Socketpipe directly connects the input/output of a
remote process with local programs over a TCP/IP
socket. Although the initial communication setup
is performed through client-server intermediaries
such as SSH or RSH, the communication channel that
socketpipe establishes is a direct socket
connection between the local and the remote
processes, similar to a local pipe. The use of
socketpipe removes the inefficiency of multiple
data copies and context switches
through RSH/SSH, and can in many cases offer
dramatic throughput improvements.