ssh

MobaXterm tabbed SSH client (etc) for Windows

July 7, 2020 by Simon

After posting my last blog post (Goodbye Dropbox, One Drive, iCloud and Hello Nextcloud private cloud on UpCloud) I received comments from readers as to why I used Putty/WinSCP and not MobaXterm. To be honest I had no idea MobaXterm existed.

I did a quick Google and checked out the pros and cons of Putty/WinSCP v MobaXTerm.

MobaXterm Highlights

MobaXterm is a lot faster at uploading and downloading files over SSH connections
MobaXterm can connect to practically anything (SSH, Telnet, RDP, RSH, Xdmcp, VNC, FTP, SFTP, Serial, Shell etc)
Multiple terminals can either be in tabs or split horizontally or vertically.
Edit remote files via SSH and SFTP – Pro feature
Supports macro controls (multi commands in single screen) – Pro feature
MobaXterm has many plugins
MobaXterm can be run from a portable USB drive

Nice

MobaXterm Website

I visited https://mobaxterm.mobatek.net/

https://mobaxterm.mobatek.net/ website screenshot

I had an option to download the Free Version or to purchase a Professional Version.

I will be reviewing the Pro version (you will see why later). I am reviewing Version 20.2 (Build 249). You can download the free version at https://mobaxterm.mobatek.net/download.html.

If you purchase the Pro version (with 12 months of updates) for $69 USD. Delivery is done by email within 24 hours after payment is received.

Installing MobaXterm

I downloaded the 1.5MB Installer (the link was emailed to me after purchase)

I opened the MobaXterm installer and entered my Pro serial number (emailed to me) then I clicked Next

Customise Options (during the install)

I clicked Customise MobaXTerm Professional settings button

The customizer options are impressive (Import and export settings, enable/disable features, generate a portable package etc)

I had an option to customise the banner or any server I connect to but I left the banner as the default banner.

I reviewed all options for the application. This is more in depth than Putty for sure.

Enable or disable just about everything.

I reviewed my default SSH settings. SSH Keep alive will be turned on for sure.

I had an option to add plugins to MobXTerm

I had the option to generate a portable of full installer

Now I can resume the setup of MobaXterm, I clicked Next

I accepted the licence agreement and clicked Next

I installed MobaXterm to my C:\ Drive

I clicked Install

MobaXterm was now installed

MobaXterm

I opened MobaXterm

Apologies in advance I setup Dark Mode in MobaXterm as soon as I opened the Configuration. All screenshots will be shown below in Dark Mode.

There are 12 colour themes to choose from.

Main Interface

The MobaXterm interface is more feature packed than Putty.

Menu Bar, Toolbar, Tabs and options are available

Windows prompted me to allowed access to MobaXTerm in my Windows firewall.

Time to create a connection to a server.

Adding a SSH Connection to a Server

I created a new SSH server connection to one of my existing servers.

I specified the IP address, username and protocol.
I set “SCP (enhanced speed)“

I specified the path to my private key (for the server)

I reviewed other terminal settings.

I changed the font to Courier New, Size 12 (I am sad). I also increased the initial size of the terminal (width and height)

I reviewed network settings (all good)

I added a shortcut to the server onto my desktop

When I opened the connection to the server I was prompted to enter the Passphrase I set on my Public Key (nice).

Then I was prompted to put in my 2FA One Time Password (OTP) in the main terminal windows and a second time in a popup form (for the connection that builds the folder structure on the left). This is how I configured my website. To get the OTP I need to insert my YubiKey and one the YubiCo Authenticator app and enter my keys password.

Some people say that having a passphrase on a public/private key and 2FA Authentication is a bit overkill but that is not everything I do.

I need to enter two OTP’s to connect to my site.

If you are fast you can use the same OTP in both windows (but they expire in 30 seconds)

Nice I was able to connect to my Server just like Putty. The cool thing is I can see files and folders without opening WinSCP.

This is way more convenient than using two programs.

I enabled the Remote Monitoring status bar in MobaXterm. Now I can see system resources on my server without running CLI commands.

Upload Speed to Singapore from Australia

I uploaded a 1GB file with to the same server from WinSCP and MobaXterm to simulate a restore.

