| | 1 | = What is secure shell? = |
| | 2 | |
| | 3 | Secure shell (also known by its abbreviation: ssh) is a method for securely connecting from one computer (your laptop or desktop computer) to a remote computer (in this case, one of the May First/People Link servers that contains your files). |
| | 4 | |
| | 5 | By connecting to a remote computer via secure shell, you can execute commands on that remote computer, such as setting a [wiki:cron_job cron job]. |
| | 6 | |
| | 7 | == How do I run a secure shell program? == |
| | 8 | |
| | 9 | === Macintosh and Linux === |
| | 10 | |
| | 11 | On Macinstosh and Linux computers, secure shell programs are usually installed with your operating system (on Mac OS X it's called the Terminal program, on Linux there are a variety of programs with the word terminal in them - check your system menus). |
| | 12 | |
| | 13 | Once you are in a terminal program you can type the following to connect: |
| | 14 | |
| | 15 | {{{ |
| | 16 | ssh username@host |
| | 17 | }}} |
| | 18 | |
| | 19 | Replace username with your actual username and host with your primary server (malcolm.mayfirst.org or chavez.mayfirst.org, etc.). |
| | 20 | |
| | 21 | === Windows === |
| | 22 | |
| | 23 | If you are running Windows, we recommend that you install the free [http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/ Putty] program. The first time you run the program it will prompt you for your host (malcolm.mayfirst.org or chavez.mayfirst.org, etc), username and password. |
| | 24 | |
| | 25 | == Fingerprints == |
| | 26 | |
| | 27 | The first time you connect to a server you will be warned that you are connecting to a server for the first time and asked if you want to accept the server's "fingerprint." Please consult with our [wiki:fingerprints fingerprints] page, comparing the fingerprint you are being offered with the one we have published to make sure they are the same. If so, you may safely tell your program to remember the fingerprint. |
