ssh.0 revision 218767
1SSH(1)                     OpenBSD Reference Manual                     SSH(1)
2
3NAME
4     ssh - OpenSSH SSH client (remote login program)
5
6SYNOPSIS
7     ssh [-1246AaCfgKkMNnqsTtVvXxYy] [-b bind_address] [-c cipher_spec]
8         [-D [bind_address:]port] [-e escape_char] [-F configfile] [-I pkcs11]
9         [-i identity_file] [-L [bind_address:]port:host:hostport]
10         [-l login_name] [-m mac_spec] [-O ctl_cmd] [-o option] [-p port]
11         [-R [bind_address:]port:host:hostport] [-S ctl_path] [-W host:port]
12         [-w local_tun[:remote_tun]] [user@]hostname [command]
13
14DESCRIPTION
15     ssh (SSH client) is a program for logging into a remote machine and for
16     executing commands on a remote machine.  It is intended to replace rlogin
17     and rsh, and provide secure encrypted communications between two
18     untrusted hosts over an insecure network.  X11 connections and arbitrary
19     TCP ports can also be forwarded over the secure channel.
20
21     ssh connects and logs into the specified hostname (with optional user
22     name).  The user must prove his/her identity to the remote machine using
23     one of several methods depending on the protocol version used (see
24     below).
25
26     If command is specified, it is executed on the remote host instead of a
27     login shell.
28
29     The options are as follows:
30
31     -1      Forces ssh to try protocol version 1 only.
32
33     -2      Forces ssh to try protocol version 2 only.
34
35     -4      Forces ssh to use IPv4 addresses only.
36
37     -6      Forces ssh to use IPv6 addresses only.
38
39     -A      Enables forwarding of the authentication agent connection.  This
40             can also be specified on a per-host basis in a configuration
41             file.
42
43             Agent forwarding should be enabled with caution.  Users with the
44             ability to bypass file permissions on the remote host (for the
45             agent's UNIX-domain socket) can access the local agent through
46             the forwarded connection.  An attacker cannot obtain key material
47             from the agent, however they can perform operations on the keys
48             that enable them to authenticate using the identities loaded into
49             the agent.
50
51     -a      Disables forwarding of the authentication agent connection.
52
53     -b bind_address
54             Use bind_address on the local machine as the source address of
55             the connection.  Only useful on systems with more than one
56             address.
57
58     -C      Requests compression of all data (including stdin, stdout,
59             stderr, and data for forwarded X11 and TCP connections).  The
60             compression algorithm is the same used by gzip(1), and the
61             ``level'' can be controlled by the CompressionLevel option for
62             protocol version 1.  Compression is desirable on modem lines and
63             other slow connections, but will only slow down things on fast
64             networks.  The default value can be set on a host-by-host basis
65             in the configuration files; see the Compression option.
66
67     -c cipher_spec
68             Selects the cipher specification for encrypting the session.
69
70             Protocol version 1 allows specification of a single cipher.  The
71             supported values are ``3des'', ``blowfish'', and ``des''.  3des
72             (triple-des) is an encrypt-decrypt-encrypt triple with three
73             different keys.  It is believed to be secure.  blowfish is a fast
74             block cipher; it appears very secure and is much faster than
75             3des.  des is only supported in the ssh client for
76             interoperability with legacy protocol 1 implementations that do
77             not support the 3des cipher.  Its use is strongly discouraged due
78             to cryptographic weaknesses.  The default is ``3des''.
79
80             For protocol version 2, cipher_spec is a comma-separated list of
81             ciphers listed in order of preference.  See the Ciphers keyword
82             in ssh_config(5) for more information.
83
84     -D [bind_address:]port
85             Specifies a local ``dynamic'' application-level port forwarding.
86             This works by allocating a socket to listen to port on the local
87             side, optionally bound to the specified bind_address.  Whenever a
88             connection is made to this port, the connection is forwarded over
89             the secure channel, and the application protocol is then used to
90             determine where to connect to from the remote machine.  Currently
91             the SOCKS4 and SOCKS5 protocols are supported, and ssh will act
92             as a SOCKS server.  Only root can forward privileged ports.
93             Dynamic port forwardings can also be specified in the
94             configuration file.
95
96             IPv6 addresses can be specified by enclosing the address in
97             square brackets.  Only the superuser can forward privileged
98             ports.  By default, the local port is bound in accordance with
99             the GatewayPorts setting.  However, an explicit bind_address may
100             be used to bind the connection to a specific address.  The
101             bind_address of ``localhost'' indicates that the listening port
102             be bound for local use only, while an empty address or `*'
103             indicates that the port should be available from all interfaces.
104
105     -e escape_char
106             Sets the escape character for sessions with a pty (default: `~').
107             The escape character is only recognized at the beginning of a
108             line.  The escape character followed by a dot (`.') closes the
109             connection; followed by control-Z suspends the connection; and
110             followed by itself sends the escape character once.  Setting the
111             character to ``none'' disables any escapes and makes the session
112             fully transparent.
