Generate an SSH Key

In this lab you’ll locate your SSH configuration directory and generate an SSH key. SSH keys allow you to login to a remote machine without a password. Using SSH keys are preferred over using a password because they are more secure.

Step 1: Locate your SSH Configuration

The location of your SSH configuration depends on your platform. Consult the table below:

OS	Location
Windows 10	$HOME/.ssh
Mac OSX	~/.ssh
Linux	~/.ssh

Using the command prompt on your computer change into the SSH configuration directory and view the contents.

$ cd ~/.ssh
$ ls

Step 2: Generate a Key

An SSH key is really two keys: A public and a private key. The private key should never leave the machine it was generated on. The public key will be placed on other machines and will grant you the ability to login with no password. Run the following command and press “Enter” to accept the defaults:

$ ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 

Now verify you have an SSH key:

$ ls 

Do you see id_rsa and id_rsa.pub? If not check your work.

Step 3: Place your Key on Opus

Now let’s place the key on Opus and test to make sure it works. If you’re on Linux or a Mac you can use the ssh-copy-id command. The argument to ssh-copy-id is the same as ssh:

$ ssh-copy-id yourname@opus.cis.cabrillo.edu 

Replace yourname with your login name.

There is no ssh-copy-id on Windows so you’ll have to do it manually with this command:

$ cat $HOME/.ssh/id_rsa.pub | ssh yourname@opus.cis.cabrillo.edu "umask 0077; mkdir ~/.ssh; cat >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys;"

Replace yourname with your login name.

Step 4: Test Your Key

You should now be able to login to Opus with no password:

$ ssh yourname@opus.cis.cabrillo.edu 

If you setup vscode it will no longer require you to type your password when you connect.

Turn In

Turn in your public key on Canvas