[KLUG Members] Dead ssh connections

[Adam Tauno Williams]

> >>You can use the web, IM, or whatever on here (although I'm quite certain
> >>that port 25 is locked off).  However, SSH connections, if left for a few
> >>moments with no keyboard input, will simply die.  They just will 'not
> >I've seen this type of behaviour on OLD ipchains based firewalls.  The
> >connection buffer isn't big enough and tosses old connections to make
> >way for new ones if they have been idle for any length of time at all.
> I've saw this problem once with an old DHCP server, where it kept changing 
> my IP address, which of course killed connections with sessions, like SSH.
> Check your assign IP and see if it's changing.

One way around this is to look at one the IPs,  disable the DHCP client,
and assign it statically.  According to RFC DHCP servers on a broadcast
medium are supposed to ping an IP to see if it is really free before
dolling it out.  This is nice, since it lets you camp on an IP and
defeat someones bizarre config.  I've done this inside a couple of
corporations (which I won't name).  Some people argue that spastic DHCP
leases are a security feature - just seems dumb to me.