If you’re running Linux, you should be aware that using telnet is a no-no. With the wide availability of network sniffers and automated password grabbing tools, telnet is simply not a secure way to work. Instead, use ssh and keep your passwords in keychain.
If you’re running Linux, you should be aware that using telnet is a no-no. With the wide availability of network sniffers and automated password grabbing tools, telnet is simply not a secure way to work.
The Secure Shell (ssh, http://www.openssh.com) is the de-facto replacement for telnet. ssh uses a passphrase and a strong public/private key encryption system to entirely avoid sending passwords (encrypted or not) across the network.
While ssh works well, you may quickly become frustrated having to type a long passphrase every time you login to a remote host. ssh-agent helps, but it doesn’t always work perfectly. However, if you login on the console of your workstation and run a series of commands like the following, you’ll be able to freely ssh to other hosts without ever having to re-type your passphrase.
$ exec ssh-agent bash $ ssh-add ~/.ssh/identity … enter your passphrase … $ startx
The Problem
The sequence shown above works well, but it’s becoming less and less common for users to login on a console and manually start X. Instead, most Linux distributions start X automatically and present a graphical login window. While convenient, this makes it difficult to get ssh-agent running beforehand.
Even if you manage to configure things properly for X, what about running personal cron jobs? Without setting up a passphrase-less key or jumping through some other hoops, there’s still no easy way to do that.
The Solution
keychain…
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