Setting up an SSH client to connect to HCP Virtual Machines

You can use your preferred SSH client to connect to your virtul machine. As different SSH clients have their specifics, this blog will show you how to setup PuTTY, WinSCP and OpenSSH.

Note that using a passphrase is not supported by some of the SSH clients.

Prerequisites

• For PuTTY and WinSCP clients, you need to use PuTTYgen: http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/download.html
• You have to open an SSH tunnel as follows:

  neo open-ssh-tunnel --account <account> --user <user> --host <host> --vm-id <vm-id>

Setting up PuTTY

Note that using a passphrase is not supported

1. Convert the key using PuTTYgen.
2. Load the autogenerated key (click Load or Conversations -> Import key).
3. Save the private key.
4. In PuTTY, open the Connection -> SSH -> Auth tab and add the converted private key.
5. Open the Session tab.
6. Enter host name: root@localhost.
7. Enter port: the tunnel port
8. Open the connection

Setting up WinSCP

Note that using a passphrase is not supported

1. Convert the key using PuTTYgen.
2. Load the autogenerated key (click Load or Conversations -> Import key).
3. Save the private key.
4. Open WinSCP.
5. Enter host name: localhost
6. Enter port: the tunnel port.
7. Enter username: root
8. Open Advanced settings and then open SSH -> Authentication.
9. Add the converted private key and click OK.
10. Log in.

Setting up OpenSSH

Without passphrase

Execute:

ssh root@localhost -p <port from tunnel> -i <path to key>

With passphrase

1. Open ssh connection:

   ssh root@localhost -p <port from tunnel> -i <path to key>

2. When prompted, enter the passphrase