Generate and use SSH keys with Sitehost
On this page:
- Overview
- Generate SSH keys on Linux/Mac
- Generate SSH keys on Windows
- Add a public key to Sitehost
- Connect to Sitehost using SSH keys in various applications
Overview
To use SSH keys on Sitehost, follow the instructions for your operating system.
Note:
You should not manually edit your
authorized_keys
file in the .ssh
directory in your account. Any manual changes made to this file will be purged.
Generate SSH keys on Linux/Mac
- Generate a public/private key pair:
- Log into the computer you will use to access Sitehost, and then use the command line to generate a key pair. To generate RSA keys, on the command line, enter:
ssh-keygen -t rsa
- You will be prompted to supply a filename (for saving the key pair) and a passphrase (for protecting your private key):
- Filename: To accept the default filename and location for your key pair, press
Enter
orReturn
without entering a filename. Alternatively, you can enter a filename (for example,my_ssh_key
) at the prompt, and then pressEnter
orReturn
. - Passphrase: Enter a passphrase that contains at least five characters, and then press
Enter
orReturn
. If you pressEnter
orReturn
without entering a passphrase, your private key will be generated without password protection.
- Filename: To accept the default filename and location for your key pair, press
- Log into the computer you will use to access Sitehost, and then use the command line to generate a key pair. To generate RSA keys, on the command line, enter:
- Once the key pair has been generated, navigate to the location where you saved the public key.
- Copy the contents of your public key (this is the file with the
.pub
extension). - Once you copy the contents of your public key, see Add a public key to Sitehost below.
Generate SSH keys on Windows
- Install PuTTY. The PuTTY command-line SSH client, the PuTTYgen key generation utility, the Pageant SSH authentication agent, and the PuTTY SCP and SFTP utilities are packaged together in a Windows installer available under The MIT License for free download from the PuTTY development team.
- Launch .
- In the "PuTTY Key Generator" window, under "Parameters":
- For "Type of key to generate", select . (In older versions of PuTTYgen, select .)
- For "Number of bits in a generated key", leave the default value (
2048
).
- Under "Actions", click
- When prompted, use your mouse (or trackpad) to move your cursor around the blank area under "Key"; this generates randomness that PuTTYgen uses to generate your key pair.
- When your key pair is generated, PuTTYgen displays the public key in the area under "Key". In the "Key passphrase" and "Confirm passphrase" text boxes, enter a passphrase to passphrase-protect your private key.
Note:If you don't passphrase-protect your private key, anyone with access to your computer will be able to SSH (without being prompted for a passphrase) to your account on any remote system that has the corresponding public key.
- Right-click in the "Public key for pasting into OpenSSH authorized_keys file" text box, choose , and then right-click in the text box again and select .
- Save your private key in a safe place. You'll use the passphrase any time you log into a Sitehost server using SSH keys, and you'll need to copy the public key to your profile on the WebTech website. To save your private key:
- Under "Actions", next to "Save the generated key", click Note:If you didn't passphrase-protect your private key, the utility will ask whether you're sure you want to save it without a passphrase. Clickto proceed or to go back and create a passphrase for your private key.
.
- Keep "Save as type" set to
putty_private_key
), select a location on your computer to store it, and then click .
, give the file a name (for example, - If you wish to connect to a remote desktop system such as Research Desktop (RED), click , give the file a name (for example,
putty_rsa
), select a location on your computer to store it, and then click .
- Under "Actions", next to "Save the generated key", click
Note:
If you no longer have the public key, or if it is later determined to be invalid, use the following steps to obtain a public key:
- Launch .
- Click .
- Navigate to your private key and click .
- In the PuTTYgen pop-up window, enter the passphrase.
- Right-click in the "Public key for pasting into OpenSSH authorized_keys file" text box, choose , and then right-click in the text box again and select .
- Select to close PuTTYgen.
Add a public key to Sitehost
- Go to Enterprise Web Technical Services.
- At the top right, click IU username and passphrase. , and, if prompted, log in with your
- At the top right, click your name. When you see the drop-down menu, click .
- Under "Manage SSH keys":
- In the "Note" field, enter a short description.
- In the "Public Key" field, paste the public key you copied in step 7 above.
- Click . If the public key is valid, it will be added to your profile. Within 30 minutes, the public key will be added to all Sitehost-test and Sitehost accounts that you own, or for which you are a proxy or developer.
Connect to Sitehost using SSH keys in various applications
This is document ayet in the Knowledge Base.
Last modified on 2023-07-17 14:53:29.