Santanu
Santanu

General

[How To] Puttygen Puttssh for ssh

A Step-by-Step Guide to SSH

Catedral de Santa María la Real de la Almudena - Cathedral  Madrid, Spain
Catedral de Santa María la Real de la Almudena - Cathedral Madrid, Spain

1. Run PuttyKeyGen

  • Ensure SSH2DSA is selected at the bottom.
  • Click on Generate.
  • Follow the on-screen instructions to move the mouse.

2. Once the key is generated

  • Add a proper comment for the key, including the username and hostname.
  • Choose a strong password, incorporating numbers, special characters, and uppercase letters.
  • Save the public and private key in C:\Documents and Settings\santanu.misra.

3. Add pageant.exe to your startup programs as a shortcut.

4. Modify the properties box:

  • In the “Target” box, add the private-key file name.
  • In the “Start in” box, put the directory where you stored the public key (refer to step 2.c).
  • Set “Run” to minimized.

5. Right-click on pageant for key addition:

  • Choose your private key file generated with PuttyKeyGen. Enter the password from step 2.b when prompted.
  • View your key using the “View Key” option; delete the key if needed.

6. Configure Putty to work with public and private keys.

Note: I modified “ScrollbackLines” for Putty using regedit to increase scroll back lines (default is 200). The key is located at

MyComputer\HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SimonTatham\PuttY\Sessions\Default Settings

For quick access to known servers, automate login via (ssh):

bash
echo "ssh-add -L >> .ssh/authorized_keys"

Enhance your security with this comprehensive guide to setting up SSH keys using PuttyKeyGen. Learn the essential steps, from key generation to configuring Putty, ensuring a seamless and secure access experience.

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