NDSU CS Department Wiki

SSH, or Secure Shell, is a protocol used to securely log onto remote systems (Not just computers but some routers, switches, etc). It is the most common way to access remote Linux and Unix-like servers.

PuTTY is a free software application for Windows 95, 98, XP, Vista, 7, (the ill fated 8 & 8.1), and (the mess that is) Windows 10 which can be used to make an SSH connection to your server. You can download the application from https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html

Before you start, you'll need:

• A computer connected to the internet.
• The fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the remote computer.
• Your NDSU SSH login credentials (see Authentication).
• The Putty application mentioned above.

1. To start Putty, double-click on the putty.exe program you downloaded, or the desktop shortcut created if you used an installer, to launch the application.
   • Note: You may receive a warning that the publisher cannot be verified. If you have downloaded this program from a good source, select Run.
2. Enter your connection settings.
   • Host Name: example.com or lab10.cs.ndsu.nodak.edu
   • Port: 22 (leave as default)
   • Connection Type: SSH (leave as default)
   • 
3. Click Open to start your SSH session.
   • If this is your first time connecting to a particular server, you should receive a Security Alert message like the one below. Read it and make the appropriate decision.
   • 
   • A terminal window will open asking for your username and password.
   • 
   • You are now connected to the remote computer.

Another option, for those using Windows 10, is Windows PowerShell.

Current versions of PowerShell (2021 and later) work much like using SSH from Linux. Earlier versions use a different command structure that you can Google if needed.

The default PowerShell color scheme leaves much to be desired, so if you have trouble reading a blue font on a blue background, you can change the color scheme by right clicking on the window logo and choosing Properties.