113
114     -F configfile
115             Specifies an alternative per-user configuration file.  If a
116             configuration file is given on the command line, the system-wide
117             configuration file (/etc/ssh/ssh_config) will be ignored.  The
118             default for the per-user configuration file is ~/.ssh/config.
119
120     -f      Requests ssh to go to background just before command execution.
121             This is useful if ssh is going to ask for passwords or
122             passphrases, but the user wants it in the background.  This
123             implies -n.  The recommended way to start X11 programs at a
124             remote site is with something like ssh -f host xterm.
125
126             If the ExitOnForwardFailure configuration option is set to
127             ``yes'', then a client started with -f will wait for all remote
128             port forwards to be successfully established before placing
129             itself in the background.
130
131     -g      Allows remote hosts to connect to local forwarded ports.
132
133     -I pkcs11
134             Specify the PKCS#11 shared library ssh should use to communicate
135             with a PKCS#11 token providing the user's private RSA key.
136
137     -i identity_file
138             Selects a file from which the identity (private key) for public
139             key authentication is read.  The default is ~/.ssh/identity for
140             protocol version 1, and ~/.ssh/id_dsa, ~/.ssh/id_ecdsa and
141             ~/.ssh/id_rsa for protocol version 2.  Identity files may also be
142             specified on a per-host basis in the configuration file.  It is
143             possible to have multiple -i options (and multiple identities
144             specified in configuration files).  ssh will also try to load
145             certificate information from the filename obtained by appending
146             -cert.pub to identity filenames.
147
148     -K      Enables GSSAPI-based authentication and forwarding (delegation)
149             of GSSAPI credentials to the server.
150
151     -k      Disables forwarding (delegation) of GSSAPI credentials to the
152             server.
153
154     -L [bind_address:]port:host:hostport
155             Specifies that the given port on the local (client) host is to be
156             forwarded to the given host and port on the remote side.  This
157             works by allocating a socket to listen to port on the local side,
158             optionally bound to the specified bind_address.  Whenever a
159             connection is made to this port, the connection is forwarded over
160             the secure channel, and a connection is made to host port
161             hostport from the remote machine.  Port forwardings can also be
162             specified in the configuration file.  IPv6 addresses can be
163             specified by enclosing the address in square brackets.  Only the
164             superuser can forward privileged ports.  By default, the local
165             port is bound in accordance with the GatewayPorts setting.
166             However, an explicit bind_address may be used to bind the
167             connection to a specific address.  The bind_address of
168             ``localhost'' indicates that the listening port be bound for
169             local use only, while an empty address or `*' indicates that the
170             port should be available from all interfaces.
171
172     -l login_name
173             Specifies the user to log in as on the remote machine.  This also
174             may be specified on a per-host basis in the configuration file.
175
176     -M      Places the ssh client into ``master'' mode for connection
177             sharing.  Multiple -M options places ssh into ``master'' mode
178             with confirmation required before slave connections are accepted.
179             Refer to the description of ControlMaster in ssh_config(5) for
180             details.
181
182     -m mac_spec
183             Additionally, for protocol version 2 a comma-separated list of
184             MAC (message authentication code) algorithms can be specified in
185             order of preference.  See the MACs keyword for more information.
186
187     -N      Do not execute a remote command.  This is useful for just
188             forwarding ports (protocol version 2 only).
189
190     -n      Redirects stdin from /dev/null (actually, prevents reading from
191             stdin).  This must be used when ssh is run in the background.  A
192             common trick is to use this to run X11 programs on a remote
193             machine.  For example, ssh -n shadows.cs.hut.fi emacs & will
194             start an emacs on shadows.cs.hut.fi, and the X11 connection will
195             be automatically forwarded over an encrypted channel.  The ssh
196             program will be put in the background.  (This does not work if
197             ssh needs to ask for a password or passphrase; see also the -f
198             option.)
199
200     -O ctl_cmd
201             Control an active connection multiplexing master process.  When
202             the -O option is specified, the ctl_cmd argument is interpreted
203             and passed to the master process.  Valid commands are: ``check''
204             (check that the master process is running), ``forward'' (request
205             forwardings without command execution) and ``exit'' (request the
206             master to exit).
207
208     -o option
209             Can be used to give options in the format used in the
210             configuration file.  This is useful for specifying options for
211             which there is no separate command-line flag.  For full details
212             of the options listed below, and their possible values, see
213             ssh_config(5).
