Connecting to a Linux VM via SSH

If you do not have OpenSSH installed yet, follow this guide to install it.

1. Run cmd.exe or powershell.exe (make sure to update PowerShell before doing so).

2. Use the ssh-keygen command to create a new key:

   ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "<optional_comment>"
   

   You can specify an empty string in the -C parameter to avoid adding a comment, or you may not specify the -C parameter at all: in this case, a default comment will be added.

   After running this command, you will be prompted to specify the name and path to the key files, as well as enter the password for the private key. If you only specify the name, the key pair will be created in the current directory. The public key will be saved in a file with the .pub extension, while the private key, in a file without extension.

   By default, the command prompts you to save the key under the id_ed25519 name in the following folder: C:\Users\<username>/.ssh. If there is already an SSH key named id_ed25519 in this directory, you may accidentally overwrite it and lose access to the resources it is used in. Therefore, you may want to use unique names for all SSH keys.

Create keys using the PuTTY app:

1. Download and install PuTTY.

2. Add the folder with PuTTY to the PATH variable:

   1. Click Start and type Change system environment variables in the Windows search bar.
   2. Click Environment Variables... at the bottom right.
   3. In the window that opens, find the PATH parameter and click Edit.
   4. Add your folder path to the list.
   5. Click OK.

3. Launch the PuTTYgen app.

4. Select EdDSA as the pair type to generate. Click Generate and move the cursor in the field above it until key creation is complete.

   

5. In Key passphrase, enter a strong password. Enter it again in the field below.

6. Click Save private key and save the private key. Do not share its key phrase with anyone.

7. Click Save public key and save the public key to a file named <key_name>.pub.

1. Run cmd.exe or powershell.exe.

2. Use one of the following methods to copy the key:

   • Manually. To do this, output the file content to the screen:

     type <key_file_path>\<key_name>.pub
     

     This will display the public key. Copy it to the clipboard.

   • Use the appropriate command:

     type <key_file_path>\<key_name>.pub | clip
     

     The above-mentioned command copies the entire content of the file, including the optional comment.

Make sure the Windows account has read permissions for the folder containing the keys.

To connect to the VM, run the following command in the command line:

ssh <username>@<VM_public_IP_address>

Where <username> is the VM account username. If you created your VM via the CLI, yc-user is the default user.

If you have multiple private keys, specify the one you need:

ssh -i <key_path\key_file_name> <username>@<VM_public_IP_address>

If this is your first time connecting to the VM, you will get this unknown host warning:

The authenticity of host '89.169.132.223 (89.169.132.223)' can't be established.
ECDSA key fingerprint is SHA256:DfjfFB+in0q0MGi0HnqLNMdHssLfm1yRanB********.
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no/[fingerprint])?

Type yes in the command line and press Enter.

Establish a connection using PuTTY:

1. Run Pageant.
   1. Right-click the Pageant icon in the task bar.
   2. In the context menu, select Add key.
   3. Select a PuTTY-generated private key in .ppk format. Enter the password for this key, if any.
2. Run PuTTY.

   1. In the Host Name (or IP address) field, enter the public IP address of the VM you want to connect to. Set the port to 22 and connection type to SSH.

      

   2. In the tree on the left, select Connection → SSH → Auth.

   3. Enable Allow agent forwarding.

      

   4. In the tree on the left, select Connection → SSH → Auth → Credentials.

   5. In the Private key file for authentication field, select the private key file.

      

   6. Go back to the Sessions menu. In the Saved sessions field, enter any name for the session and click Save. This will save the session settings under the specified name. You can use this session profile to connect with Pageant.

      

   7. Click Open. If this is your first time connecting to the VM, you may get this unknown host warning:

      

      Click Accept. This will open a terminal window prompting you to enter the username to use for connection. Type the username you specified when creating the VM and press Enter. If you created your VM via the CLI, yc-user is the default user.

      If everything is configured correctly, a connection to the server will be established.

      

If you saved the session profile in PuTTY, you can use Pageant for future connections:

1. Right-click the Pageant icon in the task bar.
2. Select Saved sessions.
3. In the saved sessions list, select the session you need.