How can I stop a terminal connection from timing out

Question

At work I have two machines: Windows XP and Ubuntu 11.04.

On my XP machine I use Putty to connect to some servers and can leave those windows open for weekends without them timing out.

However, when I connect tot the same serves from my Ubuntu box with Terminal, my connection times out before I even return from lunch or a meeting.

Is this by design or is there a setting i am missing?

Answer 1

I used to have the same issue with two Ubuntu boxes. There are settings in /etc/ssh/ssh_config that you can play with if you have root access, otherwise in your home folder .ssh/config try adding:
Host *
ServerAliveInterval 500
Otherwise there is a tool called "autossh" which will automatically reconnect on disconnect. You'll need to exchange keys if you want it to be fully automatic - and your session could get screwed up if you aren't using something like byobu or screen.