Gnome SSH Tunnel Manager is an SSH tunneling frontend software that allows easy management of SSH tunnels.
I recently tried out Gnome SSH Tunnel Manager (gSTM) and I have to say, it's a game changer. If you're like me and find the ssh commandline to be cumbersome and time-consuming, this software is definitely worth checking out. With gSTM, tunnel configurations are stored in a simple XML format, making it easy to manage and modify your connections.
One of the standout features of gSTM is its support for both local and remote port redirection. This is particularly useful for accessing services behind a *nix firewall/router. For example, if you have a Terminal Server (remote desktop) and a MySQL server on your private LAN and want to access them securely from outside, you can do so by opening an ssh connection with two port redirections. From there, you can connect to your localhost, which will be redirected over the encrypted tunnel, through the firewall/router, and to the remote host.
Managing your tunnels is simple and intuitive with gSTM's main dialog. From here, you can start and stop tunnels individually, add or delete a tunnel, and modify its preferences. One thing worth noting is that gSTM does require libxml2 to function properly.
Overall, I was really impressed with gSTM. In addition to its user-friendly interface and support for port redirection, it also includes some nice added features in the latest release. For example, the software now starts 'minimized to tray' when the notification area is available and there's one or more 'autostart' tunnels. They've also added a systray menu for easy access to your tunnels and a 'Copy' button for quickly cloning existing tunnel definitions.
Finally, I was pleased to see that the team behind gSTM has been actively addressing bugs and improving the software's functionality. All in all, I would highly recommend giving gSTM a try if you're looking for a more streamlined way to manage your ssh connections.
One of the standout features of gSTM is its support for both local and remote port redirection. This is particularly useful for accessing services behind a *nix firewall/router. For example, if you have a Terminal Server (remote desktop) and a MySQL server on your private LAN and want to access them securely from outside, you can do so by opening an ssh connection with two port redirections. From there, you can connect to your localhost, which will be redirected over the encrypted tunnel, through the firewall/router, and to the remote host.
Managing your tunnels is simple and intuitive with gSTM's main dialog. From here, you can start and stop tunnels individually, add or delete a tunnel, and modify its preferences. One thing worth noting is that gSTM does require libxml2 to function properly.
Overall, I was really impressed with gSTM. In addition to its user-friendly interface and support for port redirection, it also includes some nice added features in the latest release. For example, the software now starts 'minimized to tray' when the notification area is available and there's one or more 'autostart' tunnels. They've also added a systray menu for easy access to your tunnels and a 'Copy' button for quickly cloning existing tunnel definitions.
Finally, I was pleased to see that the team behind gSTM has been actively addressing bugs and improving the software's functionality. All in all, I would highly recommend giving gSTM a try if you're looking for a more streamlined way to manage your ssh connections.
What's New
Version 1.2: N/A