I was gobsmacked, WinSCP could only upload a file at 342KB/s, MobaXterm could upload at 4.42MB/s.

I was uploading a 1GB file from my house to a server in Singapore (within 5 minutes of each other). I did set “SCP (enhanced speed)” when Installing MobaXterm.

MobaXTerm is 12x faster than WinSCP at uploading for me. This is well worth upgrading to a Professional licence.

Download Speed (from USA/East Coast) to Australia

I ran a practical download test (this time from Chicago). In the right-hand side of MobaXterm I zipped up my entire website folder (1.66GB)

zip -r /temp/www-22-Jun-2020.zip /www-folder

Then in the left-hand side of MobaXterm I downloaded the file, this is as simple as right-click then download.

I was presented with a directory tree specify where to save the file to.

I noticed the file was downloading at 16Mbps then 18Mbps then 22Mbps within seconds.

The download speed settled down to 26Mbps after a few minutes.

This is amazing for a download from the other side of the world (200ms ping and on a VPN, 19 traceroute server hops away).

I downloaded the same file from the same server with WinSCP to compare and MobaXTerm was 10x faster at downloading. WinSCP could only manage 2.57/MB/s

Plugins

I will look into plugins soon: https://mobaxterm.mobatek.net/plugins.html

Local Terminal

I can also start a local terminal (documentation here)

I can run Linux commands on my Windows machine via Cygwin

“ls -al” on Windows anyone

I noticed MobaXterm had found my WSL 2 Installation of Debian on my Windows 10 v2020.

I can now use MobaXterm to open my WSL Linux installations.

MobaXterm can easily connect to my local and online Linux servers with ease.

Multiple Exec

I used the Multiple Exec (similar to the multiple cursors in Sublime Text Editor) to control 2 serves at once and run identical commands.

Import Putty Sessions

I did not notice until later but you can import existing Putty connections.

Generate Public/Private Keys

Also, you can generate SSH Public and Private Keys from the Tools menu or the left-hand side (tab).

Pros

File/Folder and Terminal window side by site
13x faster file uploads over SSH
10x faster downloads over SSH
Integration with WSL Linux Images
Import Putty Settings
Local Terminals/Cygwin

Cons

It would be nice to only have to enter my 2FA OTP once when connecting to one of my serves.
The user interface is full-on, I am still learning it

Conclusion

Honestly having faster uploads and downloads over SSH is a dream come true. I live in Australia and we have terrible latency and I have better things to do than to watch slow uploads/downloads.

I look forward to investigating MobaXterm plugins in the near future as I feel I I have just scratched the surface.

Links

MobaXterm Documentation: https://mobaxterm.mobatek.net/documentation.html

v.1.1 Plugin info fix

Using the WinSCP Client on Windows to transfer files to and from a Linux server over SFTP

April 17, 2019 by Simon

2020 Update. I have stopped using Putty and WinSCP. I now use MobaXterm (a tabbed SSH client for Windows) as it is way faster than WinSCP and better than Putty. Read my review post of MobaXTerm here.

This is a quick guide for people that do not know you can also transfer files over SSH connection to/from a server with SFTP. SFTP is a protocol that works over SSH/Secure Shell connections. I am using Windows 10 locally and want to transfer files to/from my Linux servers. In the past I have setup plain FTP servers but I do not set them up any longer.

I have setup servers on UpCloud using this guide to setup servers with SSH. I recently blogged about using PHP Storm to transfer files over SFTP but how can I do it outside PHP Storm. I have an older guide on how to do this with the Forklift program on OSX.

Download WinSCP

Go to https://winscp.net/eng/index.php and download and setup WinSCP.

Ensure you have a working connection to your server over a SSH first.

I connected to my server and compressed a folder ready to transfer over SFTP.

sudo zip -r /17-apr-2019-www.zip /wwwroot/

I now had a 1.8 gigabyte file to download over SFTP.

Setting up a Connection in WinSCP

Open WinSCP

You will see a window that will allow you to add a server server connection

Add your server name and port for SSH, also ad your SSH username. I wont add a ‘password as I login with SSH keys (not passwords)

Screenshot showing a new connection to yourserver.com and port 22

Click on Advanced then Advanced to set more options like private keys.

