or a complete network-boot system.
The separate session used XRDP with Cinnamon and Remmina as the laptop client. The screen-sharing experiment used x11vnc for the existing X11 desktop, carried through an SSH tunnel. The latter exposed practical problems: stale server processes, an occupied tunnel port, choosing the correct physical monitor, and programs opening on a different monitor from the one being shared.
I wanted an easier one-command connection, not necessarily something that started automatically. The monitor and process issues made it clear that a convenient launcher also needed a clean way to close its session.
When I returned to the separate thin-client session, sound was the next issue. The host already exposed xrdp-sink and xrdp-source, but a playback test was silent. Changing Remmina’s audio-output setting to play locally fixed it; I replied that this did it.
Clipboard sharing already appeared to work, and I said session persistence was working too. Microphone input was not important for this experiment. That let the remaining work focus on responsiveness instead of enabling every possible redirected device.
The later tuning discussion covered Wi-Fi power saving, glyph caching, and Cinnamon effects. After trying the setup, I reported that it felt fairly responsive and could run Endless Sky, although the game was not especially smooth. My assessment was that ordinary tasks should be a good fit.
I reported a separate remote session that could carry its desktop, audio, clipboard, and state. The rougher shared-screen experiment taught me something different about monitors and cleanup. PXE boot and robust game streaming remained separate work.