ssh_config.0 revision 255670
1SSH_CONFIG(5)             OpenBSD Programmer's Manual            SSH_CONFIG(5)
2
3NAME
4     ssh_config - OpenSSH SSH client configuration files
5
6SYNOPSIS
7     ~/.ssh/config
8     /etc/ssh/ssh_config
9
10DESCRIPTION
11     ssh(1) obtains configuration data from the following sources in the
12     following order:
13
14           1.   command-line options
15           2.   user's configuration file (~/.ssh/config)
16           3.   system-wide configuration file (/etc/ssh/ssh_config)
17
18     For each parameter, the first obtained value will be used.  The
19     configuration files contain sections separated by ``Host''
20     specifications, and that section is only applied for hosts that match one
21     of the patterns given in the specification.  The matched host name is the
22     one given on the command line.
23
24     Since the first obtained value for each parameter is used, more host-
25     specific declarations should be given near the beginning of the file, and
26     general defaults at the end.
27
28     The configuration file has the following format:
29
30     Empty lines and lines starting with `#' are comments.  Otherwise a line
31     is of the format ``keyword arguments''.  Configuration options may be
32     separated by whitespace or optional whitespace and exactly one `='; the
33     latter format is useful to avoid the need to quote whitespace when
34     specifying configuration options using the ssh, scp, and sftp -o option.
35     Arguments may optionally be enclosed in double quotes (") in order to
36     represent arguments containing spaces.
37
38     The possible keywords and their meanings are as follows (note that
39     keywords are case-insensitive and arguments are case-sensitive):
40
41     Host    Restricts the following declarations (up to the next Host
42             keyword) to be only for those hosts that match one of the
43             patterns given after the keyword.  If more than one pattern is
44             provided, they should be separated by whitespace.  A single `*'
45             as a pattern can be used to provide global defaults for all
46             hosts.  The host is the hostname argument given on the command
47             line (i.e. the name is not converted to a canonicalized host name
48             before matching).
49
50             A pattern entry may be negated by prefixing it with an
51             exclamation mark (`!').  If a negated entry is matched, then the
52             Host entry is ignored, regardless of whether any other patterns
53             on the line match.  Negated matches are therefore useful to
54             provide exceptions for wildcard matches.
55
56             See PATTERNS for more information on patterns.
57
58     AddressFamily
59             Specifies which address family to use when connecting.  Valid
60             arguments are ``any'', ``inet'' (use IPv4 only), or ``inet6''
61             (use IPv6 only).
62
63     BatchMode
64             If set to ``yes'', passphrase/password querying will be disabled.
65             This option is useful in scripts and other batch jobs where no
66             user is present to supply the password.  The argument must be
67             ``yes'' or ``no''.  The default is ``no''.
68
69     BindAddress
70             Use the specified address on the local machine as the source
71             address of the connection.  Only useful on systems with more than
72             one address.  Note that this option does not work if
73             UsePrivilegedPort is set to ``yes''.
74
75     ChallengeResponseAuthentication
76             Specifies whether to use challenge-response authentication.  The
77             argument to this keyword must be ``yes'' or ``no''.  The default
78             is ``yes''.
79
80     CheckHostIP
81             If this flag is set to ``yes'', ssh(1) will additionally check
82             the host IP address in the known_hosts file.  This allows ssh to
83             detect if a host key changed due to DNS spoofing.  If the option
84             is set to ``no'', the check will not be executed.  The default is
85             ``yes''.
86
87     Cipher  Specifies the cipher to use for encrypting the session in
88             protocol version 1.  Currently, ``blowfish'', ``3des'', and
89             ``des'' are supported.  des is only supported in the ssh(1)
90             client for interoperability with legacy protocol 1
91             implementations that do not support the 3des cipher.  Its use is
92             strongly discouraged due to cryptographic weaknesses.  The
93             default is ``3des''.
