Network Configuration

Configure network settings for optimal SSH connectivity. This guide covers local networks, remote access, and advanced networking scenarios.

Network types

Local area network (LAN)

Connect to devices on the same network:

Typical addresses:

192.168.1.x
192.168.0.x
10.0.0.x
172.16.x.x

Discovery methods:

mDNS/Bonjour: macbook.local
Static IP assignment
DHCP reservations
Network scanning

Wide area network (WAN)

Connect over the internet:

Connection methods:

Public IP address
Domain name
Dynamic DNS
VPN tunnel

Security considerations:

Firewall configuration
Port forwarding
Fail2ban protection
Non-standard ports

Remote access solutions

Tailscale

Zero-configuration VPN for easy access:

Setup:

Install on all devices
Authenticate with same account
Use Tailscale names in Kisuke
Connect from anywhere

Benefits:

No port forwarding needed
Automatic NAT traversal
End-to-end encryption
Static device names

Get Tailscale →

Cloudflare Tunnel

Secure tunnel without opening ports:

Setup:

Install cloudflared on server
Create tunnel configuration
Access via Cloudflare network
No exposed ports

Benefits:

DDoS protection
No public IP needed
Access control
Analytics included

Traditional VPN

Use existing VPN infrastructure:

Common types:

OpenVPN
WireGuard
IPSec
Corporate VPN

Configuration:

Connect to VPN first
Use internal addresses
Standard SSH connection
Transparent to Kisuke

Port configuration

Standard SSH port

Default configuration:

Port 22
Well-known service
May be blocked on some networks
Target for automated attacks

Custom ports

Enhanced security through obscurity:

Common alternatives:

2222  - Alternative SSH
2022  - Easy to remember
8022  - High port
10022 - Five digits

Configuration:

Port 2222

# Restart SSH
sudo systemctl restart sshd

In Kisuke:

hostname:2222
192.168.1.100:2222

Port forwarding

Access servers behind NAT:

Router configuration:

Access router admin panel
Find port forwarding section
Forward external port to internal IP:22
Save and apply

Example:

External: 2222 → Internal: 192.168.1.100:22

Firewall configuration

Server-side firewall

Allow SSH connections:

UFW (Ubuntu):

sudo ufw allow 22/tcp
sudo ufw allow from 192.168.1.0/24 to any port 22
sudo ufw enable

firewalld (Fedora):

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=ssh
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=2222/tcp
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

iptables:

sudo iptables -A INPUT -p tcp --dport 22 -j ACCEPT
sudo iptables-save

Client-side considerations

Ensure outbound SSH:

Corporate firewalls may block port 22
Try alternative ports (443, 8080)
Use VPN if restricted
Check with IT department

Network optimization

Connection stability

Improve reliability:

SSH client config:

Host *
    ServerAliveInterval 60
    ServerAliveCountMax 3
    TCPKeepAlive yes

Compression:

# Enable for slow connections
Host slowserver
    Compression yes
    CompressionLevel 6

Bandwidth management

Optimize for mobile:

Limit bandwidth:

# Reduce network usage
Host mobile
    Compression yes
    Ciphers aes128-ctr
    MACs hmac-sha1

Connection multiplexing:

# Reuse connections
Host *
    ControlMaster auto
    ControlPath ~/.ssh/sockets/%r@%h:%p
    ControlPersist 10m

IPv6 configuration

Enabling IPv6

Modern network support:

Server configuration:

AddressFamily any
ListenAddress ::

Kisuke connection:

[2001:db8::1]:22
ipv6.example.com

Dual-stack setup

Support both protocols:

Prefer IPv6 when available
Fallback to IPv4
Automatic selection
Performance benefits

Advanced networking

Jump hosts

Connect through bastion:

SSH config:

Host production
    HostName internal.server
    ProxyJump bastion.example.com
    User produser

In Kisuke:

Configure jump host as space
Set up target with ProxyCommand

SOCKS proxy

Create SSH tunnel:

Setup tunnel:

ssh -D 8080 user@server

Use in Kisuke:

Configure proxy settings
Route traffic through tunnel
Access restricted resources

Mesh networking

Multiple path redundancy:

Tailscale mesh
ZeroTier networks
WireGuard mesh
Automatic failover

Troubleshooting

Connectivity issues

Cannot reach host:

# Test connectivity
ping hostname
nslookup hostname
telnet hostname 22
nc -zv hostname 22

Connection timeout:

Check firewall rules
Verify port forwarding
Test from different network
Check ISP blocking

Performance issues

Slow connections:

Test bandwidth: speedtest-cli
Check latency: ping -c 10 hostname
Monitor packet loss
Try different ports

Intermittent drops:

Adjust keepalive settings
Check router stability
Monitor network logs
Consider wired connection

Security considerations

Network hardening

Protect SSH access:

Use non-standard ports
Implement fail2ban
Restrict source IPs
Monitor access logs

Access control

Limit connections:

AllowUsers john jane
AllowGroups sshusers
Match Address 192.168.1.0/24
    PasswordAuthentication yes