Linux / Unix: OpenSSH Multiplexer To Speed Up OpenSSH Connections

The OpenSSH Multiplexer is a feature of the OpenSSH client that allows multiple SSH connections to be multiplexed over a single network connection. This can reduce the overhead of creating and maintaining multiple connections, leading to faster and more efficient connections.

To enable the OpenSSH Multiplexer, you need to edit the OpenSSH client configuration file, typically located at ~/.ssh/config. Add the following lines to the file:

The ControlMaster line enables the OpenSSH Multiplexer and ControlPath sets the path to the socket file used to communicate between the client and the server.

Once the configuration file has been updated, any new connections established using the ssh command will use the OpenSSH Multiplexer. To disable the multiplexer for a specific connection, use the -o ControlMaster=no option with the ssh command.