94
95     Ciphers
96             Specifies the ciphers allowed for protocol version 2 in order of
97             preference.  Multiple ciphers must be comma-separated.  The
98             supported ciphers are ``3des-cbc'', ``aes128-cbc'',
99             ``aes192-cbc'', ``aes256-cbc'', ``aes128-ctr'', ``aes192-ctr'',
100             ``aes256-ctr'', ``aes128-gcm@openssh.com'',
101             ``aes256-gcm@openssh.com'', ``arcfour128'', ``arcfour256'',
102             ``arcfour'', ``blowfish-cbc'', and ``cast128-cbc''.  The default
103             is:
104
105                aes128-ctr,aes192-ctr,aes256-ctr,arcfour256,arcfour128,
106                aes128-gcm@openssh.com,aes256-gcm@openssh.com,
107                aes128-cbc,3des-cbc,blowfish-cbc,cast128-cbc,aes192-cbc,
108                aes256-cbc,arcfour
109
110     ClearAllForwardings
111             Specifies that all local, remote, and dynamic port forwardings
112             specified in the configuration files or on the command line be
113             cleared.  This option is primarily useful when used from the
114             ssh(1) command line to clear port forwardings set in
115             configuration files, and is automatically set by scp(1) and
116             sftp(1).  The argument must be ``yes'' or ``no''.  The default is
117             ``no''.
118
119     Compression
120             Specifies whether to use compression.  The argument must be
121             ``yes'' or ``no''.  The default is ``no''.
122
123     CompressionLevel
124             Specifies the compression level to use if compression is enabled.
125             The argument must be an integer from 1 (fast) to 9 (slow, best).
126             The default level is 6, which is good for most applications.  The
127             meaning of the values is the same as in gzip(1).  Note that this
128             option applies to protocol version 1 only.
129
130     ConnectionAttempts
131             Specifies the number of tries (one per second) to make before
132             exiting.  The argument must be an integer.  This may be useful in
133             scripts if the connection sometimes fails.  The default is 1.
134
135     ConnectTimeout
136             Specifies the timeout (in seconds) used when connecting to the
137             SSH server, instead of using the default system TCP timeout.
138             This value is used only when the target is down or really
139             unreachable, not when it refuses the connection.
140
141     ControlMaster
142             Enables the sharing of multiple sessions over a single network
143             connection.  When set to ``yes'', ssh(1) will listen for
144             connections on a control socket specified using the ControlPath
145             argument.  Additional sessions can connect to this socket using
146             the same ControlPath with ControlMaster set to ``no'' (the
147             default).  These sessions will try to reuse the master instance's
148             network connection rather than initiating new ones, but will fall
149             back to connecting normally if the control socket does not exist,
150             or is not listening.
151
152             Setting this to ``ask'' will cause ssh to listen for control
153             connections, but require confirmation using the SSH_ASKPASS
154             program before they are accepted (see ssh-add(1) for details).
155             If the ControlPath cannot be opened, ssh will continue without
156             connecting to a master instance.
157
158             X11 and ssh-agent(1) forwarding is supported over these
159             multiplexed connections, however the display and agent forwarded
160             will be the one belonging to the master connection i.e. it is not
161             possible to forward multiple displays or agents.
162
163             Two additional options allow for opportunistic multiplexing: try
164             to use a master connection but fall back to creating a new one if
165             one does not already exist.  These options are: ``auto'' and
166             ``autoask''.  The latter requires confirmation like the ``ask''
167             option.
168
169     ControlPath
170             Specify the path to the control socket used for connection
171             sharing as described in the ControlMaster section above or the
172             string ``none'' to disable connection sharing.  In the path, `%L'
173             will be substituted by the first component of the local host
174             name, `%l' will be substituted by the local host name (including
175             any domain name), `%h' will be substituted by the target host
176             name, `%n' will be substituted by the original target host name
177             specified on the command line, `%p' the port, `%r' by the remote
178             login username, and `%u' by the username of the user running
179             ssh(1).  It is recommended that any ControlPath used for
180             opportunistic connection sharing include at least %h, %p, and %r.
181             This ensures that shared connections are uniquely identified.
182
183     ControlPersist
184             When used in conjunction with ControlMaster, specifies that the
185             master connection should remain open in the background (waiting
186             for future client connections) after the initial client
187             connection has been closed.  If set to ``no'', then the master
188             connection will not be placed into the background, and will close
189             as soon as the initial client connection is closed.  If set to
190             ``yes'', then the master connection will remain in the background
191             indefinitely (until killed or closed via a mechanism such as the
192             ssh(1) ``-O exit'' option).  If set to a time in seconds, or a
193             time in any of the formats documented in sshd_config(5), then the
194             backgrounded master connection will automatically terminate after
195             it has remained idle (with no client connections) for the
196             specified time.
197
198     DynamicForward
199             Specifies that a TCP port on the local machine be forwarded over
200             the secure channel, and the application protocol is then used to
201             determine where to connect to from the remote machine.