Enter the path to your SSH private Key

It is a good idea to set folders and to remember the last directory used.

Remember last directory used tick box selected

Save the connection

Now you will have a quick access shortcut to your server.

Connecting to your Server

I have a passphrase setup for my Private key so I need to enter that on each connection.

I have 2FA hardware one Time Passwords setup at login (read here) and WinSCP asks me for this passphrase. Nice.

Now I can see my remote server as if it was a local drive.

WinSCP now connected like a local folder

Nice

Download a file

I downloaded the backup file created earlier by dragging from the remote server window to my local computer window).

Downloads were not fast (about 1.5MB/s on a 50 megabyte connection.

Enable Right Click Shell Integrations

It is a good idea to enable right shell extensions in Windows Explorer to upload a file via SFTP.

Select Options and Preferences once you connect to a server.

Click Add upload shortcut to Explorer’s ‘Sent To’context menu.

Now when you right click on a file in Windows Explorer you can sent it to a server.

You will be asked by WinSCP what server to connect to, Select it and click Login.

An upload progress bar will appear. When the upload done the WinSCP will disconnect

Nice.

Editing files in WinSCP

WinSCP is also good at editing files in WinSCP or using your preferred editor.

I hope this guide helps someone. Apologies if you already know this.

v1.0 Inital Post

Connecting to a server via SSH with Putty

April 7, 2019 by Simon

This post aims to show how you can connect to a remote VM server using Telnet/SSH Secure shell with a free program called Putty on Windows. This not an advanced guide, I hope you find it useful.

You will learn how to connect (via Windows) to a remote computer (Linux) over the Telnet protocol using SSH (Secure Shell). Once you login you can remotely edit web pages, learn to code, install programs or do just about anything.

Common Terms (Glossary)

Putty: Putty is a free program that allows you to connect to a server via Telnet. Putty can be downloaded from here.
Port: A port is a number given to a virtual lane on the internet (a port is similar to a frequency in radio waves but all ports share the same transport layer frequency on the internet). Older unencrypted webpages work on Port (lane 80), older mail worked on Port 25, encrypted web pages work on Port 443. Telnet (that SSH Secure Shell uses) used Port 22. Read about port numbers here.
SSH: SSH is a standard that allows you to securely connect to a server over the telnet protocol. Read more here.
Shell: Shell or Unix Shell is the name given to the interactive command line interface to Linux. Read more about the shell here.
Telnet: Telnet is a standard on the TCP/IP protocol that allows two-way communication between computers (all communicatin issent as characters and not graphics). Read more on telnet here and read about the TCP protocols here and here.
VM: VM stands for Virtual Machine and is a name given to a server you can buy (but it is owned by someone else). Read more here.

Read about other common glossary terms used on the Inetre here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_Internet-related_terms

Background

If you want a webpage on the internet (or just a server to learn how to program) it’s easier to rent a VM for a few dollars a month and manage it yourself (with Telnet/SSH Secure Shell) than it is to buy a $5,000 server, place it in a data centre and pay for electricity and drive in every few days and update it. Remote management of VM servers via SSH/Secure Shell is the way for small to medium solutions.

A simple web hosting site may cost < $5 a month but is very limited.
A self-managed VM costs about $5 a month
A website service like Wix, Squarespace, Shopify or WordPress will cost about $30~99 a month.
A self-owned server will cost hundreds to thousands upfront.

There are pros and cons to all solutions above (e.g cost, security, scalability, performance, risk) but these are outside this post’s topic. I have deployed VMs on provides like AWS, Digital Ocean, Vultr and UpCloud for years. If you need to buy a VM you can use this link and get $25 free credit.

I used to use the OSX Operating System on Apple computers. I was used to using the VSSH software program to connect to servers deployed on UpCloud (using this method). With the demise of my old Apple Mac book (due to heat) I have moved back to using Windows (I am never using Apple hardware again until they solve the heat issues).

Also, I prefer to use Linux servers in the cloud (over say Windows) because I believe they are cheaper, faster and more secure.

Enough talking lets configure a connection.

Public and Private Keys?