214
215                   AddressFamily
216                   BatchMode
217                   BindAddress
218                   ChallengeResponseAuthentication
219                   CheckHostIP
220                   Cipher
221                   Ciphers
222                   ClearAllForwardings
223                   Compression
224                   CompressionLevel
225                   ConnectionAttempts
226                   ConnectTimeout
227                   ControlMaster
228                   ControlPath
229                   DynamicForward
230                   EscapeChar
231                   ExitOnForwardFailure
232                   ForwardAgent
233                   ForwardX11
234                   ForwardX11Trusted
235                   GatewayPorts
236                   GlobalKnownHostsFile
237                   GSSAPIAuthentication
238                   GSSAPIDelegateCredentials
239                   HashKnownHosts
240                   Host
241                   HostbasedAuthentication
242                   HostKeyAlgorithms
243                   HostKeyAlias
244                   HostName
245                   IdentityFile
246                   IdentitiesOnly
247                   IPQoS
248                   KbdInteractiveDevices
249                   KexAlgorithms
250                   LocalCommand
251                   LocalForward
252                   LogLevel
253                   MACs
254                   NoHostAuthenticationForLocalhost
255                   NumberOfPasswordPrompts
256                   PasswordAuthentication
257                   PermitLocalCommand
258                   PKCS11Provider
259                   Port
260                   PreferredAuthentications
261                   Protocol
262                   ProxyCommand
263                   PubkeyAuthentication
264                   RekeyLimit
265                   RemoteForward
266                   RhostsRSAAuthentication
267                   RSAAuthentication
268                   SendEnv
269                   ServerAliveInterval
270                   ServerAliveCountMax
271                   StrictHostKeyChecking
272                   TCPKeepAlive
273                   Tunnel
274                   TunnelDevice
275                   UsePrivilegedPort
276                   User
277                   UserKnownHostsFile
278                   VerifyHostKeyDNS
279                   VisualHostKey
280                   XAuthLocation
281
282     -p port
283             Port to connect to on the remote host.  This can be specified on
284             a per-host basis in the configuration file.
285
286     -q      Quiet mode.  Causes most warning and diagnostic messages to be
287             suppressed.
288
289     -R [bind_address:]port:host:hostport
290             Specifies that the given port on the remote (server) host is to
291             be forwarded to the given host and port on the local side.  This
292             works by allocating a socket to listen to port on the remote
293             side, and whenever a connection is made to this port, the
294             connection is forwarded over the secure channel, and a connection
295             is made to host port hostport from the local machine.
296
297             Port forwardings can also be specified in the configuration file.
298             Privileged ports can be forwarded only when logging in as root on
299             the remote machine.  IPv6 addresses can be specified by enclosing
300             the address in square braces.
301
302             By default, the listening socket on the server will be bound to
303             the loopback interface only.  This may be overridden by
304             specifying a bind_address.  An empty bind_address, or the address
305             `*', indicates that the remote socket should listen on all
306             interfaces.  Specifying a remote bind_address will only succeed
307             if the server's GatewayPorts option is enabled (see
308             sshd_config(5)).
309
310             If the port argument is `0', the listen port will be dynamically
311             allocated on the server and reported to the client at run time.
312             When used together with -O forward the allocated port will be
313             printed to the standard output.
314
315     -S ctl_path
316             Specifies the location of a control socket for connection
317             sharing, or the string ``none'' to disable connection sharing.
318             Refer to the description of ControlPath and ControlMaster in
319             ssh_config(5) for details.
320
321     -s      May be used to request invocation of a subsystem on the remote
322             system.  Subsystems are a feature of the SSH2 protocol which
323             facilitate the use of SSH as a secure transport for other
324             applications (eg. sftp(1)).  The subsystem is specified as the
325             remote command.
326
327     -T      Disable pseudo-tty allocation.
328
329     -t      Force pseudo-tty allocation.  This can be used to execute
330             arbitrary screen-based programs on a remote machine, which can be
331             very useful, e.g. when implementing menu services.  Multiple -t
332             options force tty allocation, even if ssh has no local tty.
333
334     -V      Display the version number and exit.
335
336     -v      Verbose mode.  Causes ssh to print debugging messages about its
337             progress.  This is helpful in debugging connection,
338             authentication, and configuration problems.  Multiple -v options
339             increase the verbosity.  The maximum is 3.
340
341     -W host:port
342             Requests that standard input and output on the client be
343             forwarded to host on port over the secure channel.  Implies -N,
344             -T, ExitOnForwardFailure and ClearAllForwardings and works with
345             Protocol version 2 only.
346
347     -w local_tun[:remote_tun]
348             Requests tunnel device forwarding with the specified tun(4)
349             devices between the client (local_tun) and the server
350             (remote_tun).
351
352             The devices may be specified by numerical ID or the keyword
353             ``any'', which uses the next available tunnel device.  If
354             remote_tun is not specified, it defaults to ``any''.  See also
355             the Tunnel and TunnelDevice directives in ssh_config(5).  If the
356             Tunnel directive is unset, it is set to the default tunnel mode,
357             which is ``point-to-point''.