202
203             The argument must be [bind_address:]port.  IPv6 addresses can be
204             specified by enclosing addresses in square brackets.  By default,
205             the local port is bound in accordance with the GatewayPorts
206             setting.  However, an explicit bind_address may be used to bind
207             the connection to a specific address.  The bind_address of
208             ``localhost'' indicates that the listening port be bound for
209             local use only, while an empty address or `*' indicates that the
210             port should be available from all interfaces.
211
212             Currently the SOCKS4 and SOCKS5 protocols are supported, and
213             ssh(1) will act as a SOCKS server.  Multiple forwardings may be
214             specified, and additional forwardings can be given on the command
215             line.  Only the superuser can forward privileged ports.
216
217     EnableSSHKeysign
218             Setting this option to ``yes'' in the global client configuration
219             file /etc/ssh/ssh_config enables the use of the helper program
220             ssh-keysign(8) during HostbasedAuthentication.  The argument must
221             be ``yes'' or ``no''.  The default is ``no''.  This option should
222             be placed in the non-hostspecific section.  See ssh-keysign(8)
223             for more information.
224
225     EscapeChar
226             Sets the escape character (default: `~').  The escape character
227             can also be set on the command line.  The argument should be a
228             single character, `^' followed by a letter, or ``none'' to
229             disable the escape character entirely (making the connection
230             transparent for binary data).
231
232     ExitOnForwardFailure
233             Specifies whether ssh(1) should terminate the connection if it
234             cannot set up all requested dynamic, tunnel, local, and remote
235             port forwardings.  The argument must be ``yes'' or ``no''.  The
236             default is ``no''.
237
238     ForwardAgent
239             Specifies whether the connection to the authentication agent (if
240             any) will be forwarded to the remote machine.  The argument must
241             be ``yes'' or ``no''.  The default is ``no''.
242
243             Agent forwarding should be enabled with caution.  Users with the
244             ability to bypass file permissions on the remote host (for the
245             agent's Unix-domain socket) can access the local agent through
246             the forwarded connection.  An attacker cannot obtain key material
247             from the agent, however they can perform operations on the keys
248             that enable them to authenticate using the identities loaded into
249             the agent.
250
251     ForwardX11
252             Specifies whether X11 connections will be automatically
253             redirected over the secure channel and DISPLAY set.  The argument
254             must be ``yes'' or ``no''.  The default is ``no''.
255
256             X11 forwarding should be enabled with caution.  Users with the
257             ability to bypass file permissions on the remote host (for the
258             user's X11 authorization database) can access the local X11
259             display through the forwarded connection.  An attacker may then
260             be able to perform activities such as keystroke monitoring if the
261             ForwardX11Trusted option is also enabled.
262
263     ForwardX11Timeout
264             Specify a timeout for untrusted X11 forwarding using the format
265             described in the TIME FORMATS section of sshd_config(5).  X11
266             connections received by ssh(1) after this time will be refused.
267             The default is to disable untrusted X11 forwarding after twenty
268             minutes has elapsed.
269
270     ForwardX11Trusted
271             If this option is set to ``yes'', remote X11 clients will have
272             full access to the original X11 display.
273
274             If this option is set to ``no'', remote X11 clients will be
275             considered untrusted and prevented from stealing or tampering
276             with data belonging to trusted X11 clients.  Furthermore, the
277             xauth(1) token used for the session will be set to expire after
278             20 minutes.  Remote clients will be refused access after this
279             time.
280
281             The default is ``no''.
282
283             See the X11 SECURITY extension specification for full details on
284             the restrictions imposed on untrusted clients.
285
286     GatewayPorts
287             Specifies whether remote hosts are allowed to connect to local
288             forwarded ports.  By default, ssh(1) binds local port forwardings
289             to the loopback address.  This prevents other remote hosts from
290             connecting to forwarded ports.  GatewayPorts can be used to
291             specify that ssh should bind local port forwardings to the
292             wildcard address, thus allowing remote hosts to connect to
293             forwarded ports.  The argument must be ``yes'' or ``no''.  The
294             default is ``no''.
295
296     GlobalKnownHostsFile
297             Specifies one or more files to use for the global host key
298             database, separated by whitespace.  The default is
299             /etc/ssh/ssh_known_hosts, /etc/ssh/ssh_known_hosts2.
300
301     GSSAPIAuthentication
302             Specifies whether user authentication based on GSSAPI is allowed.
303             The default is ``no''.  Note that this option applies to protocol
304             version 2 only.
305
306     GSSAPIDelegateCredentials
307             Forward (delegate) credentials to the server.  The default is
308             ``no''.  Note that this option applies to protocol version 2
309             only.
