LAMPdocs: Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP

System administrator should always be able to have access to his servers. If anything goes wrong it is always important to fix it as soon as possible. If you are near your PC, there are no problems, as you may use SSH clients, in almost every operating system. But what to do when you are far from PCs with Internet connection available?

If you have a Java MIDP2 enabled mobile phone (Almost all modern GSM mobile phones support it), you have a glue! There is an excellent solution for such emergency outages, and it is called MidpSSH. MidpSSH allows you to control any server on the web through a GPRS connection. It is not so fast, but you can enter any commands and manage your server in the way you like. There will be some delay between command execution and result appearance on your mobile phone, but your command will be executed as usual. It is great if you need to reboot some services or solve any other emergency situations. Of course, it is not so easy to type long commands using your mobile phone’s keys and you’ll need some time to get used. But sometimes this software really solves the situation and I would like to thank guys from xk72.com for this excellent midlet.

My mobile phone does not have a big display (It’s Sony Ericsson W810i) that’s why I cannot see the true output of some commands, but I should repeat that you should not use it as unique solution. This midlet makes me sure that I can always do something with any of my servers, when I am away from my workplace. So, If you really need a mobile solution (it’s completely free of charge), that’s what you need.

I’ve found a collection of Java midlets, that include not only ssh, but Telnet and VNC options too. Here it is: Java Midlets for sysadmin

I will post some screenshots for this software as soon as I get my camera back