How to keep ssh connection alive?

Question

Sometims I need to keep ssh connection alive for hour or even more.

Mysql big dumps or big TAR archives, for example, may require persistent connection for a long period of time. But Iam keep getting broken pipe error.

System is MacOs Lion.

How I can keep connection alive?

Answer 1

If you can do it, the best way is to install screen on the remote server, and run your long processes within screen. If your ssh session drops out for any reason (including timeout or simply a lost connection) the processes you are running will continue, and you can reconnect to them once you re-establish connection.

If this is not an option, then create

~/.ssh/config

and enter the line

ServerAliveInterval 240

Change 240 to a number of seconds appropriate to send a keep-alive to maintain a session.