- 1 year ago
How to increase SSH lifetime to 1 year?
The SSH lifetime, also known as the session timeout, is typically controlled by the SSH server's configuration. By default, SSH sessions have a timeout to ensure security and resource management. The timeout settings vary depending on the SSH server software you are using, such as OpenSSH or Dropbear. However, it's important to note that setting an extremely long session timeout can have security implications, so it's generally recommended to keep session timeouts reasonably short.
Here are general steps to increase the SSH session lifetime:
Locate the SSH server configuration file on the server. The file is typically named
sshd_config
and is located in the/etc/ssh/
directory.Open the
sshd_config
file using a text editor with administrative privileges.Look for a line that contains the
ClientAliveInterval
parameter. If it doesn't exist, add the following line:yamlClientAliveInterval 3600
This sets the interval in seconds between the server's checks to see if the client is still active. In this example, it's set to one hour (3600 seconds).
Look for a line that contains the
ClientAliveCountMax
parameter. If it doesn't exist, add the following line:ClientAliveCountMax 0
This parameter specifies the number of client alive messages that can be sent without any response from the client. Setting it to 0 means that the server will not disconnect the client due to inactivity.
Save the changes to the
sshd_config
file.Restart the SSH server to apply the changes. The command to restart the SSH server depends on your operating system:
- On most Linux distributions:
sudo service ssh restart
orsudo systemctl restart ssh
- On macOS:
sudo launchctl stop com.openssh.sshd && sudo launchctl start com.openssh.sshd
- On most Linux distributions:
After making these changes, SSH sessions will have a longer lifetime before being disconnected due to inactivity. However, keep in mind that setting an extremely long session timeout may not be recommended from a security perspective. It's important to balance convenience with security considerations.