310
311     HashKnownHosts
312             Indicates that ssh(1) should hash host names and addresses when
313             they are added to ~/.ssh/known_hosts.  These hashed names may be
314             used normally by ssh(1) and sshd(8), but they do not reveal
315             identifying information should the file's contents be disclosed.
316             The default is ``no''.  Note that existing names and addresses in
317             known hosts files will not be converted automatically, but may be
318             manually hashed using ssh-keygen(1).
319
320     HostbasedAuthentication
321             Specifies whether to try rhosts based authentication with public
322             key authentication.  The argument must be ``yes'' or ``no''.  The
323             default is ``no''.  This option applies to protocol version 2
324             only and is similar to RhostsRSAAuthentication.
325
326     HostKeyAlgorithms
327             Specifies the protocol version 2 host key algorithms that the
328             client wants to use in order of preference.  The default for this
329             option is:
330
331                ecdsa-sha2-nistp256-cert-v01@openssh.com,
332                ecdsa-sha2-nistp384-cert-v01@openssh.com,
333                ecdsa-sha2-nistp521-cert-v01@openssh.com,
334                ssh-rsa-cert-v01@openssh.com,ssh-dss-cert-v01@openssh.com,
335                ssh-rsa-cert-v00@openssh.com,ssh-dss-cert-v00@openssh.com,
336                ecdsa-sha2-nistp256,ecdsa-sha2-nistp384,ecdsa-sha2-nistp521,
337                ssh-rsa,ssh-dss
338
339             If hostkeys are known for the destination host then this default
340             is modified to prefer their algorithms.
341
342     HostKeyAlias
343             Specifies an alias that should be used instead of the real host
344             name when looking up or saving the host key in the host key
345             database files.  This option is useful for tunneling SSH
346             connections or for multiple servers running on a single host.
347
348     HostName
349             Specifies the real host name to log into.  This can be used to
350             specify nicknames or abbreviations for hosts.  If the hostname
351             contains the character sequence `%h', then this will be replaced
352             with the host name specified on the command line (this is useful
353             for manipulating unqualified names).  The default is the name
354             given on the command line.  Numeric IP addresses are also
355             permitted (both on the command line and in HostName
356             specifications).
357
358     IdentitiesOnly
359             Specifies that ssh(1) should only use the authentication identity
360             files configured in the ssh_config files, even if ssh-agent(1) or
361             a PKCS11Provider offers more identities.  The argument to this
362             keyword must be ``yes'' or ``no''.  This option is intended for
363             situations where ssh-agent offers many different identities.  The
364             default is ``no''.
365
366     IdentityFile
367             Specifies a file from which the user's DSA, ECDSA or RSA
368             authentication identity is read.  The default is ~/.ssh/identity
369             for protocol version 1, and ~/.ssh/id_dsa, ~/.ssh/id_ecdsa and
370             ~/.ssh/id_rsa for protocol version 2.  Additionally, any
371             identities represented by the authentication agent will be used
372             for authentication unless IdentitiesOnly is set.  ssh(1) will try
373             to load certificate information from the filename obtained by
374             appending -cert.pub to the path of a specified IdentityFile.
375
376             The file name may use the tilde syntax to refer to a user's home
377             directory or one of the following escape characters: `%d' (local
378             user's home directory), `%u' (local user name), `%l' (local host
379             name), `%h' (remote host name) or `%r' (remote user name).
380
381             It is possible to have multiple identity files specified in
382             configuration files; all these identities will be tried in
383             sequence.  Multiple IdentityFile directives will add to the list
384             of identities tried (this behaviour differs from that of other
385             configuration directives).
386
387             IdentityFile may be used in conjunction with IdentitiesOnly to
388             select which identities in an agent are offered during
389             authentication.
390
391     IgnoreUnknown
392             Specifies a pattern-list of unknown options to be ignored if they
393             are encountered in configuration parsing.  This may be used to
394             suppress errors if ssh_config contains options that are
395             unrecognised by ssh(1).  It is recommended that IgnoreUnknown be
396             listed early in the configuration file as it will not be applied
397             to unknown options that appear before it.
