SSH workflow

try it out quickly #

If you'd like to try out zmx and ssh without fiddling your ssh config, make sure to pass the -t option to ssh. Here's an example:

1ssh -t dev-box zmx attach default

Without -t, the remote shell will not know it's talking to a terminal, and the display will likely get messed up.

This option isn't needed if you follow the configuration steps below, because RequestTTY yes does the same thing.

configure it for regular use #

Using zmx with ssh is a first-class citizen. Instead of using ssh to remote into your system with a single terminal and n tmux panes, you open n terminals and run ssh for all of them. This might sound tedious, but there are tools to make this a delightful workflow.

First, create an ssh config entry for your remote dev server:

1Host = d.*
2    HostName 192.168.1.xxx
3
4    RemoteCommand zmx attach %k
5    RequestTTY yes
6    ControlPath ~/.ssh/cm-%r@%h:%p
7    ControlMaster auto
8    ControlPersist 10m

Architecturally, ssh supports multiplexing multiple channels of communication within a single connection to a server. ControlMaster is the setting that tells ssh to multiplex multiple PTY sessions to a single server over one tcp connection. Neat!

Now you can spawn as many terminal sessions as you'd like:

1ssh d.term
2ssh d.irc
3ssh d.pico
4ssh d.dotfiles

Because the attach command is essentially an "upsert", this will create or attach to each session.

Now you can use the autossh tool to make your ssh connections auto-reconnect. For example, if you have a laptop and close/open your lid it will automatically reconnect all your ssh connections:

1autossh -M 0 -q d.term

Or create an alias/abbr:

1abbr -a ash "autossh -M 0 -q"

1ash d.term
2ash d.irc
3ash d.pico
4ash d.dotfiles

Wow! Now you can setup all your os tiling windows how you like them for your project and have as many windows as you'd like, almost replicating exactly what tmux does but with native windows, tabs, splits, and scrollback! It also has the added benefit of supporting all the terminal features your emulator supports, no longer restricted by what tmux supports.

The end-game here would be to leverage your window manager's ability to automatically arrange your windows for each project with a single command.