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Smartphone Suggestions for Text SSH Use?
BinLadenMyHero asks: "The company I work for, administrating their Linux email server, wants to buy me a GSM device so I can access the server 24/7 in case of any trouble. I usually work with a text terminal session over SSH (mutt, vi, bash, screen, etc..). The Nokia 9500 looks the best for the job (640 pixels wide, and a qwerty keyboard), but is a bit large to carry everywhere. Sony Ericsson 910 is smaller, but that small screen size and keyboard can make it less useful. Treo and iPaq was also considered. Any advice on which device to buy?"
I have a ericsson P900 (basically same as P910 without thumb keyboard) and putty is a pita without the flipdown keyboard that is on the 910, although the text is legible (just). The main prob is that the on screen keyboard always overlaps the display.
All the flips on these P series phones are vulnerable (although now much better than P800 ones) The nokia looks to be the better bet as it is more robust and the display would be great, and you will be less likely to leave it somewhere accidentally (no one used to lose their motorola 8500 bricks did they?)
Humorous signatures are over-rated.
Not a phone per se.
Just slip the card into a laptop and you have a full connection. Yes, a laptop is required, but in an emergency, have the full capabilities of a laptop is better than a phone in my opinion.
I've been carrying the laptop in my trunk or backpack for the past year and it's worked great.
My employer is footing the bill, so it's nice to have free internet access wherever I go.
Yep, I never spell check.
More incorrect spellings can be found he
Do you really want to be callable 14/7?
At least I hope you get a pay rise!
NO Question - Blackberry
I use a TMobile 7230 - they are pretty inexpensive now. Combine with Idokorro Mobile SSH is extremely handy. Much more so than any of the TREO, Ipq etc I have used for remote admin. What sets the BlackBerry apart is the keyboard and special character handling. I have found it simply much easier to enter text into the BB. It really seems as though the Blackberry devices were designed as remote admin tools.
Prior to the BB I used an Ipaq 4550 (the one with a keyboard) with bluetooth and a seperate phone. This worked ok, and was convenient, but it seems that WinCe was designed solely for GUI use. There is no concept of an "escape" key, which limits terminal applications.
To be fail the Treo I used was the old BW model when they first came out with the keyboard. It was actually not too bad, but sill nothing compared to the BB. Compared to the newer Treo's the 7230 lacks the multimedia features, and linux syncronization. I cannot believe there is not more Linux software for this neat little machine, but I fully expect it to come eventually).
The killer features for me are the keyboard, durability (I have dropped in 3-4 feet onto concrete without damage - I dare you to try that with a $500 Treo), battery life (I go 2+ days with out charging. In short i have found this device to be great, I definately see how they earned the nickname crackberry.
-MS2k
While we're on the topic of portable SSH devices, what sort of experiences have people had with the different wireless providers out there? T-mobile, for instance, has an exclusive on the Sidekick II, but their coverage in the northeast is complete crap now. Any one have an opinion about data coverage from Verizon? Sprint? Cingular?
I can only recommend the Nokia 9300 - almost identical to the 9500 in spec, except without wi-fi and a camera. In exchange for these features it is far smaller and much more friendly to carry - it is not much bigger than the Nokia 6310, but a bit chunkier and heavier.
There is an excellent implementation of PuTTY for the phone, and I use it daily. As long as you feel that most connections will be over GRPS instead of needing wi-fi there is no reason to go for the excessive bulk of the Nokia 9500.
-- Pete.
Monochrome - Probably the UK's largest internet BBS
I'd go with a PocketPC Mobile phone and PUTTY, a PD SSH implmenenation.
We're in the same boat. My boss decided to get me and the other folks at my department Nokia 9500s so that we could come to rescue when it's needed, anytime, anywhere (almost). Well I agree that Nokia 9500 is a huge brick. But the boss already ordered the phones. Luckily the nice manager of sales department was in need of a new 9500 too, so I gave mine to him and he ordered a Nokia 9300 for me. What a sweet deal it was! It's basically the same thing as 9500. It runs the same OS minus the WiFi (have no need) and camera (have even less need! Besides the 9500 camera is utter crap anyway) bits. All software is compatible. But it's so much smaller and slimmer! About the size of a regular GSM phone from 4-5 years ago. You can happily carry that in shirt pocket (not a chance with 9500). Due to its compact size, the keyboard is slightly smaller than the one in 9500, but that's not a problem for me at least. The display is also a bit smaller, but the resolution is the same as in 9500. No problems reading mail with mutt etc. in Putty session. Highly recommended device. Especially if you find Nokia 9500 suitable if it only was smaller. Namely this thing is exactly that! Maybe missing WiFi is a show stopper for some people, but if you can handle that, then there's no excuse not to get a Nokia 9300 to handle this kind of job.
so you admin an email server. How big's the darn thing if it takes 1 person 100% + time to do this????