398
399     IPQoS   Specifies the IPv4 type-of-service or DSCP class for connections.
400             Accepted values are ``af11'', ``af12'', ``af13'', ``af21'',
401             ``af22'', ``af23'', ``af31'', ``af32'', ``af33'', ``af41'',
402             ``af42'', ``af43'', ``cs0'', ``cs1'', ``cs2'', ``cs3'', ``cs4'',
403             ``cs5'', ``cs6'', ``cs7'', ``ef'', ``lowdelay'', ``throughput'',
404             ``reliability'', or a numeric value.  This option may take one or
405             two arguments, separated by whitespace.  If one argument is
406             specified, it is used as the packet class unconditionally.  If
407             two values are specified, the first is automatically selected for
408             interactive sessions and the second for non-interactive sessions.
409             The default is ``lowdelay'' for interactive sessions and
410             ``throughput'' for non-interactive sessions.
411
412     KbdInteractiveAuthentication
413             Specifies whether to use keyboard-interactive authentication.
414             The argument to this keyword must be ``yes'' or ``no''.  The
415             default is ``yes''.
416
417     KbdInteractiveDevices
418             Specifies the list of methods to use in keyboard-interactive
419             authentication.  Multiple method names must be comma-separated.
420             The default is to use the server specified list.  The methods
421             available vary depending on what the server supports.  For an
422             OpenSSH server, it may be zero or more of: ``bsdauth'', ``pam'',
423             and ``skey''.
424
425     KexAlgorithms
426             Specifies the available KEX (Key Exchange) algorithms.  Multiple
427             algorithms must be comma-separated.  The default is:
428
429                   ecdh-sha2-nistp256,ecdh-sha2-nistp384,ecdh-sha2-nistp521,
430                   diffie-hellman-group-exchange-sha256,
431                   diffie-hellman-group-exchange-sha1,
432                   diffie-hellman-group14-sha1,
433                   diffie-hellman-group1-sha1
434
435     LocalCommand
436             Specifies a command to execute on the local machine after
437             successfully connecting to the server.  The command string
438             extends to the end of the line, and is executed with the user's
439             shell.  The following escape character substitutions will be
440             performed: `%d' (local user's home directory), `%h' (remote host
441             name), `%l' (local host name), `%n' (host name as provided on the
442             command line), `%p' (remote port), `%r' (remote user name) or
443             `%u' (local user name).
444
445             The command is run synchronously and does not have access to the
446             session of the ssh(1) that spawned it.  It should not be used for
447             interactive commands.
448
449             This directive is ignored unless PermitLocalCommand has been
450             enabled.
451
452     LocalForward
453             Specifies that a TCP port on the local machine be forwarded over
454             the secure channel to the specified host and port from the remote
455             machine.  The first argument must be [bind_address:]port and the
456             second argument must be host:hostport.  IPv6 addresses can be
457             specified by enclosing addresses in square brackets.  Multiple
458             forwardings may be specified, and additional forwardings can be
459             given on the command line.  Only the superuser can forward
460             privileged ports.  By default, the local port is bound in
461             accordance with the GatewayPorts setting.  However, an explicit
462             bind_address may be used to bind the connection to a specific
463             address.  The bind_address of ``localhost'' indicates that the
464             listening port be bound for local use only, while an empty
465             address or `*' indicates that the port should be available from
466             all interfaces.
467
468     LogLevel
469             Gives the verbosity level that is used when logging messages from
470             ssh(1).  The possible values are: QUIET, FATAL, ERROR, INFO,
471             VERBOSE, DEBUG, DEBUG1, DEBUG2, and DEBUG3.  The default is INFO.
472             DEBUG and DEBUG1 are equivalent.  DEBUG2 and DEBUG3 each specify
473             higher levels of verbose output.
474
475     MACs    Specifies the MAC (message authentication code) algorithms in
476             order of preference.  The MAC algorithm is used in protocol
477             version 2 for data integrity protection.  Multiple algorithms
478             must be comma-separated.  The algorithms that contain ``-etm''
479             calculate the MAC after encryption (encrypt-then-mac).  These are
480             considered safer and their use recommended.  The default is:
481
482                   hmac-md5-etm@openssh.com,hmac-sha1-etm@openssh.com,
483                   umac-64-etm@openssh.com,umac-128-etm@openssh.com,
484                   hmac-sha2-256-etm@openssh.com,hmac-sha2-512-etm@openssh.com,
485                   hmac-ripemd160-etm@openssh.com,hmac-sha1-96-etm@openssh.com,
486                   hmac-md5-96-etm@openssh.com,
487                   hmac-md5,hmac-sha1,umac-64@openssh.com,umac-128@openssh.com,
488                   hmac-sha2-256,hmac-sha2-512,hmac-ripemd160,
489                   hmac-sha1-96,hmac-md5-96
490
491     NoHostAuthenticationForLocalhost
492             This option can be used if the home directory is shared across
493             machines.  In this case localhost will refer to a different
494             machine on each of the machines and the user will get many
495             warnings about changed host keys.  However, this option disables
496             host authentication for localhost.  The argument to this keyword
497             must be ``yes'' or ``no''.  The default is to check the host key
498             for localhost.
