linux-remote

Linux Remote — jeff-ubuntu SSH Steering

Connection

ssh jeff-ubuntu          # alias in ~/.ssh/config → [email protected]

• Host: jeff-ubuntu / 192.168.254.128 (LAN only)
• User: $USER
• Key: ~/.ssh/id_jeff_ubuntu (passwordless, no -i flag needed via alias)
• OS: Ubuntu 24.04, kernel 6.17, x86_64
• sudo password: stored in user's head — prompt user if needed, or use expect if already known in context

How to run commands

Always use ssh jeff-ubuntu '<command>' for one-liners:

ssh jeff-ubuntu 'sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y <pkg>'
ssh jeff-ubuntu 'systemctl status <service>'
ssh jeff-ubuntu 'cat /var/log/syslog | tail -50'

For multi-line scripts, pipe via heredoc:

ssh jeff-ubuntu 'bash -s' << 'EOF'
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y openssh-server
sudo systemctl enable --now ssh
EOF

sudo with known password

If the user's password is in context (currently: ask user), use expect:

expect -c "
spawn ssh jeff-ubuntu sudo <command>
expect {
  \"password\" { send \"<password>\r\"; exp_continue }
  eof
}
"

Or pass via stdin:

echo '<password>' | ssh jeff-ubuntu 'sudo -S <command>'

File transfer

scp /local/file jeff-ubuntu:/remote/path      # local → remote
scp jeff-ubuntu:/remote/file /local/path      # remote → local
rsync -avz /local/ jeff-ubuntu:/remote/       # sync directory

Common tasks

Task	Command
Check disk	ssh jeff-ubuntu 'df -h'
Running services	ssh jeff-ubuntu 'systemctl list-units --state=running'
Installed packages	ssh jeff-ubuntu 'dpkg -l | grep <pkg>'
Tail a log	ssh jeff-ubuntu 'sudo journalctl -fu <service>'
Reboot	ssh jeff-ubuntu 'sudo reboot' (warn user first)

Caveats

• Machine is LAN-only (192.168.254.x) — not reachable when off same network
• If SSH fails, check if machine is on via ping 192.168.254.128
• RustDesk (peer ID 406402544) is the fallback for GUI access if SSH is down
• Always prefer SSH over RustDesk for CLI work — RustDesk CLI steering is not possible headlessly on macOS without Accessibility permission