This solution uses one pre-made ssh connection where the client is put
into "master" mode (-M) for connection sharing. The wrapper script then
uses the control socket created by this pre-made ssh connection for
-its own connection.
+its own connection. As long as master ssh connection is live, slave
+can use it. Disconnecting master all future attempts to connect
+from the script will fail.
-Write the following code to a file, for example `remote-notmuch.sh`.
-There is just one line to that normally needs configuration:
+At the end of this document there is information for some possible ways
+how master ssh connection can be done.
- readonly SSH_CONTROL_SOCK='~'/.ssh/master-user@host:22
+## The script
-the options howto are presented after the script.
+Write the following code to a file, for example `remote-notmuch.sh`.
-## The script
+ #!/bin/bash
- #!/bin/bash
+ # http://notmuchmail.org/remoteusage/aboriginal/
- # http://notmuchmail.org/remoteusage/aboriginal/
+ set -eu
+ # To trace execution, uncomment next line.
+ #BASH_XTRACEFD=6; exec 6>>remote-errors; echo -- >&6; set -x
- set -eu
+ readonly SSH_CONTROL_SOCK='~'/.ssh/master-user@host:22
- readonly SSH_CONTROL_SOCK='~'/.ssh/master-user@host:22
+ readonly notmuch=notmuch
- readonly notmuch=notmuch
+ printf -v ARGS '%q ' "$@" # bash feature
- printf -v ARGS '%q ' "$@" # bash feature
+ readonly SSH_CONTROL_ARGS='-oControlMaster=no -S '$SSH_CONTROL_SOCK
- readonly SSH_CONTROL_ARGS='-oControlMaster=no -S '$SSH_CONTROL_SOCK
+ if ssh -q $SSH_CONTROL_ARGS 0.1 $notmuch $ARGS
+ then exit 0
+ else ev=$?
+ fi
- if ssh $SSH_CONTROL_ARGS 0.1 $notmuch $ARGS 2>>/dev/null
- then exit 0
- else ev=$?
- fi
+ # continuing here in case ssh exited with nonzero value.
- # continuing here in case ssh exited with nonzero value.
+ case $* in
+ 'config get user.primary_email') echo 'nobody@nowhere.invalid'; exit 0 ;;
+ 'config get user.name') echo 'nobody'; exit 0 ;;
+ 'count'*'--batch'*) while read line; do echo 1; done; exit 0 ;;
+ 'count'*) echo 1; exit 0 ;;
+ 'search-tags'*) echo 'errors'; exit 0 ;;
+ 'search'*'--output=tags'*) echo 'errors'; exit 0 ;;
+ esac
- case $* in
- 'config get user.primary_email') echo 'nobody@nowhere.invalid'; exit 0 ;;
- 'config get user.name') echo 'nobody'; exit 0 ;;
- 'count'*) echo 1; exit 0 ;;
- 'search-tags'*) echo 'errors'; exit 0 ;;
- 'search'*'--output=tags'*) echo 'errors'; exit 0 ;;
- esac
+ if ssh $SSH_CONTROL_ARGS -O check 0.1
+ then
+ echo ' Control socket is alive but something failed during data transmission.'
+ exit $ev
+ fi
- if ssh $SSH_CONTROL_ARGS -O check 0.1
- then
- echo ' Control socket is alive but something failed during data transmission.'
- exit $ev
- fi
+ echo " See`sed '1d;2d;s/.//;q' "$0"` for help."
+ #EOF
- echo " See`sed '1d;2d;s/.//;q' "$0"` for help."
+Note the `0.1` in ssh command line. It is used to avoid any opportunistic
+behaviour ssh might do; for example if control socket is not alive ssh
+would attempt to do it's own ssh connection to remote ssh server. As
+address `0.1` is invalid this attempt will fail early.
## Test
Easiest way to test this script is to run the pre-made ssh connection
using the following command line:
- ssh -M -S '~'/.ssh/master-user@host:22 [user@]remotehost
+ ssh -M -S '~'/.ssh/master-user@host:22 [user@]remotehost sleep 600
(replace `[user@]remotehost` with your login info). Doing this the
-above script can be run unmodified. After the above command has been
-run on one terminal, enter `chmod +x remote-notmuch.sh` in another
-terminal and then test the script with `./remote-notmuch.sh help`
+above wrapper script can be run unmodified. After the above command has
+been run on **one terminal**, enter `chmod +x remote-notmuch.sh` in
+**another terminal** and then test the script with
+
+ ./remote-notmuch.sh help
-Note that the '~' is inside single quotes for a reason. In this
-case shell never expand it to `$HOME` -- ssh does it by not reading
-`$HOME` but checking the real user home directory from `/etc/passewd`.
-For security purposes this is just how it should be.
+Note that the '~' in the ssh command line above is inside single quotes
+for a reason. In this case shell never expand it to `$HOME` -- ssh does
+it by not reading `$HOME` but checking the real user home directory
+from `/etc/passwd`. For security purposes this is just how it should
+be.
-## Tunkkaa
+## Tune
The path `'~'/.ssh/master-user@host:22` might look too generic to be
used as is as the control socket after initial testing (but it can
See the section *Configure Emacs on the client computer* in
[[remoteusage|remoteusage]] how to do this. The instructions are the same.
-## Fun
-Original [BSD Licence](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BSD_licenses)
-is 4-clause license.
-When 3 rd. clause was removed, the new license was not original anymore.
-Similarly, the requirement for this version are the same as in
-[[remoteusage|remoteusage]] page except the 3 rd. requirement
-(password-free login) is not effective here.
+## Creating master connection
+
+As mentioned so many times, using this solution requires one pre-made
+ssh connection in "master" mode. The simplest way is to dedicate one
+terminal for the connection with shell access to the remote machine:
+
+ ssh -M -S '~'/.ssh/master-user@host:22 [user@]remotehost
+
+One possibility is to have this dedicated terminal in a way that the
+connection has (for example 1 hour) timeout:
+
+ ssh -M -S '~'/.ssh/master-user@host:22 [user@]remotehost sleep 3600
+
+The above holds the terminal. The next alternative puts the command in
+background:
+
+ ssh -f -M -S '~'/.ssh/master-user@host:22 [user@]remotehost sleep 3600
+
+If you don't want this to timeout so soon, use a longer sleep, like 99999999
+(8 9:s, 1157 days, a bit more than 3 years).
+
+A more "exotic" solution would be to make a shell script running on remote
+machine, checking/inotifying when new mail arrives. When mail arrives it
+could send message back to local host, where a graphical client (to be written)
+pops up on display providing info about received mail (and exiting this
+graphical client connection to remote host is terminated).
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+If you experience strange output when using from emacs first attempt to just
+run
+
+ ./remote-notmuch.sh help
+
+from command line and observe output. If it looks as it should be next uncomment
+the line
+
+ #BASH_XTRACEFD=6; exec 6>>remote-errors; echo -- >&6; set -x
+
+in `./remote-notmuch.sh` and attempt to use it from emacs again -- and then
+examine the contents of `remote-errors` in the working directory emacs was
+started.