;-)
If they expect you respond 24/7 then you'll need 24/7 cover on the hardware too. You'll need the over time should the thing break and SLA's to work to.
Why is email in use 24x7 - you work for a global co??? what's the SLA's on the network, the internet connection....
accessing a server you'll need to get at the console too so you'll need a console server from Cyclades/Perle/....
The 'shiney gadget' you need is the least of the problems IMHO.
could always give you a compnay car - best when remote admin-ing a windows box anyway
IMHO a smartphone is a bad choice. At my work IT complains about the smartphones they have tried. I've had a smart phone, got rid of it, and went with this combo.
Try this instead,
- Sony Ericsson T637 - (bluetooth enabled cell)
- Palm (some sort with bluetooth) - Example - Tungsten Tseries
- PSSH - http://www.sealiesoftware.com/pssh/ (free open source ssh client)
Reason behind this:
1) You get the clarity of a real cell phone. Some smart phones have really bad static on the 'cell phone' side of them.
2) Easy to access when your on the phone with tech support for your servers (IBM, Sun, etc). You don't need to 'hold on.. i'll try that and call you back'.
3) Palm has software for your addresses / phone / internet / email.
Anyways... that's just a thought.
I purchased my Nokia 9500 before it was available in North America and love it. Yes, its a little bigger, but I can't stand the tiny phones anymore. As far as applications available, I use PUTTY (SSH), VNC. Its nice for Internet access, I connect it via USB to my laptop and can log into the net as if it were a modem. It has built in wireless so war-drivin is simple.
-------- Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most. --Ozzy
I have one, and it is *not* too large to carry round with you, unless you habitually work in a bikini. A full suite of sysadmin-level tools are available third party, and you're rocking.
The 9300 is smaller, true, but not that much smaller, and while losing the camera is no great shakes, the Wi-Fi is mandatory. Having the higher bandwidth available in a coffeeshop, or just around work or site, for that matter, is something you'd miss if you didn't have it.
These things aren't called communicators for nothing, and don't forget you get a PDA and Office-type apps, too.
I've been a loyal fan of the genre for years, and can't get on with anything that doesn't have a keyboard for fat fingers like mine. I don't do handwriting recognition, either.
It's the *only* choice, my friend, and lucky for you, it is a *damn* good one.
I use a T-Mobile sidekick, and it's saved my bacon.
My cable modem connection at home went down while I was working on the last few stages of what I needed to do remotely. I used the Sidekick's SSH (it's an option but only $10) to SSH to my server and I was able to do everything I needed, even use emacs. My boss was very impressed that I was able to finalize the project using my phone!
Having the flip display/keyboard is really the best design because it enables you to use a large keyboard and have a display big enough to use. I was quite comfortable using emacs on it. Compared to a Blackberry, the keyboard is bigger and the display is bigger, which enormously improves usability.
Web browser support is excellent except that JavaScript is not supported. On the Blackberry, it is, so you might be able to view more sites on the Blackberry. However, JavaScript support on the Blackberry is outstandingly slow so unless you need it bad, I think the Sidekick wins as a web browsing device with the larger screen and keyboard.
Web form support is excellent, especially compared to the somewhat messy implementation on a Palm.
All Smartphone cameras I've seen are miserable, which is a real pity because I would love to be able to use them for casual photography. Not even worth it for that; keep your regular digital camera or buy something like a Canon Digital Elph that easily fits in your pocket.
T-Mobile service is highly variable. Check out a T-Mobile phone in all areas where you are often and make sure it works OK.
Overall, I think the Sidekick wins with the Blackberry an honorable second place. I'd use the Blackberry if you had reception problems with the Sidekick.
For any serious applications, I think having the laptop card as well as a smartphone is an excellent idea. However, laptop batteries run down pretty fast and often it's too awkward to get the laptop out of its case and work on it. I've found that for taking random notes the smartphone is extremely useful for this reason.
Unfortunately, I've never seen the 9500/9300, so I can't compare them.
Hope this helps.
D
If you want small and don't mind a tiny (128x128) screen, Nokia 6800s and 6820s are very tiny. The 6820 is the smaller and newer of the two and has bluetooth and a mediocre 352x288 camera and I like the keyboard on the 6800 a lot more--the keys on it are a bit larger and are physically separated, unlike the 6820.
