Next step(!) Can I stream my data from dumpvdl2 thru home network???

[bobruzzo]

I guess I am getting more ambitious.....is it possible to be able to see my dumpvdl2 data, while running in terminal, over my PHONE?? If someone could point me in the right direction. I have no clue how to do this. There must be some way to use a "pipe" | to do this in a file that makes it happen. I think I'd rather just have this go thru my home IP address and recieve on phone just at my house. But there could be a way to make it work over internet too and access this data while away from home.....

 

[lwvmobile]

Probably the easiest way I can think to do this is to leave the dumpvdl2 running on your home machine all the time, and then on a remote machine or phone or whatever, have a SSH client connect to your home machine and run the multitail command to view the log. Of course, goes without saying anytime you open a incoming port to your network and forward it to another computer, it presents a security risk to your network, so that's something to keep in mind as well, and there are ways to mitigate those types of risks and everybody here will have a different opinion on how to do that, but the easiest way in my opinion, is to install openssh-server on your host machine and set it up, then connect your client devices. This might be one of those things I can't provide a quick guide to doing though, but there are SSH clients for phones. The variables in set up will come from issues like how to assign a static IP address to your home machine, how to set up a dynamic IP address if you have a dynamic IP from your ISP, how to get into your router and forward the port to that IP address, changing the default SSH port to an obscure port, how to remove the public key from the host machine once you have the key on the clients you want to be able to connect to you, etc. Lots of variables, but here is a tutorial I found, most things in it seem to still hold up.

How to Set up an SSH Server on a Home Computer

A complete guide to setting up an SSH server on your home computer

dev.to

 

[bobruzzo]

Probably the easiest way I can think to do this is to leave the dumpvdl2 running on your home machine all the time, and then on a remote machine or phone or whatever, have a SSH client connect to your home machine and run the multitail command to view the log. Of course, goes without saying anytime you open a incoming port to your network and forward it to another computer, it presents a security risk to your network, so that's something to keep in mind as well, and there are ways to mitigate those types of risks and everybody here will have a different opinion on how to do that, but the easiest way in my opinion, is to install openssh-server on your host machine and set it up, then connect your client devices. This might be one of those things I can't provide a quick guide to doing though, but there are SSH clients for phones. The variables in set up will come from issues like how to assign a static IP address to your home machine, how to set up a dynamic IP address if you have a dynamic IP from your ISP, how to get into your router and forward the port to that IP address, changing the default SSH port to an obscure port, how to remove the public key from the host machine once you have the key on the clients you want to be able to connect to you, etc. Lots of variables, but here is a tutorial I found, most things in it seem to still hold up.

How to Set up an SSH Server on a Home Computer

A complete guide to setting up an SSH server on your home computer

dev.to

I ended up trying Teamviewer and it sort of worked but really not the right way to do it. I dont want to mess with ports and my network here. Thats way above my skill level.

 

[a417]

Set up a VPN on your edge device of your network.

 

[bobruzzo]

Set up a VPN on your edge device of your network.

I have no clue what vpn is or how to do it. I looked online but you have to pay for a vpn. Unless there is a step by step concise tutorial on using a free one.

 

[a417]

I have no clue what vpn is or how to do it. I looked online but you have to pay for a vpn. Unless there is a step by step concise tutorial on using a free one.

You do not have to pay for a VPN, only if you want one hosted by another company and/or another country - or that offers specific benefits to you. I have been using VPNs in one mode or another for nearly 20 years to connect my mobile devices to home, at no cost. Most home grade routers/firewalls will host some form of VPN that allows you to connect from a mobile device only to your router, and then makes it appear as if your device is still on your local network, giving you all the benefits of being at home, but being on a mobile data service.

What kind of router do you use at home?

 

[bobruzzo]

You do not have to pay for a VPN, only if you want one hosted by another company and/or another country - or that offers specific benefits to you. I have been using VPNs in one mode or another for nearly 20 years to connect my mobile devices to home, at no cost. Most home grade routers/firewalls will host some form of VPN that allows you to connect from a mobile device only to your router, and then makes it appear as if your device is still on your local network, giving you all the benefits of being at home, but being on a mobile data service.

What kind of router do you use at home?

We have a Verizon router. I took picture of it. The yellow cable attaches to an amplifier for increasing cellphone range.

 

[a417]

Ahhh, the venerable ol' FiOs box. That won't work. That only supports VPN-passthru, according to the online documentation. It won't host, although I don't know how accurately the only information online covers the current firmware. I was hoping you had something slightly different.

 

[bobruzzo]

Ahhh, the venerable ol' FiOs box. That won't work. That only supports VPN-passthru, according to the online documentation. It won't host, although I don't know how accurately the only information online covers the current firmware. I was hoping you had something slightly different.

Yeah the isp has these crappy modems. We might change back to another one.

 

[a417]

Yeah the isp has these crappy modems. We might change back to another one.

You're not completely out of luck with VPNs and that device, it just won't do the easiest possible thing for you and serve one.

 

[bobruzzo]

You're not completely out of luck with VPNs and that device, it just won't do the easiest possible thing for you and serve one.

Well thanks for your help. This is way too much of a problem to chase.

 

[a417]

All is not lost.

You obviously have a working linux device, we know the limitations of that fabulous cautious:) router you have on site, and your requirements.

1. You can very easily use duckdns.org to assign your home network a dynamic DNS address for free (been using them for a long time, very happy with them.) Instructions are very clear and they do most of the hard work for you. This will not affect your home network settings in any way.
2. You can forward a single obscure port thru FiOs box to your linux device so that you can take @lwvmobile's advice and access an SSH port from anywhere on Al Gore's Internets, which you can secure with key-based authentication (no passwords for you to remember, or with an additional pw), disable password-only based logins, etc. This is the only home networking change you will have to make.
3. Then you can have an app on your phone like Terminus (my personal fave) which gives you fullscreen console based access of your remote computer - on which you can tail -f whatever logging file you have (or run ncurses based apps) interactively. This is solely done on your phone, and does not affect your home network settings at all.

DuckDNS.org is great, instead of trying to record a constantly changing public IP address - they can let you pick an easily rememberable name for you to access your network remotely from.

Port forwarding a single port is not scary, and as long as you don't allow root logins - allow key-based auth and take other basic precautions you can be relatively safe.