Configure a Local Device to Log in to a Remote Device via SSH Public Key Authentication Mode

Network Requirements

• PC acts as the local terminal and installs the SecureCRT software.
• PC acts as the local terminal and can access Device via the SSH public key.

Network Topology

Figure 2‑11: Network topology of configuring a local device to log in to a remote device by the SSH public key authentication mode

Configuration Steps

Step 1: Configure the IP address of the interface and configure the routing protocol to make the PC and Device intercommunicate with each other (omitted).

Step 2: Configure the SSH service and FTP function.

Step 3: Configure the login user name of Device.

Step 4: On PC, generate the SSH public key file.

#The document takes Windows operation system as an example. SecureCRT uses Version 8.5. On PC, open the SecureCRT software tool bar and click the Tools button. In the drop-down menu, click Create Public Key (C) to display the wizard of generating the key, and click Next.

#Key type: Select any one from DSA and RSA. Here, take DSA as an example and click Next.

#The pass phrase is taking effect at the local and you can ignore. Click Next.

#Fill in the key length according to the description and click Next.

#To generate the key, you need to move the mouse continuously. After generating the key, click Next.

#Select the format of storing the key. Here, select the OpenSSH key format and click Finish.

#In the FTP server path of the PC, create the file “authorized_keys”, copy all content of the public key file “Identity.pub” to “authorized_keys”, and copy the file “authorized_keys” to /flash/sshpubkey/user1/.

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  For the format of storing the key, select OpenSSH and the other formats are not supported.
• When copying the “Identity.pub” content, select all and then copy, and do not need to change a line.
• When multiple clients use one user to log in, change a line after the public key information stored by “authorized_keys”, then paste the information of another public key, and superimpose.
• By default, the device does not have the directory /flash/sshpubkey/user1/, and you need to create in filesystem. User1 in the directory is the user name used by authentication. The user name is the user on the device. If the user name is user2, create /flash/sshpubkey/user2/.
• SSH public key authentication does not support SSHv1.

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Step 5: Check the result.

PC uses the SecureCRT software to set up the SSH connection, use publickey first or unique authentication, click Connect, and you can see that the connection is not required to input the password, but can log into the device directly.