499
500     NumberOfPasswordPrompts
501             Specifies the number of password prompts before giving up.  The
502             argument to this keyword must be an integer.  The default is 3.
503
504     PasswordAuthentication
505             Specifies whether to use password authentication.  The argument
506             to this keyword must be ``yes'' or ``no''.  The default is
507             ``yes''.
508
509     PermitLocalCommand
510             Allow local command execution via the LocalCommand option or
511             using the !command escape sequence in ssh(1).  The argument must
512             be ``yes'' or ``no''.  The default is ``no''.
513
514     PKCS11Provider
515             Specifies which PKCS#11 provider to use.  The argument to this
516             keyword is the PKCS#11 shared library ssh(1) should use to
517             communicate with a PKCS#11 token providing the user's private RSA
518             key.
519
520     Port    Specifies the port number to connect on the remote host.  The
521             default is 22.
522
523     PreferredAuthentications
524             Specifies the order in which the client should try protocol 2
525             authentication methods.  This allows a client to prefer one
526             method (e.g. keyboard-interactive) over another method (e.g.
527             password).  The default is:
528
529                   gssapi-with-mic,hostbased,publickey,
530                   keyboard-interactive,password
531
532     Protocol
533             Specifies the protocol versions ssh(1) should support in order of
534             preference.  The possible values are `1' and `2'.  Multiple
535             versions must be comma-separated.  When this option is set to
536             ``2,1'' ssh will try version 2 and fall back to version 1 if
537             version 2 is not available.  The default is `2'.
538
539     ProxyCommand
540             Specifies the command to use to connect to the server.  The
541             command string extends to the end of the line, and is executed
542             with the user's shell.  In the command string, any occurrence of
543             `%h' will be substituted by the host name to connect, `%p' by the
544             port, and `%r' by the remote user name.  The command can be
545             basically anything, and should read from its standard input and
546             write to its standard output.  It should eventually connect an
547             sshd(8) server running on some machine, or execute sshd -i
548             somewhere.  Host key management will be done using the HostName
549             of the host being connected (defaulting to the name typed by the
550             user).  Setting the command to ``none'' disables this option
551             entirely.  Note that CheckHostIP is not available for connects
552             with a proxy command.
553
554             This directive is useful in conjunction with nc(1) and its proxy
555             support.  For example, the following directive would connect via
556             an HTTP proxy at 192.0.2.0:
557
558                ProxyCommand /usr/bin/nc -X connect -x 192.0.2.0:8080 %h %p
559
560     PubkeyAuthentication
561             Specifies whether to try public key authentication.  The argument
562             to this keyword must be ``yes'' or ``no''.  The default is
563             ``yes''.  This option applies to protocol version 2 only.
564
565     RekeyLimit
566             Specifies the maximum amount of data that may be transmitted
567             before the session key is renegotiated, optionally followed a
568             maximum amount of time that may pass before the session key is
569             renegotiated.  The first argument is specified in bytes and may
570             have a suffix of `K', `M', or `G' to indicate Kilobytes,
571             Megabytes, or Gigabytes, respectively.  The default is between
572             `1G' and `4G', depending on the cipher.  The optional second
573             value is specified in seconds and may use any of the units
574             documented in the TIME FORMATS section of sshd_config(5).  The
575             default value for RekeyLimit is ``default none'', which means
576             that rekeying is performed after the cipher's default amount of
577             data has been sent or received and no time based rekeying is
578             done.  This option applies to protocol version 2 only.
579
580     RemoteForward
581             Specifies that a TCP port on the remote machine be forwarded over
582             the secure channel to the specified host and port from the local
583             machine.  The first argument must be [bind_address:]port and the
584             second argument must be host:hostport.  IPv6 addresses can be
585             specified by enclosing addresses in square brackets.  Multiple
586             forwardings may be specified, and additional forwardings can be
587             given on the command line.  Privileged ports can be forwarded
588             only when logging in as root on the remote machine.
589
590             If the port argument is `0', the listen port will be dynamically
591             allocated on the server and reported to the client at run time.
