Remote secure login to your server

[Host Master]

If you're new to managing a dedicated server yourself and trying to figure out how to remotely log into your server box securely, this should help.

First don't use Telnet - you need a secure connection - SSH.

This short tutorial shows only how to access the server at root and not for general users.

FIRST

Windows users, download the PuTTY client software to SSH. Download PuTTY for free at http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/

Make sure you know your server root login is and your main IP address for your server.


· Open the PuTTY client (usually putty.exe). You will now see the "PuTTY Configuration" window.

· On the left side, you will see a tree structure called "Category:". There are four categories: Session, Terminal, Window, and Connection. Expand the "Connection" category and select "SSH".

· On the right side, look in the middle for "Preferred SSH protocol version:". Select version "2".

· On the left side in the category tree structure, go back to "Session".

· On the right side, look for the "Host Name (or IP Address)" input box at the top. Enter your server's main IP address only.

· Under that input box you should see "Protocol:". Select "SSH" and the little Port box will automatically change to port 22. Be sure you do this step.

· Click "Open" at the bottom. Your secure SSH session will begin and if this truly is the very first time you are remotely logging into your server on any particular computer, you should get the following message pop into your face:



"The server's host key is not cached in the registry. You have no guarantee that the server is the computer you think it is.
The server's key fingerprint is:
etc etc etc

If you trust this host, hit Yes to add the key to PuTTY's cache and carry on connecting.

If you want to carry on connecting just once, without adding the key to the cache, hit No.

If you do not trust this host, hit Cancel to abandon the connection."


Understand that in general, you will only get the above message the first time you log into your server on one particular computer. A server should have a host key and when you log into a server for the first time while using ONE particular computer, this host key is not cached in the registry.

By clicking "Yes", you are effectively placing the server's host key into the registry of that one particular computer you are using. If you later go to your friend's house and try to log into your server using your friend's computer, you will get the above message again because your friend's computer does not have that server host key cached in his/her computer's registry.

Also, if you ever have to completely reinstall Windows on your local PC from scratch, you'll get the above message again because you wiped out your registry that contained the server host key.


· Click "Yes".

· A new window with a black background will open. It looks just like a DOS window. You should see a prompt that says, "login as:".

· Enter admin

· It should then say, "admin@##.###.##.##'s password:". Enter your admin password. Note that while entering your password, the cursor will not move, nor will you see asterisks * while you type the password.

· If you entered your correct admin password, you will successfully log in as admin at this time. You will get a message saying:
"Last login: etc etc etc"

It is important that you note when and where you last logged in from. It will say the date, time, and what ISP was used. If at any time in the future the stated last login is not recognized by you, then perhaps your server has been hacked and was logged in by someone else.

Directly under "Last login...", you will see a default server welcoming message. I forgot what the default welcome message says since I customized mine a while back. It says something about making changes could void the Ensim warranty or something like that. Don't worry, everyone must update and make changes from time to time.

And directly under the welcome message is the Linux command prompt that looks like "[admin@whatever admin]$".

· We're almost totally in. Now let's log in properly as superuser root. Enter su -
Note: Be sure you are entering su -

· The system asks for your root password, so enter your root password. Once again, note that while entering your password, the cursor will not move, nor will you see asterisks * while you type the password.

· If you correctly entered your root password, you will then be successfully logged into your server box as superuser root. The command prompt will change to look like "[root@whatever /root]#".


That's it. You did it. This is where you will perform the bulk of your server tasks. To completely get out of this, simply either enter "exit" twice or "logout" twice.

[LiquidWebPatrick]

Great article. Definitely worth adhering to your recommendations.