Overview

The SshTunneler class provides an easy to use programming interface for creating a local TCP/IP server whose connections are securely tunneled thru an SSH server connection. This class is vary similar in functionality to the IpClientSsh class, the difference being thtat the SshTunneler class creates a local server for forwarding data whereas the IpClientSsh class does not.

To demonstrate, consider the POP (Post Office Protocol) service which allows you to retrieve email from your account mailbox. To retrieve your email you must submit a username and password. This username and password is usually sent to the POP service in clear text making it susceptible to snooping on the network. While this may not be a concern on your own corporate intranet it becomes an immediate concern when accessing your account remotely via the public Internet.

To address this issue you can create a secure SSH tunnel that encrypts data while travelling over the Internet. An SSH tunnel is a special type of SSH connection where all data sent by the client is securely routed to a specified destination hostname/port and any data received from that hostname/port is securely sent back thru the SSH tunnel to the client.

This section is divided into the following topics.

Setting up an SSH tunnel