358
359     -X      Enables X11 forwarding.  This can also be specified on a per-host
360             basis in a configuration file.
361
362             X11 forwarding should be enabled with caution.  Users with the
363             ability to bypass file permissions on the remote host (for the
364             user's X authorization database) can access the local X11 display
365             through the forwarded connection.  An attacker may then be able
366             to perform activities such as keystroke monitoring.
367
368             For this reason, X11 forwarding is subjected to X11 SECURITY
369             extension restrictions by default.  Please refer to the ssh -Y
370             option and the ForwardX11Trusted directive in ssh_config(5) for
371             more information.
372
373     -x      Disables X11 forwarding.
374
375     -Y      Enables trusted X11 forwarding.  Trusted X11 forwardings are not
376             subjected to the X11 SECURITY extension controls.
377
378     -y      Send log information using the syslog(3) system module.  By
379             default this information is sent to stderr.
380
381     ssh may additionally obtain configuration data from a per-user
382     configuration file and a system-wide configuration file.  The file format
383     and configuration options are described in ssh_config(5).
384
385AUTHENTICATION
386     The OpenSSH SSH client supports SSH protocols 1 and 2.  The default is to
387     use protocol 2 only, though this can be changed via the Protocol option
388     in ssh_config(5) or the -1 and -2 options (see above).  Both protocols
389     support similar authentication methods, but protocol 2 is the default
390     since it provides additional mechanisms for confidentiality (the traffic
391     is encrypted using AES, 3DES, Blowfish, CAST128, or Arcfour) and
392     integrity (hmac-md5, hmac-sha1, umac-64, hmac-ripemd160).  Protocol 1
393     lacks a strong mechanism for ensuring the integrity of the connection.
394
395     The methods available for authentication are: GSSAPI-based
396     authentication, host-based authentication, public key authentication,
397     challenge-response authentication, and password authentication.
398     Authentication methods are tried in the order specified above, though
399     protocol 2 has a configuration option to change the default order:
400     PreferredAuthentications.
401
402     Host-based authentication works as follows: If the machine the user logs
403     in from is listed in /etc/hosts.equiv or /etc/shosts.equiv on the remote
404     machine, and the user names are the same on both sides, or if the files
405     ~/.rhosts or ~/.shosts exist in the user's home directory on the remote
406     machine and contain a line containing the name of the client machine and
407     the name of the user on that machine, the user is considered for login.
408     Additionally, the server must be able to verify the client's host key
409     (see the description of /etc/ssh/ssh_known_hosts and ~/.ssh/known_hosts,
410     below) for login to be permitted.  This authentication method closes
411     security holes due to IP spoofing, DNS spoofing, and routing spoofing.
412     [Note to the administrator: /etc/hosts.equiv, ~/.rhosts, and the
413     rlogin/rsh protocol in general, are inherently insecure and should be
414     disabled if security is desired.]
415
416     Public key authentication works as follows: The scheme is based on
417     public-key cryptography, using cryptosystems where encryption and
418     decryption are done using separate keys, and it is unfeasible to derive
419     the decryption key from the encryption key.  The idea is that each user
420     creates a public/private key pair for authentication purposes.  The
421     server knows the public key, and only the user knows the private key.
422     ssh implements public key authentication protocol automatically, using
423     one of the DSA, ECDSA or RSA algorithms.  Protocol 1 is restricted to
424     using only RSA keys, but protocol 2 may use any.  The HISTORY section of
425     ssl(8) contains a brief discussion of the DSA and RSA algorithms.
426
427     The file ~/.ssh/authorized_keys lists the public keys that are permitted
428     for logging in.  When the user logs in, the ssh program tells the server
429     which key pair it would like to use for authentication.  The client
430     proves that it has access to the private key and the server checks that
431     the corresponding public key is authorized to accept the account.
432
433     The user creates his/her key pair by running ssh-keygen(1).  This stores
434     the private key in ~/.ssh/identity (protocol 1), ~/.ssh/id_dsa (protocol
435     2 DSA), ~/.ssh/id_ecdsa (protocol 2 ECDSA), or ~/.ssh/id_rsa (protocol 2
436     RSA) and stores the public key in ~/.ssh/identity.pub (protocol 1),
437     ~/.ssh/id_dsa.pub (protocol 2 DSA), ~/.ssh/id_ecdsa.pub (protocol 2
438     ECDSA), or ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub (protocol 2 RSA) in the user's home
439     directory.  The user should then copy the public key to
440     ~/.ssh/authorized_keys in his/her home directory on the remote machine.
441     The authorized_keys file corresponds to the conventional ~/.rhosts file,
442     and has one key per line, though the lines can be very long.  After this,
443     the user can log in without giving the password.
444
445     A variation on public key authentication is available in the form of
446     certificate authentication: instead of a set of public/private keys,
447     signed certificates are used.  This has the advantage that a single
448     trusted certification authority can be used in place of many
449     public/private keys.  See the CERTIFICATES section of ssh-keygen(1) for
450     more information.