592
593             If the bind_address is not specified, the default is to only bind
594             to loopback addresses.  If the bind_address is `*' or an empty
595             string, then the forwarding is requested to listen on all
596             interfaces.  Specifying a remote bind_address will only succeed
597             if the server's GatewayPorts option is enabled (see
598             sshd_config(5)).
599
600     RequestTTY
601             Specifies whether to request a pseudo-tty for the session.  The
602             argument may be one of: ``no'' (never request a TTY), ``yes''
603             (always request a TTY when standard input is a TTY), ``force''
604             (always request a TTY) or ``auto'' (request a TTY when opening a
605             login session).  This option mirrors the -t and -T flags for
606             ssh(1).
607
608     RhostsRSAAuthentication
609             Specifies whether to try rhosts based authentication with RSA
610             host authentication.  The argument must be ``yes'' or ``no''.
611             The default is ``no''.  This option applies to protocol version 1
612             only and requires ssh(1) to be setuid root.
613
614     RSAAuthentication
615             Specifies whether to try RSA authentication.  The argument to
616             this keyword must be ``yes'' or ``no''.  RSA authentication will
617             only be attempted if the identity file exists, or an
618             authentication agent is running.  The default is ``yes''.  Note
619             that this option applies to protocol version 1 only.
620
621     SendEnv
622             Specifies what variables from the local environ(7) should be sent
623             to the server.  Note that environment passing is only supported
624             for protocol 2.  The server must also support it, and the server
625             must be configured to accept these environment variables.  Refer
626             to AcceptEnv in sshd_config(5) for how to configure the server.
627             Variables are specified by name, which may contain wildcard
628             characters.  Multiple environment variables may be separated by
629             whitespace or spread across multiple SendEnv directives.  The
630             default is not to send any environment variables.
631
632             See PATTERNS for more information on patterns.
633
634     ServerAliveCountMax
635             Sets the number of server alive messages (see below) which may be
636             sent without ssh(1) receiving any messages back from the server.
637             If this threshold is reached while server alive messages are
638             being sent, ssh will disconnect from the server, terminating the
639             session.  It is important to note that the use of server alive
640             messages is very different from TCPKeepAlive (below).  The server
641             alive messages are sent through the encrypted channel and
642             therefore will not be spoofable.  The TCP keepalive option
643             enabled by TCPKeepAlive is spoofable.  The server alive mechanism
644             is valuable when the client or server depend on knowing when a
645             connection has become inactive.
646
647             The default value is 3.  If, for example, ServerAliveInterval
648             (see below) is set to 15 and ServerAliveCountMax is left at the
649             default, if the server becomes unresponsive, ssh will disconnect
650             after approximately 45 seconds.  This option applies to protocol
651             version 2 only.
652
653     ServerAliveInterval
654             Sets a timeout interval in seconds after which if no data has
655             been received from the server, ssh(1) will send a message through
656             the encrypted channel to request a response from the server.  The
657             default is 0, indicating that these messages will not be sent to
658             the server.  This option applies to protocol version 2 only.
659
660     StrictHostKeyChecking
661             If this flag is set to ``yes'', ssh(1) will never automatically
662             add host keys to the ~/.ssh/known_hosts file, and refuses to
663             connect to hosts whose host key has changed.  This provides
664             maximum protection against trojan horse attacks, though it can be
665             annoying when the /etc/ssh/ssh_known_hosts file is poorly
666             maintained or when connections to new hosts are frequently made.
667             This option forces the user to manually add all new hosts.  If
668             this flag is set to ``no'', ssh will automatically add new host
669             keys to the user known hosts files.  If this flag is set to
670             ``ask'', new host keys will be added to the user known host files
671             only after the user has confirmed that is what they really want
672             to do, and ssh will refuse to connect to hosts whose host key has
673             changed.  The host keys of known hosts will be verified
674             automatically in all cases.  The argument must be ``yes'',
675             ``no'', or ``ask''.  The default is ``ask''.
676
677     TCPKeepAlive
678             Specifies whether the system should send TCP keepalive messages
679             to the other side.  If they are sent, death of the connection or
680             crash of one of the machines will be properly noticed.  However,
681             this means that connections will die if the route is down
682             temporarily, and some people find it annoying.
683
684             The default is ``yes'' (to send TCP keepalive messages), and the
685             client will notice if the network goes down or the remote host
686             dies.  This is important in scripts, and many users want it too.
687
688             To disable TCP keepalive messages, the value should be set to
689             ``no''.
