Learn more about the SSH Authman service.
Configuring SSH client timeouts
When a network session is transiting a firewall, the firewall may close sessions it deems idle - ones which have not sent packets for some time. At Waterloo, the default firewall configurations have a 30 minute timeout for TCP sessions - long enough for most purposes, but people with SSH sessions may find that their connection is terminated earlier than they would like. This can be fixed with a configuration change on the client side, which will cause it to send a "keepalive" packet at fixed intervals. IST recommends a 15 minute keepalive.
Windows
Using putty, edit the configuration for your session, and under Connection, change "Seconds between keepalives" to 900.
Unix/Linux/MacOS
The default SSH client for most Unix-like operating systems is OpenSSH. Versions of OpenSSH greater than 3.8 support the setting ServerAliveInterval. This can be configured globally or for individual hosts.
Edit your personal SSH configuration file (usually $HOME/.ssh/config) and add or modify the relevant line(s).
If you are running a version of OpenSSH older than 3.8, you should upgrade to a more recent version.
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Need Help?
Contact the IST Service Desk at helpdesk@uwaterloo.ca or 519-888-4567 ext. 44357.