451
452     The most convenient way to use public key or certificate authentication
453     may be with an authentication agent.  See ssh-agent(1) for more
454     information.
455
456     Challenge-response authentication works as follows: The server sends an
457     arbitrary "challenge" text, and prompts for a response.  Protocol 2
458     allows multiple challenges and responses; protocol 1 is restricted to
459     just one challenge/response.  Examples of challenge-response
460     authentication include BSD Authentication (see login.conf(5)) and PAM
461     (some non-OpenBSD systems).
462
463     Finally, if other authentication methods fail, ssh prompts the user for a
464     password.  The password is sent to the remote host for checking; however,
465     since all communications are encrypted, the password cannot be seen by
466     someone listening on the network.
467
468     ssh automatically maintains and checks a database containing
469     identification for all hosts it has ever been used with.  Host keys are
470     stored in ~/.ssh/known_hosts in the user's home directory.  Additionally,
471     the file /etc/ssh/ssh_known_hosts is automatically checked for known
472     hosts.  Any new hosts are automatically added to the user's file.  If a
473     host's identification ever changes, ssh warns about this and disables
474     password authentication to prevent server spoofing or man-in-the-middle
475     attacks, which could otherwise be used to circumvent the encryption.  The
476     StrictHostKeyChecking option can be used to control logins to machines
477     whose host key is not known or has changed.
478
479     When the user's identity has been accepted by the server, the server
480     either executes the given command, or logs into the machine and gives the
481     user a normal shell on the remote machine.  All communication with the
482     remote command or shell will be automatically encrypted.
483
484     If a pseudo-terminal has been allocated (normal login session), the user
485     may use the escape characters noted below.
486
487     If no pseudo-tty has been allocated, the session is transparent and can
488     be used to reliably transfer binary data.  On most systems, setting the
489     escape character to ``none'' will also make the session transparent even
490     if a tty is used.
491
492     The session terminates when the command or shell on the remote machine
493     exits and all X11 and TCP connections have been closed.
494
495ESCAPE CHARACTERS
496     When a pseudo-terminal has been requested, ssh supports a number of
497     functions through the use of an escape character.
498
499     A single tilde character can be sent as ~~ or by following the tilde by a
500     character other than those described below.  The escape character must
501     always follow a newline to be interpreted as special.  The escape
502     character can be changed in configuration files using the EscapeChar
503     configuration directive or on the command line by the -e option.
504
505     The supported escapes (assuming the default `~') are:
506
507     ~.      Disconnect.
508
509     ~^Z     Background ssh.
510
511     ~#      List forwarded connections.
512
513     ~&      Background ssh at logout when waiting for forwarded connection /
514             X11 sessions to terminate.
515
516     ~?      Display a list of escape characters.
517
518     ~B      Send a BREAK to the remote system (only useful for SSH protocol
519             version 2 and if the peer supports it).
520
521     ~C      Open command line.  Currently this allows the addition of port
522             forwardings using the -L, -R and -D options (see above).  It also
523             allows the cancellation of existing remote port-forwardings using
524             -KR[bind_address:]port.  !command allows the user to execute a
525             local command if the PermitLocalCommand option is enabled in
526             ssh_config(5).  Basic help is available, using the -h option.
527
528     ~R      Request rekeying of the connection (only useful for SSH protocol
529             version 2 and if the peer supports it).
530
531TCP FORWARDING
532     Forwarding of arbitrary TCP connections over the secure channel can be
533     specified either on the command line or in a configuration file.  One
534     possible application of TCP forwarding is a secure connection to a mail
535     server; another is going through firewalls.
536
537     In the example below, we look at encrypting communication between an IRC
538     client and server, even though the IRC server does not directly support
539     encrypted communications.  This works as follows: the user connects to
540     the remote host using ssh, specifying a port to be used to forward
541     connections to the remote server.  After that it is possible to start the
542     service which is to be encrypted on the client machine, connecting to the
543     same local port, and ssh will encrypt and forward the connection.
544
545     The following example tunnels an IRC session from client machine
546     ``127.0.0.1'' (localhost) to remote server ``server.example.com'':
547
548         $ ssh -f -L 1234:localhost:6667 server.example.com sleep 10
549         $ irc -c '#users' -p 1234 pinky 127.0.0.1
550
551     This tunnels a connection to IRC server ``server.example.com'', joining
552     channel ``#users'', nickname ``pinky'', using port 1234.  It doesn't
553     matter which port is used, as long as it's greater than 1023 (remember,
554     only root can open sockets on privileged ports) and doesn't conflict with
555     any ports already in use.  The connection is forwarded to port 6667 on
556     the remote server, since that's the standard port for IRC services.
