Hi there all! Wasn't sure if this should go in networking or what, but I put it in here.

I currently run a RH8 server which is permenently on and connected to the net via broadband.

This server downloads my POP email to a local folder, sorts it with procmail and SpamAssassin, and then allows it to be accessed by me, through an IMAP server. This has nothing to do with my question, i'm just well chuffed to have gotten it working!!

Usually, I am on another RH8 PC, connected to freeserve 56K.

Currently, I tunnel through SSH using compression, to forward local port 143 (IMAP) to the server IMAP port. The SSH compression seems to speed up the IMAP connection some.

I was thinking, maybe I could do the same with internet access. Instead of using my local DNS and all that, I could tunnel my internet access (port 80 for HTTP?) through the broadband server. This would allow me not only to reap the benefits of SSH compression, but to tell my server to cache certain pages regularly for my speedy download.

Does this sound like it would provide any speed increase? Or would it simply be too much hassle and connections?

To summerise, would BY Broadband->RH8 Server->SSH Compressed Tunnel on 56K Connection->RH8 Client, be faster than Freeserve 56K -> RH8 Client

If the answer is yes, would I need some sort of NAT software on my server box? Anyone any reccomendations?

Many thanks

Nerd2

I wouldn't have thought you would gain much if anything as two 56K connections modems don't talk to one another at 56K. If they're V90 you get 33.6K, if they're V92 you get ~42K. Any compression gained from SSH will probably be cancelled out by the slower connection and additional overhead of encapuslation within the ssh tunnel.

cheers

Jamie...

Eh? Where are the 2 modems? The server is on 512K broadband, the client is the only thing on 56K.

I'm confused now.

???????

Sorry, I though that you were dialing into the server that was connected to broadband. So are you really just talking about the advantage of using an SSH tunnel to talk to the server rather than just using straight TCP/IP over the web yeah?

cheers

Jamie...

To summerise, would:

BY Broadband->RH8 Server->SSH Compressed Tunnel on 56K Connection->RH8 Client

be faster than:

Freeserve 56K -> RH8 Client

for internet access..........?

I wouldn't expect you would noticed a massive difference as your modem should be doing hardware compression anyway. You can always give it a go and see what happens.

cheers

Jamie...

Have you any idea how it might be done?

I was thinking about a NAT server (i searched and found some stuff here). Would it just be a matter or doing an iptables forward and opening port 80?

You might want to look at how they do it in the following HOWTO using PPP over SSH port forwarding. http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/VPN-HOWTO/index.html

I can't say it's something I've got any experience of though.

cheers

Jamie...

thanks