Whenever you want to connect to a remote server via Telnet/SSH Secure Shell you will need a public and private key to encrypt communications between you and the remote server.

The public key is configured on your server (on Linux you add the public key to this file ~/.ssh/authorized_keys).

The private key is used by programs (usually on your local computer) to connect to the remote server.

How to create a Public and Private Key on Linux

I usually run this command on Ubuntu or Debian Linux to generate a public and private SSH key.

sudo ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096

The key below was generated for this post and is not used online. Keys are like physical keys, people who have them and know where to use them can use them.

Output:

Generating public/private rsa key pair.
Enter file in which to save the key (/username/.ssh/id_rsa): ./server
Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase): ********
Enter same passphrase again: ********
Your identification has been saved in ./server.
Your public key has been saved in ./server.pub.
The key fingerprint is:
SHA256:sxfcyn4oHQ1ugAdIEGwetd5YhxB8wsVFxANRaBUpJF4 username@server
The key's randomart image is:
+---[RSA 4096]----+
| .oB**E@Bo       |
|  +.==B.+        |
| o .o+o+..       |
|  .. +..o...     |
|    o ..Sooo.    |
|         ++o.    |
|        .o+o     |
|        .oo .    |
|         ...     |
+----[SHA256]-----+

The two files were created

server
server.pub

“server” is the private key
“server.pub“is the public key

Public/Private Key Contents

Public Key Contents (“server.pub”)

ssh-rsa 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 username@servercom

Private Key Contents (“server”), always keep the private key safe and never publish it.

The Public and Private keys is used to encrypt all Telnet/SSH connections and traffic to your server. Keep these key’s private.

fyi: Putty can create SSH Keys too

If you do not have a Linux computer or Linux server to generate keys the Putty generator can create keys too.

Puttygen generating a key based on the randomness of mouse movements.

I did not know Putty can create keys.

Do save the public and private key(s) that were generated in Puttygen (tip: PPK files are what we are after along with the public key later in this post).

Public keys are added to your server when you deploy them. On Linux, you can add new Pulic keys after deployment by adding them to this file “~/.ssh/authorized_keys” to allow people to log in.

Puttygen does format the keys differently than how Ubuntu generates them. Read more here. I’ll keep generating keys in Linux over Puttygen.

Output of the public and PPK files from Puttygen

Putty SSH Client on Windows

Putty is a free windows program that you can use to connect to serves via SSH. Download and install the Putty program.

Open Putty

Default Putty User Interface.

To create a connection add an exiting IP address (server name) and SSH port (22) to Putty.

Screenshot of an IP and port entered into putty

In Putty (note the tree view to the left of the image), You can set the auto login name to use to log into the remote server under the Connection the Data in the tree view item

Screenshot showing the SSH usename being added to putty under Connection then Data menu,

You can also set the username under the Connection then Rlogin section of Putty.

Set the usernmae undser rlogin area of putty

OK, lets add the private SSH Key to Putty.

Putty Screehshot showing no support for standard SSH keys (only PPK files)

It looks like Putty only supports PPK private key files not ones generated by Linux. I used to be able to use the private key in the VSSH program on OSX and add the private key to connect to the server over SSH. Putty does not allow you to use Linux generated Private keys directly.

Convert your (Linux generated) private key to (Putty) PPK format with Puttygen

Putty comes with a Key Generator/Converter, you can open your existing RSA private key and convert it (or generate a new one).

TIP: If you generate a key in Puttygen don;t forget to ad’d it to your authorized host file in your remote server.

Open Puttygen

Click Conversions than Import Key and choose the private key you generated in Linux

Screenshot showing import RSA key to convert

The private key will be opened

You can then save the private key as a PPK file.

“server.ppk” Key contents (sample key)

PuTTY-User-Key-File-2: ssh-rsa
Encryption: aes256-cbc
Comment: imported-openssh-key
Public-Lines: 12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Private-Lines: 28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Private-MAC: 12298fa865ac574da81898252e83b812200cba59

Now the PPK key can be added to Putty for any server connection that uses the public key. Use the right key for the right server though.

Add the private key to a Putty server by clicking Connection, SSH, AUTH section and browing to the PPK file.

