On Sat, Feb 18, 2012 at 3:06 PM, Marcos Ariel Laufer <mar...@ipversion4.com> wrote:
> What newer smartphones do you recommend for using also as a tool for > managing OpenBSD servers (maybe windogs too) ? What experiences had you had > with smartphones and OpenBSD managing? Your experience really depends on a few things: the phone network's bandwidth, CPU speed, and the ability to read the returned output without strain. Everything else is just extras and features. Bandwidth and lag can make your session unusable. Almost all modern smartphones have WiFi capability built in, which helps reduce your data rate during the SSH session, and decreases lag. That throughput will also make a big difference in receiving data from the server. In my experience if there's any amount of retransmission happening due to packet loss, the clients hang up abruptly. So, ideally, the client will emulate a modern terminal well enough to use tmux or screen really well. Most modern phones have more than enough CPU power to handle SSH. The problem is that few have the ability to offload the crypto from the CPU, and so SSH chews up already precious battery time. To help offset typing lag some clients permit you to queue a longer string to send to the session. The advantage of this is that fewer packets are sent, and the block of data can be sent out as (hopefully) a single chunk. I believe some Android Market clients support this feature, and I know at least one SSH client on blackberry has it, and at least two of the clients on iOS (iPhone/iPad) have the ability to assign shortcuts. Phone form-factor is a major issue you should consider. I know a few people who regularly use their phones for SSH, and are unwilling to up a physical keyboard. Slider and flip configurations permit you to use most of the screen real estate for your session, but the overall market is moving toward the touchscreen candybar configuration. Because of this, the SSH client has to be able to either 'shadow' the keyboard, allowing you to look through it, or permit you to hide the keyboard and read scrollback easily. As far as what's superior? None of them are really any better than the others. What works for you will matter more. Most modern smartphones are roughly the same, just with a different level of hype or features people want.* - jb * although, I'll be damned if I could find a GSM/LTE, CDMA and wifi capable Android phone with a physical keyboard that didn't utterly suck. I settled on an iPhone 4s, with a decent SSH client.
