VKNET(1)

NAME
vknet - create a bridged network between two hosts over ssh(1)

SYNOPSIS
vknet [-C] [-b local-bridge] [-B remote-bridge] [-r delay[:retries]] local-spec [user@]host[:remote-spec]
vknet -S [-b local-bridge] local-spec

DESCRIPTION
The vknet utility connects the local machine's network to the remote machine's network over a SSH connection.

The local and remote specification typically supplies a path to a vknetd socket such as /var/run/vknet, but may also specify a tap(4) interface or the auto keyword to automatically allocate a tap(4) interface. remote-spec defaults to /var/run/vknet.

If a TAP interface is used on any given side it can be bridged on that side.

If a unix domain socket path is specified vknet connects to use via the SOCK_SEQPACKET socket type. vknetd(8) sockets cannot be bridged (but you don't want to anyway because vknetd is already typically connected to a potentially bridged TAP interface).

The following options are available:

-C  Request that ssh(1) compress the connection.

-b local-bridge
    Specify that the local specification, which must be a TAP interface or auto, be bridged to the specified bridge.

-B remote-bridge
    Specify that the remote specification, which must be a TAP interface or auto, be bridged to the specified bridge on the remote side.

-r delay[:retries]
    If the link cannot be established or is lost, delay the specified number of seconds and retry. If no retry limit is specified an unlimited number of retries will be made.

-S  This option is used by the vknet run on the remote side of the ssh(1) link to use stdin and stdout as its remote specification. This option is typically not specified manually.

REQUIREMENTS
You may have to load the if_tap and/or if_bridge modules, or run vknetd(8) to provide an interconnect to the local and remote machine's nework.

FILES
/dev/tap*
    TAP interface used to route packets from userland providers back into the real machine. If not otherwise specified an unused TAP interface will be selected.

/var/run/vknet
    Socket vknet typically connects to, established by vknetd(8).

EXAMPLES
    vknet -r 5 /var/run/vknet myhomesystem:/var/run/vknet

    vknet -r 5 -b bridge0 -B bridge0 auto myhomesystem:auto

SEE ALSO
ssh(1), bridge(4), tap(4), vke(4), vkernel(7), vknetd(8)

HISTORY
The vknet command was written by Matthew Dillon and first appeared in DragonFly 1.13 in May 2008.

BUGS
There are currently no known bugs.