Screenshot showing the PPK key file added to Putty

Now we need to save the connection, click back on the Session note at the top of the treeview, type a server name and click Save

Connecting to your sever via Telnet/SSH wiht Putty.

Once you have added a server name, port, usernames and private key to Putty you can double click the server list item to connect to your server.

You will see a message about accepting the public key from the server. Click Yes. This fingerprint will be the same fingerprint that was shown when you generated the keys (if not maybe someone is hacking in the middle of your local computer and server)

Putty messgae box asking to to remember the public key

Hopefully, you will now have full access to your server with the account you logged in with.

Screenshot of an Ubuntu screen after login

Happy Coding.

Alternatives to self-managed VM’s

I will always run self-managed server (and configure it myself) as its the most economical way to build a fast and secure server in my humble opinion.

I have blogged about alternatives but these solutions always sacrifice something and costs are usually higher and performance can be slower.

I am also lucky enough I can do this as a hobby and its not my day job. when you self manage a VM you will have endless tasks or securing your server and tweaking but its fun.

How to upload and download files to a server with sftp (over the SSH protocol)

December 7, 2017 by Simon

I have blogged about http://c9.io before and how it makes managing a remote Ubuntu server easier. Recently AWS acquired C9 and integrated it into AWS. This has triggered me to find a more open/free way to connect to my servers. I like AWS but I can tell that C9 will someday block you from talking to non-AWS servers.

C9 Aquisition

C9 on AWS: https://aws.amazon.com/cloud9/?origin=c9io

C9 Aquisition: https://c9.io/announcement

I have blogged about connecting to an AWS EC2 instance with C9 (before AWS acquired C9), The quickest way to set up a scalable development IDE and web server when I was using Digital Ocean Servers, How to buy a new domain (dedicated server from digital ocean) and add an SSL certificate from NameCheap but when I moved to Vultr serves I decided to ditch C9 and save $9 a month. I got used to setting up an SSH connection, using rmate to edit remote files locally with Sublime and SSH’ing into the box with vSSH on OSX but nothing replaced the C9 file management experience.

C9 was a good IDE (but recent price hikes and AWS purchase have made me cautious).

Uploading files without C9 to Ubuntu

Uploading files from an OSX laptop to a remote Ubuntu server is possible with the SCP command

scp ~/Desktop/FilesToUpload.zip [email protected] /www/FilesToUpload.zip
< # Enter the remote server password

Server Actions (to upload the old way, with scp)

#Install Unzip (if you do not have it)
sudo apt-get install unzip

# Unzip the file
cd /www/
unzip /www/FilesToUpload.zip

There has to be a better way

I have used the Forklift 3 program before (my review here) and in recent google searches, it was suggested that Forklift best SFTP program on OSX. Yay. This unix.stackexchange.com thread mentions the difference between SFTP and SSH.

Below are the steps to use SFTP in Foftlift 3 on OSX to connect to a Vultr server (you could use Digital Ocean). Ensure you have a working SSH connection setup from your server to your local OSX.

Setting up an SFTP Connection in Forklift 3

Read my Forklift 3 guide here first.

Update your Forklift to the latest version.

Add a Favorite in Forklift 3

Name the connection

In Forklift edit the connection

Specify SFTP and your servers working SSH username and password, and “/” folders

Save.

Double Click the entry to connect to your server.

To upload or download files with Forklift over SFTP, simply drag and drop.

Simple

You can now use Forklift to navigate folders, delete files, set remote file permissions all from a GUI. You can still use SSH CLI and or Sublime.

Quik Edit works too.

Nice, this gives me a convenient GUI way to upload, download and edit files instead of via CSP/SSH/CLI.

Now is there an SFTP plugin for Sublime?

More to come soon.

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Revision History

v1.0 Initial Draft

Connect to a remote server with ssh keys generated on OSX

November 26, 2017 by Simon

Below is the way I connect to a remote server via SSH keys generated on OSX.

Setting up a server

When you set up an Ubuntu server on Vultr (read my guide on setting up a Vultr server for as low as $2.5 a month) or Digital Ocean (use this link to get two months free when you setup an Ubuntu server on digital ocean) you can specify an SSH key to use for remote connections during the server create stage (old guide here).

