added article about mobility

Author: Bernard `Guyzmo` Pratz

content/config/on/Mobility:_dont_worry_and_take_the_keyboard.markdown

@@ -0,0 +1,150 @@
+---
+type: post
+categories: hack
+tags: [ linux, tinc, setup, laptop, workstation, ssh ]
+title: "How I achieve full mobility with simple linux tools"
+date: 2017-03-24T23:12:14+01:00
+summary: "Over the years, I've tried many ways to make it possible to switch between my
+laptop and my workstation in the most seamless way possible. After the break, I'll share
+my mobile epiphany…"
+lang: english
+logo: "/img/syncthing.jpeg"
+header_background: /img/laptop_coffee.png
+tweet: 845061462817198080
+---
+
+I spent most of my life doing *stuff* with computers. Originally, I was only working
+on static workstations, and as I grew up, I had my hands on a few crappy laptops. Then
+I've bought my first mac (about 12 years ago, and it was a powerbook) and stuck with 
+Apple.
+
+But I never abondonned using a workstation. Because it's where I can store a
+lot of data (because terabytes are cheap!), which I can connect to from anywhere in
+the world, on which I got my mechanical keyboard connected, got 22 USB inputs, have
+got some hifi speakers on etc.
+
+# The frustration
+
+Though, I always had that frustration when starting a work on a device, I have to keep
+on working on that same device, because I won't be able to start over where I left at
+on the other device.
+
+<center>
+![](/img/trollface_frustration.png)
+</center>
+
+The issue here, is that keeping my work in sync between two devices is tough, and does
+not work well, and I gave many shots at that. There are a few good cloud based tools
+out there that might do the job. But I prefer to stay frustrated than use a tool that
+I cannot trust and stores my data in places I don't know.
+
+So I tried many tools. I first used SVN to sync my home and my configuration, but ended
+up in a nightmare having my work SVN repositories mixed up with my home one… And years
+later when I upgraded to Git things did not go better on that side. So version control
+was not a good idea ☹
+
+I then tried using rsync, the unix utility that can do whatever you want when it comes
+to syncing your files. I tried unison on top of that, but it fell too easily out of sync,
+I had a few conflicts, or with other parameters it was just too slow… In the end it
+was always too painful.
+
+The following years, I tried bittorrent-sync (non-free, but not keeping your files)
+which lost me some files, a dual way configuration of lsyncd (which ended up in a weird
+file copy feedback loop), and even lurked at orifs, which is a great concept if only it
+worked!
+
+But file syncing is not the only thing, there's also network configuration. Wherever
+I am, I want to be able to have my workstation↔laptop connections stay up and working.
+And I've tried many different VPNs that were working so-so, but were a nightmare to
+configure and keep in shape.
+
+# The Solutions
+
+Then in the recent months, I switched back from Apple laptops to a linux-based lenovo
+laptop. Doing so, I tried again to work a solution to have real mobility between my
+devices. And finally, there was an epiphany 🙌
+
+## Private network
+
+I have discovered [`tinc`][tinc] as advised by a good friend, and found out that it's
+the first time I got a tunnel that can be setup in a couple of minutes, while being
+relatively safe.
+The great thing of tinc is that it's supporting the full IP stack, including UDP.
+
+To create a new network, you've got to create three files, generate a key and start
+the service:
+
+``` bash
+% mkdir /etc/tinc/myprivatenetwork
+% cat > /etc/tinc/myprivatenetwork/tinc.conf
+Name = MyWorkstation
+ConnectTo = MyLaptop
+
+% cat > /etc/tinc/myprivatenetwork/tinc-up
+#!/bin/sh
+
+ip link set $INTERFACE up
+ip addr add 192.168.254.10/32 dev $INTERFACE
+ip route add 192.168.254.0/24 dev $INTERFACE
+
+% cat > /etc/tinc/myprivatenetwork/tinc-down
+#!/bin/sh
+ip route del 192.168.42.0/24 dev $INTERFACE
+ip addr del 192.168.42.10/32 dev $INTERFACE
+ip link set $INTERFACE down        
+
+% tincd -n myprivatenetwork -K
+% sudo systemctl start tincd@myprivatenetwork
+```
+
+Then when you're adding new hosts to the network, you need to copy the public
+key of that host in `/etc/tinc/myprivatenetwork/hosts` of your other hosts. 
+
+And you're set!
+
+Then, everytime I restart or get my laptop out of sleep, I have my connections
+to my workstation back on, and I can keep working seamlessly. I can also switch
+from wifi to the network cable at home, without having to restart synergy or other
+local network apps!
+
+[tinc]:http://tinc-vpn.org
+
+## File syncing
+
+I have found greatness in a tool called [syncthing]. It's packaged on all the
+distributions, and has been designed to be the bittorrent-sync (and dropbox)
+killer. And I have to admit, not only it is FLOSS, but it definitely sets a new
+standard in syncing files. I've been using it for a few months, and I almost
+feel like I'm having the same drive shared on NFS on both computers — without
+the slow.
+
+Once installed, syncthing comes with a WebUI, though a GTK app also exists. You
+need to pair your computers together, sets up the volumes you want to share, and
+start sharing. From then on, you just forget about it, it'll do the job.
+
+As a side effect, I'm also having my work (as it is) being duplicated between two
+storing units (laptop and workstation), making it a great real time backup helping
+me to never loose any minute of my work even when if I break my laptop. If you add
+a duplicity backup of my work onto another storage drive, my work is pretty safe!
+
+[syncthing]:https://syncthing.net/
+
+## Working over slow connections
+
+I'm an heavy IRC user, and I still read my mail in the shell, on an SSH connection.
+But as I also have been taking the train a lot, I've started to use [mosh] to make
+it friendly to work on very slow connections.
+
+Though, because of it's heavy use of UDP ports (and it's coded in [Perl 🔥](https://youtu.be/yp_l5ntikaU?t=59)), I prefer
+to keep the session opened inside tinc!
+
+[mosh]:http://mosh.org
+
+# Finally…
+
+…I'm happy with my new setup, and even though I know I can do better (like syncing my mails
+between my laptop and my workstation, but that's for another article), it's doing a great
+job at optimising my productivity and keep my mind at rest in terms of backup.
+
+What are your solutions to keep your data in sync? And your network connections?
+