690
691     Tunnel  Request tun(4) device forwarding between the client and the
692             server.  The argument must be ``yes'', ``point-to-point'' (layer
693             3), ``ethernet'' (layer 2), or ``no''.  Specifying ``yes''
694             requests the default tunnel mode, which is ``point-to-point''.
695             The default is ``no''.
696
697     TunnelDevice
698             Specifies the tun(4) devices to open on the client (local_tun)
699             and the server (remote_tun).
700
701             The argument must be local_tun[:remote_tun].  The devices may be
702             specified by numerical ID or the keyword ``any'', which uses the
703             next available tunnel device.  If remote_tun is not specified, it
704             defaults to ``any''.  The default is ``any:any''.
705
706     UsePrivilegedPort
707             Specifies whether to use a privileged port for outgoing
708             connections.  The argument must be ``yes'' or ``no''.  The
709             default is ``no''.  If set to ``yes'', ssh(1) must be setuid
710             root.  Note that this option must be set to ``yes'' for
711             RhostsRSAAuthentication with older servers.
712
713     User    Specifies the user to log in as.  This can be useful when a
714             different user name is used on different machines.  This saves
715             the trouble of having to remember to give the user name on the
716             command line.
717
718     UserKnownHostsFile
719             Specifies one or more files to use for the user host key
720             database, separated by whitespace.  The default is
721             ~/.ssh/known_hosts, ~/.ssh/known_hosts2.
722
723     VerifyHostKeyDNS
724             Specifies whether to verify the remote key using DNS and SSHFP
725             resource records.  If this option is set to ``yes'', the client
726             will implicitly trust keys that match a secure fingerprint from
727             DNS.  Insecure fingerprints will be handled as if this option was
728             set to ``ask''.  If this option is set to ``ask'', information on
729             fingerprint match will be displayed, but the user will still need
730             to confirm new host keys according to the StrictHostKeyChecking
731             option.  The argument must be ``yes'', ``no'', or ``ask''.  The
732             default is ``no''.  Note that this option applies to protocol
733             version 2 only.
734
735             See also VERIFYING HOST KEYS in ssh(1).
736
737     VisualHostKey
738             If this flag is set to ``yes'', an ASCII art representation of
739             the remote host key fingerprint is printed in addition to the hex
740             fingerprint string at login and for unknown host keys.  If this
741             flag is set to ``no'', no fingerprint strings are printed at
742             login and only the hex fingerprint string will be printed for
743             unknown host keys.  The default is ``no''.
744
745     XAuthLocation
746             Specifies the full pathname of the xauth(1) program.  The default
747             is /usr/X11R6/bin/xauth.
748
749PATTERNS
750     A pattern consists of zero or more non-whitespace characters, `*' (a
751     wildcard that matches zero or more characters), or `?' (a wildcard that
752     matches exactly one character).  For example, to specify a set of
753     declarations for any host in the ``.co.uk'' set of domains, the following
754     pattern could be used:
755
756           Host *.co.uk
757
758     The following pattern would match any host in the 192.168.0.[0-9] network
759     range:
760
761           Host 192.168.0.?
762
763     A pattern-list is a comma-separated list of patterns.  Patterns within
764     pattern-lists may be negated by preceding them with an exclamation mark
765     (`!').  For example, to allow a key to be used from anywhere within an
766     organisation except from the ``dialup'' pool, the following entry (in
767     authorized_keys) could be used:
768
769           from="!*.dialup.example.com,*.example.com"
770
771FILES
772     ~/.ssh/config
773             This is the per-user configuration file.  The format of this file
774             is described above.  This file is used by the SSH client.
775             Because of the potential for abuse, this file must have strict
776             permissions: read/write for the user, and not accessible by
777             others.
778
779     /etc/ssh/ssh_config
780             Systemwide configuration file.  This file provides defaults for
781             those values that are not specified in the user's configuration
782             file, and for those users who do not have a configuration file.
783             This file must be world-readable.
784
785SEE ALSO
786     ssh(1)
787
788AUTHORS
789     OpenSSH is a derivative of the original and free ssh 1.2.12 release by
790     Tatu Ylonen.  Aaron Campbell, Bob Beck, Markus Friedl, Niels Provos, Theo
791     de Raadt and Dug Song removed many bugs, re-added newer features and
792     created OpenSSH.  Markus Friedl contributed the support for SSH protocol
793     versions 1.5 and 2.0.
794
795OpenBSD 5.4                      June 27, 2013                     OpenBSD 5.4
796