I’m managing few server in different locations via ssh. At the moment I’m using Yakuake terminal which allows for multiple tabs and has quick ass via F12. I like it.
However, it is painful to login to each server every time the my workstation starts. I wonder if there is anything I can automate this task. For example it would be great to have terminal app which upon execution establishes all connection to reconfigured servers. Say it will have multiple windows, each for different connections. Also I could configure it to show terminal in pre-set path on my local workstation.
I have already configured aliases and passwordless logins to all my servers, however it would be create to have it automated and all connections ready.
To have an ssh connection ready to use on startup to all my servers, I would write a script that logs in to those servers, and forwards a port back to my machine. I could put it into my .bashrc and put it in the background so it would not halt my login process. When it finishes, I would have a connection to all servers forwarded to my local ports, and from there it would be easy to write a command that connects to any of those server’s terminal through the local port.
However, I manage 600+ servers, opening connection to every server each time my client machine boots in would be a waste of resources. I just make aliases for all of my servers, and connect to each when I need to do any work on them by myself. If there is a work I would like to distribute on those machines (say, do the same thing on more then one of them), I would use some automation tool, like Ansible. And if I need some information from any or many of them, same tools will help.