Tweeting my External IP Address from Ubuntu Server

In my previous post I described the problems I encountered while trying to configure my Ubuntu Server to be able to send emails via a the command line (in my case it was actually via a script). The reason I wanted to do this was so that I could run the script on a scheduled basis to check my external IP address and notify me when it changed.
Why? Well my ISP has provided me with a dynamic IP address which changes on a periodic basis – not that I normally notice. Well if I want to be able to administrate my Ubuntu Server from outside my local network, i.e. over the Internet via SSH, then I need to know the outward facing IP address of my router.
I had already found a script to do this and tweaked it a little to run under a non-admin user but while it could detect the change I needed some mechanism for it to tell me. After a fruitless evening trying to set up email I gave up and decided to use the Twitter API instead.
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Remotely Connecting to Ubuntu Server

In a previous post I managed to get my Ubuntu Server test system connected to my home network and the Internet (at least from the inside looking out). If you read the post then you will know that because my house is almost 100% wireless I needed to move the system into the hallway to be next to the router in order to physically connect.

Now although I have a very nice hallway I don’t fancy sitting in it for hours with a keyboard on my lap. I also don’t really want to be running wires around the house and as I think that the system will end up in the garage I need to be able to connect remotely, from my Ubuntu or Windows systems. Read the rest of this entry »