Re: Remote administration of a server
On Wed, 8 Jun 2005, Mitja Podreka wrote:
> Can this 2nd box be my laptop or it must be something else?
It can be a laptop or anything else. Basically you aim to have Linux (or
another Unix) running on the laptop so you can ssh into this box and gain
access to the serial console of your server through minicom (or a similar
app). A box with the console of other boxes connected is sometimes called
a console server (especially if this is its fulltime job). Two boxes may
act as the console server for each other - as long as one is on the
network you can access the console of the other.
The key is that the console server should be no less secure than the
servers who's consoles it has. This is because if someone takes control
of the console server it is only a matter of time before they gain access
to the other boxes. Usually this isn't a big deal as a fulltime console
server would not run any services and would allow access via ssh with PKI
authentication only.
Even if a laptop did not run Linux fulltime it could be booted off Knoppix
(with ssh started) to act as a parttime console server.
Rob
--
Robert Brockway B.Sc.
Senior Technical Consultant, OpenTrend Solutions Ltd.
Ph: +1-416-669-3073 Email: rbrockway@opentrend.net http://www.opentrend.net
OpenTrend Solutions: Reliable, secure solutions to real world problems.
Contributing Member of Software in the Public Interest http://www.spi-inc.org
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