[lucb1e]

Connecting two computers.

IP addresses (normal, unicast ones) like 1.2.3.4 and a9c::890 are meant to reach a computer somewhere on the Internet, through any number of routers. Routers are meant to forward IP packets until they reach their goal.

Try it with your neighbor's computer, it's not going to work. Did he enable DMZ or port forwarding? Alright, that works when your neighbor is home. Now try it when your neighbor is at work. His IP address changed, so there goes the reachability. This seems like "duh, obviously," and you're right. But I just want to perform the fundamental action of connecting two computers.

I personally used Tor to solve this problem: run a hidden service on one, connect to the .onion address on the other (you can configure ssh to work with .onion addresses).

This public key system would solve the problem in a much better way, without going through Tor. Not that Tor is bad, it's just not meant for this. Connecting the two machines directly without thinking about the intermediary network is what I wanted.

[alistproducer2]

im still wondering how a intermediary dns-like server is not needed to perform the public key to ip address translation?