30-04-2021

Ssh Setup



  1. Install the server-side software to host your SSH connection before establishing a connection. This requires someone to be present to install or enable SSH. You might already be present to do this—otherwise, a colleague or support engineer at the server end will set up SSH.
  2. If you want to change the key used by your ssh-agent, you must first start the service. The service will be disabled on Windows 10 by default. Search for Services and open the Services settings and look for the 'OpenSSH Authentication Agent' and Activate it: Now you will be able to access the ssh-agent from your console via ssh-agent.
  1. Ssh Setup Raspberry Pi

In the list of features, select OpenSSH Server and click on the Install button. Restart Windows 10. This will install the OpenSSH Server software in Windows 10. Its binary files are located under the folder c: windows system32 Openssh. Besides the SSH client apps, the folder contains the following server tools: sftp-server.exe; ssh-agent.exe. SSH (Secure Shell) allows secure remote connections between two systems. With this cryptographic protocol, you can manage machines, copy, or move files on a remote server via encrypted channels. There are two ways to login onto a remote system over SSH – using password authentication or public key authentication (passwordless SSH login).

Recently, Microsoft has released a port of OpenSSH for Windows. You can use the package to set up an SFTP/SSH server on Windows.

  • Installing SFTP/SSH Server
  • Connecting to the server

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  • In Settings app, go to Apps > Apps & features > Manage optional features.
  • Locate “OpenSSH server” feature, expand it, and select Install.

Binaries are installed to %WINDIR%System32OpenSSH. Configuration file (sshd_config) and host keys are installed to %ProgramData%ssh (only after the server is started for the first time).

You may still want to use the following manual installation if you want to install a newer version of OpenSSH than the one built into Windows 10.

  • Download the latest OpenSSH for Windows binaries (package OpenSSH-Win64.zip or OpenSSH-Win32.zip)
  • As the Administrator, extract the package to C:Program FilesOpenSSH
  • As the Administrator, install sshd and ssh-agent services:
  • Allow incoming connections to SSH server in Windows Firewall:
    • When installed as an optional feature, the firewall rule “OpenSSH SSH Server (sshd)” should have been created automatically. If not, proceed to create and enable the rule as follows.
    • Either run the following PowerShell command as the Administrator:
      Replace C:System32OpenSSHsshd.exe with the actual path to the sshd.exe (C:Program FilesOpenSSHssh.exe, had you followed the manual installation instructions above).
    • or go to Control Panel > System and Security > Windows Defender Firewall1 > Advanced Settings > Inbound Rules and add a new rule for port 22.
  • Start the service and/or configure automatic start:
    • Go to Control Panel > System and Security > Administrative Tools and open Services. Locate OpenSSH SSH Server service.
    • If you want the server to start automatically when your machine is started: Go to Action > Properties. In the Properties dialog, change Startup type to Automatic and confirm.
    • Start the OpenSSH SSH Server service by clicking the Start the service.

These instructions are partially based on the official deployment instructions.

Follow a generic guide for Setting up SSH public key authentication in *nix OpenSSH server, with the following difference:

  • Create the .ssh folder (for the authorized_keys file) in your Windows account profile folder (typically in C:Usersusername.ssh).2
  • For permissions to the .ssh folder and the authorized_keys file, what matters are Windows ACL permissions, not simple *nix permissions. Set the ACL so that the respective Windows account is the owner of the folder and the file and is the only account that has a write access to them. The account that runs OpenSSH SSH Server service (typically SYSTEM or sshd) needs to have read access to the file.
  • Though, with the default Win32-OpenSSH configuration there is an exception set in sshd_config for accounts in Administrators group. For these, the server uses a different location for the authorized keys file: %ALLUSERSPROFILE%sshadministrators_authorized_keys (i.e. typically C:ProgramDatasshadministrators_authorized_keys).

Before the first connection, find out the fingerprint of the server’s host key by using ssh-keygen.exe for each file.

In Windows command-prompt, use:

Ssh Setup

Replace %WINDIR%System32 with %ProgramFiles%, if appropriate.

In PowerShell, use:

Replace $env:WINDIRSystem32 with $env:ProgramFiles, if appropriate.

You will get an output like this:

Start WinSCP. Login dialog will appear. On the dialog:

  • Make sure New site node is selected.
  • On New site node, make sure the SFTP protocol is selected.
  • Enter your machine/server IP address (or a hostname) into the Host name box.
  • Enter your Windows account name to the User name box. It might have to be entered in the format user@domain if running on a domain.
  • For a public key authentication:
    • Press the Advanced button to open Advanced site settings dialog and go to SSH > Authentication page.
    • In Private key file box select your private key file.
    • Submit Advanced site settings dialog with the OK button.
  • For a password authentication:
    • Enter your Windows account password to the Password box.
    • If your Windows account does not have a password, you cannot authenticate with the password authentication (i.e. with an empty password), you need to use the public key authentication.
  • Save your site settings using the Save button.
  • Login using Login button.
  • Verify the host key by comparing fingerprints with those collected before (see above).

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If you cannot authenticate to the server and use Windows 10 Developer mode, make sure that your OpenSSH server does not conflict with an internal SSH server used by the Developer mode. You may need to turn off the SSH Server Broker and SSH Server Proxy Windows services. Or run your OpenSSH server on a different port than 22.

  • Guide to Installing Secure FTP Server on Windows using IIS;
  • Guide to uploading files to SFTP server;
  • Guide to automating operations (including upload).
  1. Windows Firewall on older versions of Windows.Back
  2. Windows File Explorer does not allow you to create a folder starting with a dot directly. As a workaround, use .ssh., the trailing dot will allow you to bypass the restriction, but will not be included in the name.Back

In previous article i describe How to install Open SSH in Windows 10 as Optional Feature and use it. Today i will continue with OpenSSH and i will describe step by step how can install OpenSSH Server in Windows 10 and configure it.

OpenSSH Server and client included in Windows 10 v.1809 and later and in Windows Server 2019

So let's start!!

How to Identify if Windows 10 Open SSH Server installed from GUI

Before start with the installation its better to identify if already OpenSSH Server installed.

Ssh Setup Raspberry Pi

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