How to create an SSH key on OSX to use to connect to a remote server

Run the following command (“sudo ssh-keygen -t rsa“) to generate an ssh key paid in “~/.ssh/” on OSX.

cd ~/.ssh/
sudo ssh-keygen -t rsa
Generating public/private rsa key pair.
Enter file in which to save the key (/var/root/.ssh/id_rsa): test.rsa            
Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase): 
Enter same passphrase again: 
Your identification has been saved in test.rsa.
Your public key has been saved in test.rsa.pub.
The key fingerprint is:
SHA256:sJtlhWremoved2IUp8 [email protected]
The key's randomart image is (edited):
+---[RSA 2048]----+
|    .   +o=+.    |
|   . o + =.o..   |
|  . . + o *o+ .  |
|   .   E B +.=   |
|      o S = +.   |
|       O o..+ o  |
|   * . .o * .    |
|   o  ..*        |
|   ..+..         |
+----[SHA256]-----+

TIP: It is a good idea to also generate a passphrase to use with the key (double protection). You will be prompted to enter this password to use the RSA key.

You can now see the generated keys in ~/.ssh/

ls test* -al
total 224
drwxr-xr-x+ 29 username  staff   928 26 Nov 17:07 .
drwxr-xr-x@ 89 username  staff  2848 25 Nov 19:03 ..
...
-rw-------   1 username   staff  1766 26 Nov 17:07 test.rsa
-rw-r--r--   1 username   staff   412 26 Nov 17:07 test.rsa.pub
...

You can view the contents of the public file (you can use this when generating Digital Ocean, Vultr, AWS or Azure or other cloud servers).

fyi: Replace 123.123.123.123 with your remote serves ip.

sudo cat /~.ssh/test.rsa.pub
ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC...removed...1RL5hCG0lUn 123.123.123.123

How to connect to a server (the old way).

As long as your host added the desired public ssh key file contents to the server (adding the public ssh key contents to “~/.ssh/authorized_keys” you will be able to connect to the server.

Run the following command on OSX command line to connect to the server via SSH.

sudo ssh -i ~/.ssh/test.rsa [email protected]

You should see..

Enter passphrase for key '/Users/username/.ssh/test.rsa': 
> PASSPHRASECREATEDEARLIER
Welcome to Ubuntu 16.04.3 LTS (GNU/Linux 4.4.0-101-generic x86_64)

 * Documentation:  https://help.ubuntu.com
 * Management:     https://landscape.canonical.com
 * Support:        https://ubuntu.com/advantage

  Get cloud support with Ubuntu Advantage Cloud Guest:
    http://www.ubuntu.com/business/services/cloud

0 packages can be updated.
0 updates are security updates.

Last login: Sun Nov 26 08:47:20 2017 from 123.123.123.123

remoteuser@yourserver:~# ls -al
total 32
drwx------  5 remoteuser remoteuser 4096 Nov 25 12:07 .
drwxr-xr-x 24 remoteuser remoteuser 4096 Nov 25 12:15 ..
-rw-------  1 remoteuser remoteuser 1813 Nov 26 08:57 .bash_history
-rw-r--r--  1 remoteuser remoteuser 3106 Oct 22  2015 .bashrc
...

Congratulations, you should now be able to connect to your server via SSH.

Securing your ubuntu Server

Read my guides here, here and here.

Don’t forget to add a firewall and set up an SSL certificate.

How to connect to a server (faster way).

todo: ~/.ssh/config method

Now we can connect to your remote server with the shorter method.

todo: ~/.ssh/config method

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Revision History

v1.0 Initial Post

etc

How to use Sublime Text editor locally to edit code files on a remote server via SSH

September 16, 2017 by Simon

This guide will show you how to use Sublime Text editor locally to edit code files on a remote server via SSH.

This guide assumes oy already have a working SSH connection between your Mac and your remote server (with no firewall issues) and have configured SSH keys via modifying to authorized_keys file to enable SSH access.

Need a server?

I now use UpCLoud for cloud servers as they are super fast (read the blog post here). Get $25 free credit by signing up at UpCloud using this link.

UpCloud is way faster than Vulr.