557
558     The -f option backgrounds ssh and the remote command ``sleep 10'' is
559     specified to allow an amount of time (10 seconds, in the example) to
560     start the service which is to be tunnelled.  If no connections are made
561     within the time specified, ssh will exit.
562
563X11 FORWARDING
564     If the ForwardX11 variable is set to ``yes'' (or see the description of
565     the -X, -x, and -Y options above) and the user is using X11 (the DISPLAY
566     environment variable is set), the connection to the X11 display is
567     automatically forwarded to the remote side in such a way that any X11
568     programs started from the shell (or command) will go through the
569     encrypted channel, and the connection to the real X server will be made
570     from the local machine.  The user should not manually set DISPLAY.
571     Forwarding of X11 connections can be configured on the command line or in
572     configuration files.
573
574     The DISPLAY value set by ssh will point to the server machine, but with a
575     display number greater than zero.  This is normal, and happens because
576     ssh creates a ``proxy'' X server on the server machine for forwarding the
577     connections over the encrypted channel.
578
579     ssh will also automatically set up Xauthority data on the server machine.
580     For this purpose, it will generate a random authorization cookie, store
581     it in Xauthority on the server, and verify that any forwarded connections
582     carry this cookie and replace it by the real cookie when the connection
583     is opened.  The real authentication cookie is never sent to the server
584     machine (and no cookies are sent in the plain).
585
586     If the ForwardAgent variable is set to ``yes'' (or see the description of
587     the -A and -a options above) and the user is using an authentication
588     agent, the connection to the agent is automatically forwarded to the
589     remote side.
590
591VERIFYING HOST KEYS
592     When connecting to a server for the first time, a fingerprint of the
593     server's public key is presented to the user (unless the option
594     StrictHostKeyChecking has been disabled).  Fingerprints can be determined
595     using ssh-keygen(1):
596
597           $ ssh-keygen -l -f /etc/ssh/ssh_host_rsa_key
598
599     If the fingerprint is already known, it can be matched and the key can be
600     accepted or rejected.  Because of the difficulty of comparing host keys
601     just by looking at hex strings, there is also support to compare host
602     keys visually, using random art.  By setting the VisualHostKey option to
603     ``yes'', a small ASCII graphic gets displayed on every login to a server,
604     no matter if the session itself is interactive or not.  By learning the
605     pattern a known server produces, a user can easily find out that the host
606     key has changed when a completely different pattern is displayed.
607     Because these patterns are not unambiguous however, a pattern that looks
608     similar to the pattern remembered only gives a good probability that the
609     host key is the same, not guaranteed proof.
610
611     To get a listing of the fingerprints along with their random art for all
612     known hosts, the following command line can be used:
613
614           $ ssh-keygen -lv -f ~/.ssh/known_hosts
615
616     If the fingerprint is unknown, an alternative method of verification is
617     available: SSH fingerprints verified by DNS.  An additional resource
618     record (RR), SSHFP, is added to a zonefile and the connecting client is
619     able to match the fingerprint with that of the key presented.
620
621     In this example, we are connecting a client to a server,
622     ``host.example.com''.  The SSHFP resource records should first be added
623     to the zonefile for host.example.com:
624
625           $ ssh-keygen -r host.example.com.
626
627     The output lines will have to be added to the zonefile.  To check that
628     the zone is answering fingerprint queries:
629
630           $ dig -t SSHFP host.example.com
631
632     Finally the client connects:
633
634           $ ssh -o "VerifyHostKeyDNS ask" host.example.com
635           [...]
636           Matching host key fingerprint found in DNS.
637           Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)?
638
639     See the VerifyHostKeyDNS option in ssh_config(5) for more information.
640
641SSH-BASED VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORKS
642     ssh contains support for Virtual Private Network (VPN) tunnelling using
643     the tun(4) network pseudo-device, allowing two networks to be joined
644     securely.  The sshd_config(5) configuration option PermitTunnel controls
645     whether the server supports this, and at what level (layer 2 or 3
646     traffic).
647
648     The following example would connect client network 10.0.50.0/24 with
649     remote network 10.0.99.0/24 using a point-to-point connection from
650     10.1.1.1 to 10.1.1.2, provided that the SSH server running on the gateway
651     to the remote network, at 192.168.1.15, allows it.
652
653     On the client:
654
655           # ssh -f -w 0:1 192.168.1.15 true
656           # ifconfig tun0 10.1.1.1 10.1.1.2 netmask 255.255.255.252
657           # route add 10.0.99.0/24 10.1.1.2
658
659     On the server:
660
661           # ifconfig tun1 10.1.1.2 10.1.1.1 netmask 255.255.255.252
662           # route add 10.0.50.0/24 10.1.1.1
663
664     Client access may be more finely tuned via the /root/.ssh/authorized_keys
665     file (see below) and the PermitRootLogin server option.  The following
666     entry would permit connections on tun(4) device 1 from user ``jane'' and
667     on tun device 2 from user ``john'', if PermitRootLogin is set to
668     ``forced-commands-only'':
669
670       tunnel="1",command="sh /etc/netstart tun1" ssh-rsa ... jane
671       tunnel="2",command="sh /etc/netstart tun2" ssh-rsa ... john
672
673     Since an SSH-based setup entails a fair amount of overhead, it may be
674     more suited to temporary setups, such as for wireless VPNs.  More
675     permanent VPNs are better provided by tools such as ipsecctl(8) and
676     isakmpd(8).
