File transfer over ssh

If you want to transfer some files to or from your remote linux box from a Windows computer, using putty is a bit cryptic and less than ideal for GUI lovers. Instead, try some scp client like winscp. This works similar to ftp clients, but uses the ssh remote access.

Nothing is necessary to configure, when the ssh server on the linux box is already running (see how to "install ssh server").

Install ssh server

Remote access is often very useful, and should be part of the first things to set up after a new installation. This is specially nice to still be able to modify graphic settings when nothing can be seen due to bad X11 config.

sudo apt-get install openssh-server is enough to do the job. The computer can then be accessed using a ssh client (putty is a classic one for Windows computers). However, the default port is 22, and is commonly scanned. This is a good idea to change this to something else, if you want to access your computer also from outside your local network.

The port change is done editing the sshd_config file:

sudo gedit /ect/ssh/sshd_config

The default value "Port 22" should be changed to another number, preferably something with 4 digits or more. Once done, save the file and reload the configuration for the ssh server with following command:

sudo reload ssh

Mint trial

After lots of playing around with my Ubuntu box, I eventually managed to get some strange effects I could not solve with my poor knowledge of the system. Since I've heard it is not difficult to reinstall the system and keep my settings, I decided to give it a try.

It's almost enough to keep one's home directory as backup, all settings for various applications are safe this way and do not need to be reconfigured after the reinstallation is done.

But since I got quite some problems at first with Unity, then could use it but was not pleased with it, I decided to try something different. Linux Mint seemed to be quite popular too. This is what I choose to replace my standard Ubuntu (using XFCE instead of Unity).

After two weeks of Mint, I am ready to remove it and go back to plain Ubuntu (well, still avoiding Unity, of course). The reason? even if the desktop looks nice, this is not much more than a front and not much behind other than an Ubuntu with less accessible configuration over the GUI.
Also, using this box also as a jukebox, it makes no sense when Banshee and Rhythmbox were both instable, and sometime the system seemed to have slow down to the point I had to reboot.

So, next install? next try with Linux? I'll try again Ubuntu, this time with XBMC, let see what happens :)