However, you'll probably want something with a much larger screen. 128x128 isn't good for much more than things like 'service apache restart.' But it's tiny. To use, say, vi, you really do need something more like a Palm-ish smart phone.
Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
You may be aware that out there in the PC world you can buy special keyboards of all sorts. There is a type that uses "chording", so that you have to press two or three keys at the same time to generate a character. It is my understanding that after you get used to it, chording is a reasonably efficient input method (but have no personal experience to back up the claim). The main advantage, though, is that the keyboard is quite small (has many fewer keys than a standard keyboard). It seems to me that with the limited space available on a phone, implementing chording would be a natural. So, if any manufacturer out there has done it, then for you to find it and get it would be a possible recommendation.
... and the moment I got home from my last holiday I bought a datacard for my laptop.
Typing into a terminal on a 12 key keypad for extended periods makes one's fingers & wrists ache.
I did try a bluetooth keyboard but found it unreliable : annoying when you still look at the kb to type and find nothing came out.
35 quid for the datacard, 20 quid for an inverter for the car and 100 quid for a p3 500 laptop works out cheaper than a new phone. I already have a contract SIM so no extra expense there.
There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
Of course you have already asked how much extra they will compensate you for being connected 24/7?
You have haven't you?
I am Slashdot. Are you Slashdot as well?
I have a Treo650, and previously i had a Treo180. I have used both for ssh.
... If you want, there is even a portable keyboard for the treo 650.
The keyboard and screen is clearly not as good as a real computer, but i can manage. Even to type pipe, esc,
Otterbox made something that can protect your device, i use that when i ride my horse.
I go 3-5 days on my treo650, depending on how much i call. But one thing that REALLY bugs me, is that i can not use SSH while i am talking to a client. This is really annoying. Activating SSH drops the call. This is bad, so have this in mind. I dont know if other phones does this. Maybe other SSH applications does not have this problem.
If you can carry a small bag, get a real small laptop with a 8" or 10" display. Maybe a widescreen, because then it is not so big on one side, and may more easily fit a pocket in a jacket.
I wanted bluetooth, so getting the Nokia 9x00 was not an option. I also have a stereo headset which makes it much easier to hear people in noisy places.
If you want quick access without using ssh, just run your company's email server off the Nokia 9500. It looks big enough!
For SSH implementation though, there is an open-source and cross-platform application called MIDPSSH at http://xk72.com/midpssh/ which works on any MIDP 1.x or 2.x (J2ME) compatible phone (there are dozens!)
You do not need to pay for ikodorro mobileSSH for the blackberry, but if you will need to use it every day for long periods of time, i reccomend the commercial solution.
Why a blackberry:
a) Reliable. The device is rock solid, in software and hardware. The hardware will take a beating (dropped, wet, ran over by a vehicle, etc) and keeps on ticking. If you have a problem, you can usually acquire a replacement in 24-48 hours..
b) Ease of use -- the querty keyboard on the Blackberry is the best i have ever used so far. I've tried the others and still nothing compares. The interface is also very well thought out and once you get used to the trackwheel, you'll love it.
c) Data consumption: the blackberry consumes far less data than other devices on the market, due to the proprietary system used to send messages over the network. This translates into much lower bill costs, provided you are being told to, or you pay your own bills.
It depends on where it will be used.
BinLadenMyHero, can we assume in some dusty cave on the Afghanistan and Pakistan border???
Even my Nokia 6620 is able to SSH into my FreeBSD box (though I never got VNC looking right), so I would say choose one that has the following features:
1) feels comfortable - most important
2) allows upload of programs to phone without purchasing from the specific vendor -- this is more a carrier issue than anything else. For example, with Cingular you can upload programs via Bluetooth whereas with Verizon they disable anything that doesn't go through their own personal approval process.
3) If it doesn't have a keyboard, make sure it has a version of T9 that will remember what you previously spelled out -- ie: trainable. My phones usually allow this, but one of my friends never learns.
4) If you are going to consider VNC also, go with high resolution and color
Hope those tips help. Based on my experience with the Nokia 6620, I would say a Nokia on Cingular might be your best bet. I personally would also ensure that the phone is Java-based instead of Brew -- but that is more a personal choice.
http://www.google.com/profiles/malachid
I have a Nokia 9500 that I love and use all the time. It comes in very handy to be able to manage our servers wherever I am.
Unfortunately, for SSH, the keyboard does not have a | "pipe" key so it makes it very hard to issue certain sequences of commands. Anybody know a workaround?
I also love the landscape screen and high resolution.
