bash script with permanent ssh connection

Question

I use a bash script which runs

/usr/bin/ssh -f -N -T -L8888:127.0.0.1:3306 [email protected]

However, when I run the bash script, it waits.. I see the connection coming up but the script doesn't exit.. it's like it's waiting for the SSH process to finish, because when I manually kill it the bash script finishes as well.

Any ideas how to resolve this?

UPDATE: I have croned this script.. and the cron process is the one that becomes a zombie.. the actual scripts runs just fine, sorry about that, with ps -auxf I get:

root       597  0.0  0.7   2372   912 ?        Ss   Jul12   0:00 cron
root      2595  0.0  0.8   2552  1064 ?        S    02:09   0:00  \_ CRON
1001      2597  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        Zs   02:09   0:00      \_ [sh] <defunct>
1001      2603  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        Z    02:09   0:00      \_ [cron] <defunct>

and when I kill the ssh the defuncts disappear.. why would they become defunct?

Solution

It seems you're trying to reimplement bits of autossh (apt-get install autossh).

Create a RSA key pair without a passphrase, install the public key on [email protected] and try:

autossh -f -N -L8888:127.0.0.1:3306 [email protected]

Comments

[Admin]

Why would your cron a ssh tunnel? Once it binds to the port, it will not be able to bind to it again.

[Admin]

I know, in the script I check if the tunnel is there already, if so do nothing.. if tunnel isn't there, bring it back up. This is to ensure the tunnel is always there..

[Warner]

-f forks it to the background.