Using Your SSH Key to Connect to CS Research Labs

Once you have registered your SSH key with the Computer Science research labs, you can use it to securely connect to our servers. Follow the steps below to connect using your SSH key:

Step 1: Open your terminal

On your computer, open a terminal window. This can be done by searching for "Terminal" in your applications menu (on Linux or macOS) or by using an SSH client like PuTTY on Windows.

Step 2: Use the SSH command

In the terminal, use the following command to connect to the server:

ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa username@server.ad.siu.edu

Replace id_rsa with the name of your private key file if you used a different name during the key generation process. Also, replace username with your Dawgtag (e.g., siu123456789) and server.cs.siu.edu with the actual server address provided to you.

Step 3: Confirm the connection

The first time you connect, you may see a message asking if you want to continue connecting. Type yes and press Enter to continue.

Step 4: Start working

Once connected, you will have command-line access to the server and can begin working on your projects.

Using Your SSH Key with WinSCP (Windows)

WinSCP is a popular SFTP and FTP client for Windows that also supports SCP protocol. Follow these steps to use your SSH key with WinSCP:

1. Download and install WinSCP from https://winscp.net.
2. Open WinSCP and select 'New Session'.
3. Set the 'File protocol' to 'SFTP'.
4. Enter the 'Host name' (e.g., server.cs.siu.edu), 'Port number' (usually 22), and your 'User name' (e.g., siu123456789).
5. Click on 'Advanced' and go to 'SSH > Authentication'.
6. Browse and select your private key file (id_rsa or equivalent). Make sure the key is in the .ppk format. If it isn't, use PuTTYgen to convert it.
7. Click 'OK' to save settings, then 'Login' to connect to the server.

Using Your SSH Key with Cyberduck (macOS)

Cyberduck is a popular FTP and SFTP client for macOS. Follow these steps to use your SSH key with Cyberduck:

1. Download and install Cyberduck from https://cyberduck.io.
2. Open Cyberduck and click on 'Open Connection'.
3. Select 'SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol)' from the drop-down menu.
4. Enter the 'Server' (e.g., server.cs.siu.edu), 'Port' (usually 22), and your 'Username' (e.g., siu123456789).
5. Click on the 'More Options' arrow and select 'Use Public Key Authentication'.
6. Browse and select your private key file (id_rsa or equivalent). Ensure it has the proper permissions (run chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_rsa).
7. Click 'Connect' to access the server.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter any issues, ensure that:

• Your SSH key has been correctly registered and approved.
• You are using the correct server address and username.
• The SSH key file permissions are set to 600 (you can set this with chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_rsa).

If you continue to experience problems, please contact the system administrator for assistance.

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