677
678ENVIRONMENT
679     ssh will normally set the following environment variables:
680
681     DISPLAY               The DISPLAY variable indicates the location of the
682                           X11 server.  It is automatically set by ssh to
683                           point to a value of the form ``hostname:n'', where
684                           ``hostname'' indicates the host where the shell
685                           runs, and `n' is an integer >= 1.  ssh uses this
686                           special value to forward X11 connections over the
687                           secure channel.  The user should normally not set
688                           DISPLAY explicitly, as that will render the X11
689                           connection insecure (and will require the user to
690                           manually copy any required authorization cookies).
691
692     HOME                  Set to the path of the user's home directory.
693
694     LOGNAME               Synonym for USER; set for compatibility with
695                           systems that use this variable.
696
697     MAIL                  Set to the path of the user's mailbox.
698
699     PATH                  Set to the default PATH, as specified when
700                           compiling ssh.
701
702     SSH_ASKPASS           If ssh needs a passphrase, it will read the
703                           passphrase from the current terminal if it was run
704                           from a terminal.  If ssh does not have a terminal
705                           associated with it but DISPLAY and SSH_ASKPASS are
706                           set, it will execute the program specified by
707                           SSH_ASKPASS and open an X11 window to read the
708                           passphrase.  This is particularly useful when
709                           calling ssh from a .xsession or related script.
710                           (Note that on some machines it may be necessary to
711                           redirect the input from /dev/null to make this
712                           work.)
713
714     SSH_AUTH_SOCK         Identifies the path of a UNIX-domain socket used to
715                           communicate with the agent.
716
717     SSH_CONNECTION        Identifies the client and server ends of the
718                           connection.  The variable contains four space-
719                           separated values: client IP address, client port
720                           number, server IP address, and server port number.
721
722     SSH_ORIGINAL_COMMAND  This variable contains the original command line if
723                           a forced command is executed.  It can be used to
724                           extract the original arguments.
725
726     SSH_TTY               This is set to the name of the tty (path to the
727                           device) associated with the current shell or
728                           command.  If the current session has no tty, this
729                           variable is not set.
730
731     TZ                    This variable is set to indicate the present time
732                           zone if it was set when the daemon was started
733                           (i.e. the daemon passes the value on to new
734                           connections).
735
736     USER                  Set to the name of the user logging in.
737
738     Additionally, ssh reads ~/.ssh/environment, and adds lines of the format
739     ``VARNAME=value'' to the environment if the file exists and users are
740     allowed to change their environment.  For more information, see the
741     PermitUserEnvironment option in sshd_config(5).
742
743FILES
744     ~/.rhosts
745             This file is used for host-based authentication (see above).  On
746             some machines this file may need to be world-readable if the
747             user's home directory is on an NFS partition, because sshd(8)
748             reads it as root.  Additionally, this file must be owned by the
749             user, and must not have write permissions for anyone else.  The
750             recommended permission for most machines is read/write for the
751             user, and not accessible by others.
752
753     ~/.shosts
754             This file is used in exactly the same way as .rhosts, but allows
755             host-based authentication without permitting login with
756             rlogin/rsh.
757
758     ~/.ssh/
759             This directory is the default location for all user-specific
760             configuration and authentication information.  There is no
761             general requirement to keep the entire contents of this directory
762             secret, but the recommended permissions are read/write/execute
763             for the user, and not accessible by others.
764
765     ~/.ssh/authorized_keys
766             Lists the public keys (DSA/ECDSA/RSA) that can be used for
767             logging in as this user.  The format of this file is described in
768             the sshd(8) manual page.  This file is not highly sensitive, but
769             the recommended permissions are read/write for the user, and not
770             accessible by others.
771
772     ~/.ssh/config
773             This is the per-user configuration file.  The file format and
774             configuration options are described in ssh_config(5).  Because of
775             the potential for abuse, this file must have strict permissions:
776             read/write for the user, and not accessible by others.
777
778     ~/.ssh/environment
779             Contains additional definitions for environment variables; see
780             ENVIRONMENT, above.
781
782     ~/.ssh/identity
783     ~/.ssh/id_dsa
784     ~/.ssh/id_ecdsa
785     ~/.ssh/id_rsa
786             Contains the private key for authentication.  These files contain
787             sensitive data and should be readable by the user but not
788             accessible by others (read/write/execute).  ssh will simply
789             ignore a private key file if it is accessible by others.  It is
790             possible to specify a passphrase when generating the key which
791             will be used to encrypt the sensitive part of this file using
792             3DES.
