🛠️ Scenario

You are traveling with your FreeBSD laptop and suddenly want to access your home NetBSD server where you host your music collection. Here’s how to securely and efficiently set up remote access between these two BSD systems.

✅ Solution: SSH + Remote Filesystem Mount (SSHFS)

1. Configure the NetBSD Server (At Home)

1. Ensure SSH is enabled:

   sshd=YES

   Add this to /etc/rc.conf, then start the service:

   /etc/rc.d/sshd start

2. Configure your firewall: Ensure that port 22/TCP is open for incoming connections.
3. Set up Dynamic DNS (optional): If you don’t have a static IP, use a service like DuckDNS or No-IP to create a dynamic DNS hostname.
4. Set up SSH key authentication:

   ssh-keygen -t ed25519

   Then copy your public key to the NetBSD server:

   ssh-copy-id user@netbsd-server

2. On Your FreeBSD Laptop (While Traveling)

1. Connect via SSH:

   ssh user@your_public_ip_or_dns

   ✅ Now you have terminal access to your NetBSD server.
2. Install SSHFS:

   pkg install sshfs

3. Create a mount point:

   mkdir ~/netbsd-music

4. Mount the remote directory:

   sshfs user@your_public_ip_or_dns:/path/to/music ~/netbsd-music

   ✅ Your NetBSD music collection is now accessible locally on your FreeBSD laptop.

3. When Finished

Unmount the remote directory with:

fusermount -u ~/netbsd-music

🔐 Security Tips

• Use SSH key authentication only — disable PasswordAuthentication in /etc/ssh/sshd_config.
• Consider using a non-standard port (e.g., 2222) for added security.
• Enable rate limiting or tools like fail2ban to prevent brute-force attacks.

🚀 Summary

✅ NetBSD: Enable SSH, configure firewall, optionally set up DDNS.

✅ FreeBSD: Connect via SSH, mount remote directory with SSHFS.

✅ Result: Stream and play your music collection as if it were stored locally.

“SSH is the Unix VPN.” — A secure tunnel, no complications.