Configuring a VanDyke Software VShell® Server to Recognize Your Public-Key File
Using SecureCRT-Generated Public Keys with VShell for Windows
In order to use your public key, you must transfer the Identity.pub (or whatever name you chose) file created by the Key Generation wizard to the individual user's folder under the Publickey folder on the VShell server A computer program that provides services to other computer programs (called clients). Often the computer on which a server program runs is also called a server. The term host is often used as a synonym for server. . For example:
C:\Program files\VShell\Publickey\%User%\Identity.pub
If you are using VShell version 2.1 or newer, you can use the SecureCRT public-key assistant to upload your public key for you without knowing the exact location of the server's public-key folder.
If you are not using VShell version 2.1 or newer, it is recommended that you follow the procedure below for using copy-and-paste operations to create a copy of the Identity.pub file in the Publickey folder on the remote machine. If you decide instead to transfer the Identity.pub using an FTP
client A computer or application that uses services provided by a server.
, be sure to transfer the file in ASCII mode.
To use copy-and-paste operations to configure the VShell server to recognize your Identity.pub file:
1. Log on to the remote VShell server using SSH2 The second version of the SSH protocol which provides a way to encrypt network traffic between a client and a server, with a slightly different set of security features than the SSH1 protocol provides. and password authentication The process of verifying that an individual truly is who he or she claims to be. Supplying a password is a very common method of authentication. The most secure method of authentication supported in SecureCRT is public-key authentication. See also: identity file, public-private key pair. .
2. On the local machine, use Notepad.exe to open the Identity.pub file that was created with the SecureCRT Key Generation wizard.
3. With the Identity.pub file open in Notepad, open the Edit menu and choose Select All. Once everything is selected, open the Edit menu again and select Copy.
4. On the remote machine, complete the following steps:
a. Change to the individual user's folder under the Publickey folder. For example:
\Program files\VShell\Publickey\%User%
b. Type copy con identity.pub on the command line and press the ENTER key.
c. Click on the SecureCRT Paste button to paste the contents of the Clipboard (which should now contain the contents of your Identity.pub file).
d. Press CTRL+Z ENTER to close the Identity.pub file. Once you have typed CTRL+Z ENTER, the Identity.pub file will have been created in the folder on the remote VShell server.
Using SecureCRT-Generated Public Keys with VShell for UNIX
In order to use your public key, you must transfer the Identity.pub (or whatever name you chose) file created by the Key Generation wizard to the individual user's .vshell/publickey directory. For example:
/home/someuser/.vshell/publickey/Identity.pub
or
~someuser/.vshell/publickey/Identity.pub
You can use the SecureCRT public-key assistant to upload your public key for you without having to copy the identity file by-hand. If you are not able to use the public-key assistant, it is recommended that you follow the procedure below for using copy-and-paste operations to create a copy of the Identity.pub file in the Publickey folder on the remote machine. If you decide instead to transfer the Identity.pub using an FTP or SFTP client, be sure to transfer the file in ASCII mode if applicable.
To use copy-and-paste operations to configure the VShell server to recognize your Identity.pub file:
1. Log on to the remote VShell server using SSH2 and password authentication.
2. On the local machine, use Notepad.exe to open the Identity.pub file that was created with the SecureCRT Key Generation wizard.
3. With the Identity.pub file open in Notepad, open the Edit menu and choose Select All. Once everything is selected, open the Edit menu again and select Copy.
4. On the remote machine, complete the following steps:
a. Issue a cd command to change the current working directory to the individual user's .vshell/publickey folder. For example:
cd ~someuser/.vshell/publickey
b. Type cat > ~someuser/.vshell/publickey/identity.pub on the command line and press the ENTER key.
c. Click on the SecureCRT Paste button to paste the contents of the Clipboard (which should now contain the contents of your Identity.pub file).
d. Press CTRL+D to close the Identity.pub file. Once you have typed CTRL+D, the Identity.pub file will have been created in the user's .vshell/publickey directory on the remote VShell server.