Setting up slower region-specific servers can be found here. Set up a Server on Vultr here for as low as $2.5 a month or set up a Server on Digital Ocean (and get the first 2 months free ($5/m server)). I have a guide on setting up a Vultr server here or Digital Ocean server here. Don’t forget to add a free LetsEncrypt SSL Certificate and secure the server (read more here and here).

Buy a domain name from Namecheap here.

Setting up your local machine

Open Sublime Text 3 and press COMMAND+SHIFT+P to bring up the command bar and type Install and click Package Control: Install Package and click it.

Wait a few seconds for the packages list to show and type “rsub”

Ok let’s make an SSH alias to your server on your Mac by typing “sudo nano ~/.ssh/config”

Make these changes

File contents:

host mysrv
HostName www.myserver.com
User thesshuser
RemoteForward 52698 localhost:52698

Now we can connect to the server via SSH by typing “ssh mysrv”

After typing the server’s password you will be connected to the ssh server

ssh mysrv
[email protected]'s password: 
Welcome to Ubuntu 16.04.3 LTS (GNU/Linux 4.4.0-87-generic x86_64)

 * Documentation:  https://help.ubuntu.com
 * Management:     https://landscape.canonical.com
 * Support:        https://ubuntu.com/advantage

0 packages can be updated.
0 updates are security updates.


You have new mail.
Last login: Sat Sep 16 12:51:35 2017 from xx.xx.xx.xx
thesshuser@myserver:~#

Now on your local Mac load the following page in a web browser (and review the code): https://raw.github.com/aurora/rmate/master/rmate and copy the contents to the clipboard.

On the remote server (the SSH one) type:

sudo nano /usr/local/bin/rmate

Now paste the contents or this page into nano editor and save it and exit nano.

Now run this chmod command to make the rmate file executable.

sudo chmod a+x /usr/local/bin/rmate

Now on the server, we can open any text file with rmate and have it open locally in Sublime via SSH. Yes, Open a file on a server and have it automatically open in locally 🙂

If you have many files to open then create a bash file to open files with rmate

sudo nano openfilesonmac.sh

Contents:

#!/bin/bash

rmate index.html 
rmate index1.html 
rmate index2.html 
rmate index3.html 
rmate index4.html 
rmate index5.html 
rmate index6.html 
rmate index7.html 
rmate index8.html 
rmate index9.html 
rmate index10.html

File permissions:

chmod +x openfilesonmac.sh

Now we can open may remote files locally by running the bash script.

All saves in Sublime locally are sent to the server 🙂

e.g

rmate /www/index.html
rmate /node/api/app01/app.js
rmate /www/dashboard/index.php

Still here, read more articles here or use the form below to ask a question or recommend an article.

Port Forwarding with vSSH on OSX

If you use a third party ssh program like vSSH you will also need to setup port forwarding to avoid this error

rmate test.txt
/usr/local/bin/rmate: connect: Connection refused
/usr/local/bin/rmate: line 384: /dev/tcp/localhost/52698: Connection refused
Unable to connect to TextMate on localhost:52698

How.

Now you can open remote files locally with SSH or vSSH too.

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v1.4 Added UpCloud Info.

v1.3 vSSH Port forwarding.

Connecting to an AWS EC2 Ubuntu instance with Cloud 9 IDE as user ubuntu and root

September 1, 2016 by Simon Fearby

Recently I setup an Amazon EC2 Ubuntu Server instance and wanted to connect it to the awesome Cloud 9 IDE. I was sick of interacting with a server through terminal windows.

Use this link and get $19 free credit with Cloud 9: https://c9.io/c/DLtakOtNcba

Cloud 9 IDE (sample screenshot)

Previously I was using Digital Ocean (my Digital Ocean setup guide here) and this was simple, you get a VM and you have a root account and you do what you want. Amazon AWS however, have extra layers of security that prevent logging in as root via SSH and that can be a pain with Cloud 9 as your workspace tree is restricted to the ~/ (home) folder.

Below are the steps you need to connect to an AWS instance with user “ubuntu” and “root” with Cloud 9.

