Airconsole firmware 2.82 allows users to setup an SSH tunnel with port forwarding to an SSH server they control. This allows remote access to services on the Airconsole from the SSH server.


To configure this feature


1. Connect to the Airconsole web interface and navigate to Remote Access -> SSH Tunnel


2. Enter the hostname and port of your SSH server


3. Enter the authentication details

A.) Password / keyboard-interactive - choose Auth Method "Password" and enter your SSH username and password in the  boxes

B.) Via private key - choose Auth Method "Private Key" and enter your username into the username field. You will then need to paste in your RSA private key into the Private Key text area. Be sure to copy the entire file including the 

 -----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY----- and -----END RSA PRIVATE KEY----- lines.


4. Choose which ports / services you want to forward and which ports to use on the SSH server - see the screenshot below for an example. Note that the local port is the TCP port on the Airconsole (a list of these is available under Serial -> Advanced) and the remote port is the port that will be bound on your SSH server


5. Press save once complete and then check the Status page on the Airconsole to view the SSH Tunnel connection status



In the example above there is

- an SSH server on port 22 at 192.168.10.2

- with a user called "airconsole" that is allowed to login via password

- the RFC2217 serial port service is mapped to port 3696 on the SSH server - e.g. connect to this using "telnet localhost 3696" from the shell

- the Airconsole web interface is available on port 8080 on the SSH server - e.g. connect to this using "lynx http://localhost:8080/"


Troubleshooting:

"Connect failed, waiting for reconnect" - the Airconsole is unable to connect to the SSH server. Check that the SSH server is available and routable from the Airconsole. The easiest way to do this is from the Airconsole shell - try ping <ssh server hostname> with the most common errors being a DNS failure or a routing/connectivity issue


"Private key not supplied" when a key has been supplied - please upgrade to Airconsole 2.82 for RSA 4096 bit key support