793
794     ~/.ssh/identity.pub
795     ~/.ssh/id_dsa.pub
796     ~/.ssh/id_ecdsa.pub
797     ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub
798             Contains the public key for authentication.  These files are not
799             sensitive and can (but need not) be readable by anyone.
800
801     ~/.ssh/known_hosts
802             Contains a list of host keys for all hosts the user has logged
803             into that are not already in the systemwide list of known host
804             keys.  See sshd(8) for further details of the format of this
805             file.
806
807     ~/.ssh/rc
808             Commands in this file are executed by ssh when the user logs in,
809             just before the user's shell (or command) is started.  See the
810             sshd(8) manual page for more information.
811
812     /etc/hosts.equiv
813             This file is for host-based authentication (see above).  It
814             should only be writable by root.
815
816     /etc/shosts.equiv
817             This file is used in exactly the same way as hosts.equiv, but
818             allows host-based authentication without permitting login with
819             rlogin/rsh.
820
821     /etc/ssh/ssh_config
822             Systemwide configuration file.  The file format and configuration
823             options are described in ssh_config(5).
824
825     /etc/ssh/ssh_host_key
826     /etc/ssh/ssh_host_dsa_key
827     /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key
828     /etc/ssh/ssh_host_rsa_key
829             These three files contain the private parts of the host keys and
830             are used for host-based authentication.  If protocol version 1 is
831             used, ssh must be setuid root, since the host key is readable
832             only by root.  For protocol version 2, ssh uses ssh-keysign(8) to
833             access the host keys, eliminating the requirement that ssh be
834             setuid root when host-based authentication is used.  By default
835             ssh is not setuid root.
836
837     /etc/ssh/ssh_known_hosts
838             Systemwide list of known host keys.  This file should be prepared
839             by the system administrator to contain the public host keys of
840             all machines in the organization.  It should be world-readable.
841             See sshd(8) for further details of the format of this file.
842
843     /etc/ssh/sshrc
844             Commands in this file are executed by ssh when the user logs in,
845             just before the user's shell (or command) is started.  See the
846             sshd(8) manual page for more information.
847
848EXIT STATUS
849     ssh exits with the exit status of the remote command or with 255 if an
850     error occurred.
851
852SEE ALSO
853     scp(1), sftp(1), ssh-add(1), ssh-agent(1), ssh-keygen(1), ssh-keyscan(1),
854     tun(4), hosts.equiv(5), ssh_config(5), ssh-keysign(8), sshd(8)
855
856     The Secure Shell (SSH) Protocol Assigned Numbers, RFC 4250, 2006.
857
858     The Secure Shell (SSH) Protocol Architecture, RFC 4251, 2006.
859
860     The Secure Shell (SSH) Authentication Protocol, RFC 4252, 2006.
861
862     The Secure Shell (SSH) Transport Layer Protocol, RFC 4253, 2006.
863
864     The Secure Shell (SSH) Connection Protocol, RFC 4254, 2006.
865
866     Using DNS to Securely Publish Secure Shell (SSH) Key Fingerprints, RFC
867     4255, 2006.
868
869     Generic Message Exchange Authentication for the Secure Shell Protocol
870     (SSH), RFC 4256, 2006.
871
872     The Secure Shell (SSH) Session Channel Break Extension, RFC 4335, 2006.
873
874     The Secure Shell (SSH) Transport Layer Encryption Modes, RFC 4344, 2006.
875
876     Improved Arcfour Modes for the Secure Shell (SSH) Transport Layer
877     Protocol, RFC 4345, 2006.
878
879     Diffie-Hellman Group Exchange for the Secure Shell (SSH) Transport Layer
880     Protocol, RFC 4419, 2006.
881
882     The Secure Shell (SSH) Public Key File Format, RFC 4716, 2006.
883
884     Elliptic Curve Algorithm Integration in the Secure Shell Transport Layer,
885     RFC 5656, 2009.
886
887     A. Perrig and D. Song, Hash Visualization: a New Technique to improve
888     Real-World Security, 1999, International Workshop on Cryptographic
889     Techniques and E-Commerce (CrypTEC '99).
890
891AUTHORS
892     OpenSSH is a derivative of the original and free ssh 1.2.12 release by
893     Tatu Ylonen.  Aaron Campbell, Bob Beck, Markus Friedl, Niels Provos, Theo
894     de Raadt and Dug Song removed many bugs, re-added newer features and
895     created OpenSSH.  Markus Friedl contributed the support for SSH protocol
896     versions 1.5 and 2.0.
897
898OpenBSD 4.8                    November 18, 2010                   OpenBSD 4.8
899