My previous boss got me a Treo 650 and I loved it. The only fault I could find with it was sometimes Sprint's service was slow and the keyboard was almost too small. But I had a good freeware SSH client for it and used it for emergency server repair on more than one occasion.
My current boss bought me a Blackberry 7520. At first I didn't like it as much because the treo's screen is a bit better/brighter and the Treo could do more because it was Palm OS based. However, after carrying the blackberry for a month now, I've got to say that I do like it better. The SSH client I've got for it is as good or better and the service is almost always better than the Treo's. (Faster, more coverage and more stable) The keyboard is much easier to use. In fact the only 2 things I miss from my Treo are the camera and Verichat. (But I don't chat as much as I used to so that's really no great loss)
So if you've got to pick between the two...go Blackberry.
=C=
If you wanted me to agree with you, you shouldn't have given me Mod points.
I wanted to be able to go online anytime 24/7 from anywhere using a small device. In the US, the CDMA providers (Verizon, Sprint) won't sell you a device that can do 802.11[b|g] like the Nokia 9500. I go places where there's no GSM, and I wanted to use wifi where it is available, so no cell provider had a solution for me.
I already have a Verizon CDMA phone that does 1x data (LG 4500) over USB to my Linux laptop - I just wanted something smaller. So I got a Sharp Zaurus 3000. This is a Linux PDA sold only in Japan. It is a flip-open device with a 4G HDD. After much jacking around, this device does what I want. It supports CF expansion cards so I can do wifi and wired ethernet. It has a USB port so I can connect to the Verizon 1x data network. I just took a 4 day vacation and carried only this device, a wifi card, and my cell phone. I ran SSH, used a web browser, read email, etc.
Obviously, buying a $625 device from Japan isn't for everyone, but it worked for me, for now.
I've been using this phone since February and it's the best gadget I've bought in a long time. Not to mention absolutely essential for me, a sysadmin team (of one person) providing 24x7 support for our Linux servers.
Previously I had a Palm T3 and a bluetooth phone: too bulky to carry everywhere, no keyboard, too small screen and no multitasking. This last point's the killer when you're logged into an SSH session and have just SSH'ed to somewhere else and need to refer to a web page or whatever for a moment but switching away from ssh would close the connections.
What's so good about the 9300?
Basically it's the dog's danglies for mobile system administration. And quite a bit smaller than the Nokia 9500 - who needs Wi-Fi and a camera anyway.
It has a few small problems: no vibrate, a bit slow, can't copy and paste in PuTTY, not so many third-party apps as Palm or Series 60 ..... but that's about it.
a Siemens sx66 (built in WiFi and Bluetooth) it is a little big, and runs pocket pc 2003. But Pocket Putty works great and with pocket pc 2003 I can switch the screen from portrait to landscape which makes putty a little more readable. And there are hundreds of apps out there to admin anything, including some tn3270 emulators!
SonicAdmin (bit pricey) rocks for Microsoft based networks, I can now admin my network from just about any place via GRPS, WiFi, Bluetooth. And with my bluetooth wireless headset and Microsoft Voice Command my phone stays in my pocket out of sight out of mind.
Sig
You might try out the hiptop, or as tmobile calls them the sidekick. Its a nice little phone with qwerty and an ssh client. Gets the job done for me. Check out the manufacturers website.
I got a Nokia 6820 first, and really, it's a neat phone, but the screen is too small to be useful. Then I got a Treo 600 and I've been using that since. I can't say I really care for it much, but the screen is big and PSSH is free and does what I need.
My problem with the Treo is emissions. If I have it near my PC and receive a call, I can always tell before it rings because my 19" monitor ripples and then my external DVD burner power cycles and Windows tells me I removed a device improperly. Makes me wonder what it might be doing to my body when it's in my pocket.
I'm probably just going to give up on smart devices eventually. I'll get a phone, and I'll get one of those Nokia Linux devices with wifi & bluetooth.
Gabriel Ricard
The benefit of the Treo IMO is its commonality as a platform; there are multiple options for Palm SSH clients. I currently use TuSSH, which is SSH2 compliant, supports identity files, and special characters, and has display modes up to 40x12.
Terrorists can attack freedom, but only Congress can destroy it.
I use it so much with a BT enabled phone (GPRS/3G). Remote Desktop is standard installed; connect to your desktop and have _all_ software at hand, always. SSH client also available for direct access without remote desktopping.
9300:
:-|
Dimensions: 5.2 inches x 2.01 inches x 0.83 inch
Weight: 5.89 oz
9500:
Dimensions: 5.83 inches x 2.24 inches x 0.94 inch
Weight: 7.84 oz
Yeah, the 9500 is XBOX huge compared to the tiny 9300.
