Importing and Exporting Keys

Hummingbird key store files (.hks) are repositories for the keys you create or import. User keys are comprised of a public/private key pair and are stored in the my.hks file. Server keys are public keys only and are stored in the server.hks file. These files are located in the Certs directory where the user files are stored on your machine. When you import or export either type of key, you do so to and from these files.

Note:

Modifying key files manually is not recommended.

To import a key to the user or server key store:

1. Under Keys, in the left pane of the Certificates and Keys Management Console, click the key store (User Keys or Server Keys) into which you want to import a key.
2. Click the Import button.
3. In the Open dialog box, locate and select the keypair you want to import. By default, Connectivity Secure Shell auto-detects all key formats, but you can specify the following file filters:
4. • Hummingbird HKS Files (*.hks)—Lists Hummingbird key stores.
   • PEM Files (*.pem)—Lists OpenSSL-derived keys.
   • SSH2 Public Key Files (*.pub)—Lists OpenSSH and SSH2 public key formats.
4. Click Open.
5. If you are prompted, type the passphrase for the selected key.

The key is added to the key store and is displayed in the list pane of the console. If you imported an *.hks file, the keys it contains are extracted and added to the my.hks or server.hks store.

Note:

If the imported key does not appear in the list pane, right click in the pane and click Refresh in the pop-up menu.

To export a key from the user or server key store:

1. Under Keys, in the left pane of the Certificates and Keys Management Console, click the key store (User Keys or Server Keys) from which you want to export a key.
2. From the list that appears, select the key you want to export, and click the Export button. The Save As dialog box opens.
3. Use the Save In drop-down list to specify the target location for the key.
4. In the File Name box, specify a key name.
5. In the Save as Type box, specify the format to which you want to export the key:
6. • Hummingbird HKS Files (*.hks)—Exports the public and, in the case of user keys, the private portion of the selected key to a Hummingbird key store file.
   • PEM Files (*.pem)—Exports the public and, in the case of user keys, the private portion of the selected key to a .pem file.
   • SSH2 Public Key Files (*.pub)—Exports the public portion of the specified key as an SSH2 public key.
   • OpenSSH Public Key Files (*.pub)—Exports the public portion of the specified key as an OpenSSH public key.
6. Click Save.

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Related Topics

Security Folder—SSL/TLS Category

Overview—Hummingbird Connectivity SSL