I just started with linux this weekend and am having problems connecting to ssh via putty or winSCP from outside of my local network... It works fine using the standard 192.168.0.x ip, but when I try to connect from outside the network putty either closes immediatly or mentions something about the server closing the connection... I have the router configured to forward it to the machine on port 22... I've also tried runnung through port 8000 thinking that the isp may have blocked it or something... This doesn't seem to be the case though and was wondering if perhaps there is something I need to do on linux... I'm running Debian 3.1... I'm also having a similar problem with a Java server program I wrote for the linux machine... It works fine locally but has connection problems from the net... Any thoughts??? Thanks...

Is the destination host configured to serve SSH connection requests?

I'd check the following:
1. Verify you can do an ssh logon on the SSH server's local network (i.e. within it's firewall)
2. Make sure the server's firewall is open to incoming SSH connections (port 22, I believe).
3. Make sure your client's firewall is open to outgoing SSH connections.

yea everything works fine from behind the network firewall =/

Meaning that you've confirmed item "1". Please double-check any firewalls you're aware of at your end. Most have a GUI, and most GUI's have a little checkbox to enable SSH (i.e. you probably don't have do deal with iptables or IOS syntax or anything like that).

But it definitely sounds like "2" is the culprit: your server's firewall is probably blocking port 22.

Good luck .. PSM

Hmm, can't find an SSH checkbox... Perhaps I'm just being dense for even thinking this, but if a local firewall on the server were keeping it from working, wouldn't it keep it from working in the local network as well? Just wondering...

Thanks for your response btw

No. In general, the firewall will inhibit connections between your LAN and some external LAN, but has absolutely no effect on any connections between any hosts within the LAN.

The fact that you're able to do SSH within your server's LAN is an important thing to know: it means the server itself is configured to "do SSH". This is *not* necessarily a given.

But, unfortunately, it doesn't shed too much light on why you can't open an SSH connection with that server from home.

Sorry I couldn't be of more help .. PSM

PS:
On your firewall settings, do you see *ANY* lists of ports it will/will not accept? If so, then perhaps there's someplace you can *ADD* a new port (i.e. add port 22 to that list). Just a thought...

I don't see any firewall settings at all when searching the kde control center... The only thing under the firewall results are the proxy settings... Am I even looking in the right place? hehe I'm such a

I think you've probably gone about as far as you can by yourself.

Your next step is to talk to your server's system administrator. He'd be able to tell you whether or not his firewall might be blocking SSH, he'd also be able to give you some intelligent and knowledgeable troubleshooting tips.

Good luck .. PSM

lol i am the server administrator =P... that's ok though I talked to someone today who showed me how to edit the ip tables... thanks for your help

If you go to a terminal window and type lokkit, then choose to disable the firewall, you may be able to access the connection from the outside world then. If this works then configure it to allow incoming SSH...