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Mastering Linux
Appendix: Secure Communication with SSH and SFTP

Installing SSH/SFTP

SSH is a secure remote login program. It lets you login and access a remote computer, often a Linux system, using your own desktop/laptop computer from home or anywhere you can get on the Internet.

SFTP is a secure file transfer program that allows you to upload and download files to and from another computer.

From a Linux computer you can use the ssh and sftp commands that come with your system. See Chapter 7 for how to set up these programs for secure communication and file transfer.

From a Mac OS X, you can use the Terminal application to get to a Shell window. Then, you can use the commands ssh and sftp just like on Linux systems.

Also, Mac OS X users may prefer the secure file transfer program Fugu.

From a Windows PC, you can install SSHSecureShellClient or download SSH and SFTP (from Source Forge). The program let's you do SSH and SFTP.

Using SSH/SFTP

After installing SSH you can login to any Linux computer where you have an account.

  • From Linux or Mac Terminal Window:

    ssh userid@lsome.domain.edu
    sftp userid@some.domain.edu
    
  • From PC or Mac, use the SSH or Fugu client:

    1. Start the ssh client, which can do secure shell and secure ftp.

    2. To remote login, click on the secure terminal logo and get a popup window.

    3. In that popup window, click on quick connect and enter the target hostname and your Linux account userid. Then proceed to login.

    The same SSH tool also provides SFTP for file upload/download. Just click on the file-folder icon to do SFTP.

For more information, see this SSH guide (from Ohio State University) for download, installation, and usage instructions for SSH/SFTP.