ssh, Gentoo, Ubuntu, and remote managment

[Dralnu]

Alright, so I've got a system in the other room my parents run that uses Ubuntu. I've never messed with ssh before, but I want to be able to log into their comp, do whatever I think needs to be done, and log back out (letting me script out alot of it hopefully on my Gentoo box).

Currently the whole setup is running through a Netgear Web Safe router, but I don't think it will be a problem, so I just need a good howto dealing with ssh, Gentoo, and Ubuntu, hopefully...
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[Zepp]

ssh is pretty easy to setup regardless of distro so any guide should do for both. It is also very easy to secure and doesn't require to much configuration to be done. The Gentoo Security Handbook has a section on configuring the sshd under the services section http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/security/security-handbook.xml?part=1&chap=10#doc_chap11

disable password logins and enable private/public keypair authentication like it says. Also disabling root logins and changing the ports are nice touches. Shouldn't need to change anything that isn't mentioned in the handbook already. If you know your only going to be logging in from certain locations you can make it so only certain hosts can connect, but I prefer to give myself the freedom of logging in from anywhere provided i have the key.

[desultory]

In addition to the handbook section linked to by Zepp, there is information available in the Gentoo Wiki and there is a sample configuration for Gentoo infrastructure servers which might be of interest. You might also want to consult "SSHHowto" on help.ubuntu.com which covers some basic information about using SSH.