# Help: using ssh tunnel to configure a remote airport network



## fergus_n (Mar 30, 2005)

Here is the situation and my question:

I have ssh and vnc access to my mothers iMac computer in another state.  She recently purchased an airport extreme card along with an airport express.  I thought that Id be able to just VNC into her box as usual to run the AX setup utility to configure her network so that she could then just plug the DSL modem into the AX and get connected.  

My plan would have been fine if her computer was running OS X 10.3.  She is currently only up to 10.2 and the Airport Admin utility will not run on that version. (I havent had her update her OS yet because Tiger will be coming out soon).

So I was wondering.  Since I use tunnel my VNC connection using SSH could I do something similar with the airport admin utility?  Is there a port, or series of ports, I can forward form my computer upon which the airport admin utility will run?

Any help would be appreciated.


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## scruffy (Mar 31, 2005)

Just so I understand - does the airport admin utility connect to ports on the airport base station to configure it?

You might be able to do it fairly generically if the admin utility can handle a socks proxy.  There's an option to ssh, which I'm too lazy to look up, that runs a socks v 5 proxy locally, and passess all connections through that proxy via the ssh tunnel.

Failing that, perhaps try running the admin utility locally, with tcpdump running, and see what ports it tries to connect to...


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## fergus_n (Mar 31, 2005)

Well utility connects to the AX somehow over the network and Im assuming that ports are involved but I dont know if its using TCP or UPD.

Ill do a little more research. Perhaps there is a technical document on the apple web site that provides the needed details.

I may try the tcpdump just to see whats there when the utility is running. If I find anything useful Ill post it.

Thanks.


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## demoniak (Feb 1, 2011)

"Well known TCP and UDP ports used by Apple software products"
http://support.apple.com/kb/ts1629


Airport uses Bonjour for discovery, but if you know the IP-address of the Airport you are trying to reach on the remote network you only have to forward a single TCP port, 5009.


```
ssh -L 5009:[I]ip of airport[/I]:5009 [I]ssh-host[/I]
```

Then is AirPort Utility, from the File-menu select to open other manually and enter the local IP-address 
	
	



```
127.0.0.1
```


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## g/re/p (Feb 1, 2011)

Do you realize your reply is to a post that is almost  6 years old?


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## wpns (Oct 22, 2014)

Thank you Demoniak!  Saved my bacon today!

[And yeah, it's almost 10 years old now, but still relevant and still the right answer]


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