Connecting to an AWS instance with Cloud 9 as user “ubuntu”

1. Purchase and set-up your AWS instance (my guide here).

2. You need to be able to login to your AWS server from a terminal prompt (from OSX). This may include opening port 22 the AWS Security Group panel. Info on SSH logins here.

ssh -i ~/.ssh/yourawsicskeypair.pem [email protected]

3. On your AWS server (from step 2) Install NodeJS.

You will know node is installed if you get a version returned when typing the following bash command.

node -v

tip: If node is not installed you can run the Cloud 9 pre-requisites script (that includes node).

curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/c9/install/master/install.sh | bash

4. Ensure you have created SSH key on Cloud 9 (guide here).

5. Copy your Cloud 9 SSH key to the clipboard.

6. On your AWS server (in step 2) edit the ~/.ssh/authorized_keys file and paste in the Cloud 9 SSH key (after you AWS key pair that was added from the setup of AWS) to a new line and save the file.

7. Log in to Cloud 9 and click create Workspace then Remote SSH Workspace.

Name your workspace (all lowercase and no spaces).
Username: ubuntu
Hostname: Add your AWS ec2 server hostname.
Initial Path: This has to be ~/

8. Click Create Workspace

9. If all goes well you will have a prompt to install the prerequisites.

If this fails check out the Cloud 9 guide here.

Troubleshooting: I had errors like “Project directory does not exist or is not writable and “Unable to change File System Path in SSH Workspace” because I was trying to set the workspace path as “/” (this is not possible on AWS with the “ubuntu” account.

10. Now you should have a web-based IDE that allows you to browse your server, create and edit files, run termials instances that will reconnect if your net connection or browser tab drops out (you can even go to a different machine and continue with your session).

Connecting to an AWS instance with Cloud 9 as user “root

Connecting to your server as the “ubuntu” server is fine if you just need to work in your “ubuntu” home folder. As soon as you want to start changing other settings outside of your home folder you are stuck. Granting “ubuntu” higher privileges server wide is a bad idea so here is how you can enable “root” login via SSH access.

WARNING: Logging in as ROOT IS BAD, you should only allow Root Login for short periods and it is advisable to remove root login abilities as soon as you do not need them or in production.

Having root access while developing or building a new server saves me bucket loads of time so lets allow it.

1. Follow step 1 to 5 in the steps above (setup AWS, ssh access via terminal, install node, create cloud 9 ssh key, copy the cloud 9 ssh key to the clipboard).

2. SSH to your AWS server and edit the following file:

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config
# -- Make the following changes
# PermitRootLogin without-password
PermitRootLogin = yes

Save.

3. Backup your root authorised keys file

sudo cp /root/.ssh/authorized_keys /root/.ssh/authorized_keys.bak

4. Edit the root authorized_keys file and paste in your Cloud 9 SSH Key.

5. Now you can create a Cloud 9 Connection to your server with root

Name your workspace (all lowercase and no spaces).
Username: root
Hostname: Add your AWS ec2 server hostname.
Initial Path: This has to be /

tip: If you have not added you SSH key correctly you will receive this error when connecting.

6. You should now be able to connect to AWS ec2 instances with Cloud 9 as root and configure/do anything you want without switching to shell windows.

Security

As a precaution, do check your website often in https://www.shodan.io and see if it has open software or is known to hackers.
Enjoy

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V1.6 security

ssh

MobaXterm Website

Installing MobaXterm

Customise Options (during the install)

MobaXterm

Main Interface

Adding a SSH Connection to a Server

Upload Speed to Singapore from Australia

Download Speed (from USA/East Coast) to Australia

Plugins

Local Terminal

Multiple Exec

Import Putty Sessions

Generate Public/Private Keys

Pros

Cons

Conclusion

Links

Download WinSCP

Setting up a Connection in WinSCP

Connecting to your Server

Download a file

Enable Right Click Shell Integrations

Editing files in WinSCP

Common Terms (Glossary)

Background

Public and Private Keys?

How to create a Public and Private Key on Linux

Public/Private Key Contents

fyi: Putty can create SSH Keys too

Putty SSH Client on Windows

Convert your (Linux generated) private key to (Putty) PPK format with Puttygen

Connecting to your sever via Telnet/SSH wiht Putty.

Alternatives to self-managed VM’s

More Reading

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