I have worked full time and as a consultant for large and small companies, and if the company is big enough to hire a full time IT person, they will expect some systems to be up 100%.
My last company was a sales based organization (including the pointy haird CEO) and any downtime for them was unacceptable. We had a year of 99.9% average uptime (8.5 hrs down per year per server) while migrating servers from Windows 2000 to Windows 2003. That includes all security patches and even switching WAN circuit providers. Hell, we even moved branch offices and their servers to new locations and still got numbers that high. This was done without one bit of redundancy, because we had no budget for it.
Hindsight being what it is, I am no longer employed there, because they simply do not care about IT or how hard we worked or SLAs or anything related. When we showed them our timesheets (averaged between 55-60 hrs/week for the year across the department) they thought we were spinning our wheels. The company doubled in size during that year and the IT staff stayed constant.
Sorry, just had to vent there.
Ummm, Jon, aren't you supposed to be dead...? - Otter(3800)
I use a Treo 650 with the free "pssh". Works great. Has a 320px wide screen and fits comfortably in a front pocket.
I always carry my Handtops from www.oqo.com around with my cell phone. I connect the OQO to the phone via Bluetooth and go on-line via Cingular EDGE connection. The EDGE plan also includes Wi-Fi access. OQO does have 802.11b built-in.
OQO at 14oz is small enough to fit in my back pocket (or jacket pocket). I can run fully functional Linux or XP on it. When dimming the screen, it lasts for over 3 hours.
Using OQO with the Treo 650, it will be perfect. if the OQO ran out battery, you can still use the Treo to go on-line.
Note that, most people forgot to mention that using EDGE or CDMA data connection reduce the cell phone battery dramatically. This is also true for Blackberry. Try using data connection for hours and you will find out.
IMHO Motorola's Linux-based smartphones are the best for that task...
Mind Booster Noori
midpSSH (java app) macros do the job for me along with a number of shell scripts on the server for routine stuff. Command entry via the phone keys for other stuff is not exactly flexible but the combination is a good compromise. The K700i email client is poor so I use ReqWireless' java Email viewer 3.5, for managing an imap account with multiple folders, it's pretty good overall but of course the text entry is not exactly user friendly :-) (is about 20 dollars I think)
On the whole, if you just want to keep in touch (servers and email) on the move the above combination works ok.
We had a year of 99.9% average uptime (8.5 hrs down per year per server) while migrating servers from Windows 2000 to Windows 2003... Hell, we even moved branch offices and their servers to new locations and still got numbers that high. This was done without one bit of redundancy"
How? Did you use the world's longest patch and power cables?
Once it comes out where you are, I guess the best option would be the T-Mobile MDA Pro (currently just available in Germany):
...), but is expensive and a bit large.
http://www.infosyncworld.com/reviews/n/6142.html
It has about everything you would ever want (640x480 screen, large thumb keyboard, ssh, vnc, UMTS,
If you can't afford or can't justify a fancy smartphone you can do ssh from any phone with a WAP browser using Anyterm (http://anyterm.org/). It is rather painful to use but could help in a dire emergency; I had to use it when my domain registration expired while I was on holiday!
I suggest this (it's what my brother does):
Get a PocketPC with a phone (Toshiba has some nice ones). Then get the PocketPC version of PuTTY. Then buy one of the folding keyboards. It works perfectly. Technically, I guess you could use SSH, too, but I've found PuTTY to be easier to use. It's a great "happy medium". The full qwerty keyboard (including ESC key), but you don't have to carry around a clunky laptop, and it does everything you could need. Stick the keyboard in one pocket, the PDA in the other, and you're ready to go. Another advantage of doing this, is that the PDA will most likely come with Bluetooth and integrated Wi-Fi.
All your reading ability are belong to me.
Bennie, Let me put my 2cents in by saying I have the exact same scenerio that you have, and how I accomplish this task. As for the decision on to use it, well, thats up to you. I have a Treo 650 from Cingular that I just purchased about a month ago, for $250, now they go for $200. I also purchased the unlimited GPRS (140kps) internet option for an additional $40 bux which my company kindly picks up the tab for. While on a trip to the western desert regions of Colorado, in the middle of the desert, my company had an emergency that required my immediate assistance with. I whipped out my treo and typed for about 2 hours to get the problem fixed. The keyboard was not great to type alot on but it got the job done. I also keep tabs on my network performance using it. Its great. btw, when i returned off vacation i bought a wireless foldable palm keyboard $70 which is also worth its money and helps with the typing cramp! For a small company such as ours where we have just 1 techie on staff like ourselves, this will definately do the trick.