Proof-of-concept: Java-based ssh-portforwarding

Hi.



Just for the record I?ve found that with the latest version of Apache Mina
it is now possible to do a pure-Java ssh-port-forwarding between two AS/400
machines, and I have successfully run rsync on a remote AS/400 securely
tunneled through ssh to an internal rsync server only given a single vacant
port exposed on the remote AS/400 to our internal AS/400, and a JVM on both
machines.



Client: Ganymed SSH-2 for Java. http://www.cleondris.ch/opensource/ssh2/

Server: Apache MINA sshd 0.4 . http://mina.apache.org/sshd/



Tinkering was required creating a client that connects using a openssh
id_rsa file imported from a Linux box, which requests a port forwarding and
just keeping a connection open (no shell), and a server that accepts the
above id_rsa credential and allows port forwarding.



Performance was acceptable, as the network was the bottleneck.



TODO?s: Apache MINA is not done yet, including the public-key
authorization, and no command line interface.



TODO?s specific for AS/400: MINA shell , sftp, scp extensions does not work
? probably some codepage stuff.



This is a great alternative if for some reason the customer do not have
OpenSsh installed, but it is still quite rough. I just wanted to share it,
in case others might find it interesting.



/Thorbjørn