Creating Secure Shell Keys
Secure Shell (SSH) is a way of logging into a remote computer to execute commands on that machine. SSH keys are used in key-based authentication system, as an alternative to the default password authentication system. With key-based authentication there is no need to manually type a password to authenticate.
Secure Shell keys are made of two keys: a private key, that must be kept secret, and a public key which can be uploaded to any computer you need to access.
To create a Secure Shell key:
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Choose
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Select Secure Shell Key and click
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Enter a description of what the key is to be used for. You can use your e-mail address or any other reminder. You can also specify advanced options for the key: see below.
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Click to create the new key, or to create the key and set up another computer to use it for authentication.
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The Passphrase for New Secure Shell Key dialog opens. Enter the passphrase twice for your new key.
Use similar practices to generating a strong password when choosing a passphrase. The main difference between a password and a passphrase is that, in a passphrase, spaces are valid characters.
- 4.1. Advanced options
4.1. Advanced options
Expand the Advanced key options section to specify the following options for a new key:
- Encryption Type
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This field specifies the encryption algorithms used to generate your key.
- RSA
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Use the Rivest-ShamirAdleman (RSA) algorithm to create the SSH key. This is the preferred and more secure choice.
- DSA
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Use the Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA) to create the SSH key.
- Key Strength (bits)
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This is the length of the key in bits. The longer the key, the more secure it will be, provided a strong passphrase is used. Conversely, performing any operation with a longer key will require more time than it would with a shorter key. Acceptable values are between 1024 and 4096 bits. At least 2048 bits is recommended.