RE: [cobalt-users] Portsentry question and SSH question

[Rodolfo Paiz <rpaiz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> 1 - Portsentry Question: Our server is remote (5000 miles away). If I
> install portsentry, what are the chances of getting accidently cut
> off from my own server. I have cable access where I am and the IP
> does not change very often, usually every month or so. I do not want
> to find myslf cut off from my server because I triggered a port by
> accident.

1. Be very careful what ports you connect to on your server. :)

2. I *only* talk to my server on 22 (SSH), 20/21 (FTP), 25 (SMTP), 80
(HTTP), and 143 (IMAP). 95% of my connections are to 22; the rest are
for testing. PortSentry does *not* listen on these ports.

3. Make sure you have a dial-up Internet account. That way, if you lock
yourself out on your cable modem IP, you can dial into your ISP (get a
different address every time) and unlock yourself.

> 2 - SSH Question - I have searched many times in the archives on this
> one and could find no mention of this problem at all. I amy just be
> searching for the wrong thing, anyhow... My SSH client gets cut off
> after about 5 minutes of inactivaty. How can I change that to a
> higher time such as 15 minutes.

I use PuTTY, and somewhere in the config it sets the interval at which
to send "keepalives", which are packets that tell the server you're
still there and not to cut you off. I set mine for one minute, and
maintain SSH connections for hours on end...

--
Rodolfo J. Paiz
rpaiz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:rpaiz@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>