If you're constantly logging into a remote server using SSH and you're sick of typing your password every time, tech site Webmonkey details how to save time without sacrificing security. Using SSH-Agent, a utility that acts as a broker between your local machine and remote machine, you can log in without typing your password every time (but also securing your private key from attackers). Hit up Webmonkey to get the rundown on using SSH-Agent on Linux, Mac, and Windows. This one could have done well on yesterday's list of top 10 command line tools.

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If you like to have ready-to-go access to remote machines (or a home server, perhaps) from your Linux desktop, you might have noticed that you can't always get what you want. Many home and office routers kill "idle" connections after a certain length of time, forcing you to log in again. The FOSSwire blog points out a one-line addition to the end of the client's SSH configuration file (found at /etc/ssh/sshd_config in many systems) to fix this:

ServerAliveInterval 180

That should send a little ping out every three minutes to ensure the connection is kept alive. This tip should work on most any OpenSSH server that allows access to its sshd_config file, but, as FOSSwire points out, it means any connections you leave open are just that—open to any nefarious passer-by, so use session-closing caution when needed.

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Linux only: SSHMenu, a free taskbar application, makes Linux life a little easier for those who regularly make one or more SSH connections to remote machines on a regular basis. Once you've added the app's repository and installed, you place the SSH menu button anywhere you'd like on your taskbars, and then click it to pull up shortcuts to your frequently connected clients. The real benefit here is client-specific colouring—you can have your home server terminal pop up blue, for instance, and an important work server with a red background, and you can have the app remember preferred window sizes and positions. SSHMenu is a free download for Linux systems only; hit the link below for help on getting the program set up.

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Got more than one SSH connection you need to keep open in uber-helpful terminal app PuTTY? Want to keep multiple SSH windows open in one full-screen window? The free PuTTY Connection Manager app does that and more. The free download only requires you to point it toward your existing PuTTY installation, but once you launch it, you'll notice a slick new "Connection Manager" toolbar, have the ability to theme your windows, and make other helpful and slick-looking adjustments. PuTTY Connection Manager is a free download for Windows systems and works wherever PuTTY does. For more Windows terminal tweaking, try PuTTY Tray and PortaPutTTY.

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Windows only: Manage your PuTTY sessions from the tray with freeware stand-alone app PuTTY Tray. In addition to sending sessions to the tray, PuTTY Tray adds transparency, URL hyperlinking, always on top and automatic session reconnects. Though subtle, everyday users of PuTTY should find these enhancements very refreshing. PuTTY Tray carries the same look and feel as the original PuTTY with the aforementioned features spliced throughout the configuration pane. PuTTY Tray is a free download for Windows only.

It's great that your iPhone has a data plan and a killer mobile browser, but when you're sitting at the airport waiting to catch a plane with your laptop right next to you, wouldn't it be nice to use your full-on desktop browser? Out of the box your iPhone won't allow you to tether your EDGE data connection to another computer wirelessly, but with a little ingenuity on your part you'll be browsing the net on your laptop through your iPhone's data service in no time.

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If you've had trouble running your BitTorrent downloads around an overzealous firewall or ISP throttling, weblog TorrentSpy describes how to bypass any firewall or ISP throttle by running your BitTorrent traffic through SSH. You're likely to see a drop in download speed compared with a normal connection with this method, but if you're already missing out on your downloads altogether due to a firewall or throttling, it's better than nothing. Granted, some of these restrictions are in place for good reasons, but if you've felt the sting of BitTorrent throttling for no good reason, it's worth a go. Check out our primer on SSH and our big guide to BitTorrent if you want to bone up on either BitTorrent or SSH.