feat: Consider allowing to connect to a remote host via `--host <hostname>`

[kainctl]

As mentioned on Hackernews:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42749553

[welcome]

Thanks for opening your first issue here! 💖

[axelkar]

I'd like this feature because I'm using isd on a machine with high latency, which means that TUIs get annoying fast. Using a new SSH connection for every systemctl command is really slow and painful.

You may find these useful (note that I think you have to manage polkit auth yourself on the remote):

https://python-sdbus.readthedocs.io/en/latest/common_api.html#sdbus.sd_bus_open_system_remote
https://github.com/bernhardkaindl/python-sdbus-systemd/blob/main/examples/restart_unit_async.py

[kainctl]

Hey, I have a few follow up questions:

I'm using isd on a machine with high latency, which means that TUIs get annoying fast. Using a new SSH connection for every systemctl command is really slow and painful.

This is contradictory. Are you using isd on the remote server as a "local" application? If yes, then there is only one ssh connection that is re-used. You probably running ssh <slow-machine>; isd, correct? In that case, this has "nothing/little" to do with ssh.
And are you sure that it is annoying due to the high-latency or is the server itself maybe also rather slow or has many unit files? Is the initial load slow or interacting with the TUI generally?

You may find these useful (note that I think you have to manage polkit auth yourself on the remote):

Thank you for the pointer! But this project will not implement any D-Bus methods as the core "idea" of the project is to wrap around systemctl and avoid re-inventing the wheel. So essentially, I would be considering adding systemctl --host in that situation. However, I have played around with it on a local/non-public branch and I am not sure that I am happy with this implementation, you can see my comment here for more details: rgwood/systemctl-tui#45 (comment). Though I will be adding "some" remote solution to avoid having remote servers to install isd and because I can then apply some GUI trickery to make it seem less laggy.

It would also be really helpful if you could maybe show a screen-cast so that I can better "guess" what the underlying issue is.

[axelkar]

Using a new SSH connection for every systemctl command is really slow and painful.

By this I meant a potential implementation of this issue in isd.

Are you using isd on the remote server as a "local" application?

Yes, that's why I'd like this issue to be resolved.

So essentially, I would be considering adding systemctl --host in that situation.

Here I want you to only start one SSH connection and use multiplexing if possible!