Recommended SSH Clients

Windows XP

The workstations in this lab have Windows XP installed. Part of that operating system is a 'secure shell client'. On these systems it is located on the desktop. After you double-click the icon, use the file menu to choose to open a new connection. Supply the server name (linux.ncc.sdccd.net) and your username in the dialog box. If asked if you wish to save the public key for the server, answer 'yes'. Supply the password for your account when requested.

Windows 95,98,NT,2000

A great program for use on these systems is Putty SSH. You can find it easily by doing a search on Google.com search for 'putty ssh'. The second link is the 'Putty Download Page'. Here is a direct link to the server in England with this software.

On this web site you will see a table of links. Click on the link in the upper left cell of the table. Because this software is a single binary executable, you can download it directly to the desktop. There is no installer program, you simply double-click on the icon, configure the program, and use it. It is even small enough (324k) to fit on a floppy so you will always have a SSH client for any Windows systm.

Mac OS X, Linux, Unix

These operating systems contain a client program which can be accessed via the command line. If you are using OS X, find the Terminal application and launch it. If you are using Linux or Unix in one of the graphical user interfaces (X window system with a desktop manager like KDE or Gnome), you can launch a shell or use CTRL-ALT-F2 to bring up a command line login page.

The command to use for any of these systems is:

ssh username@linux.ncc.sdccd.net

When asked if you want to download the public key for the server, type 'yes' as a complete word in lower case followed by a carriage return. When asked for a password, supply it.

The keyboard mapping on OS X is different from most Intel-based systems. You may find it helpful when using the vi editor to begin a session with the following command:

stty erase [CTRL-V][delete-key]

The result will look like stty erase ^? after you type it. Also, if you use Monaco, the default font for the terminal program, be sure to use a font size which is an even multiple (7, 14, 21) to avoid some strange behavior.

Mac OS 8, 9

The best program to use for these versions of the Macintosh operating system is called 'MacSSH'. As with 'Putty SSH' for Windows, you can find it easily with a Google.com search for 'MacSSH'. In this case, the author has a domain name http://www.macssh.com which will take you to the download page. Install it as you would any other Macintosh program.

Required Parameters

Our server only allows for SSH2 connections. If your program tries to connect via Telnet (port 23) or SSH1, the connection will be refused.

The server name is linux.ncc.sdccd.net and must be spelled correctly. If you need a way to remember it, keep in mind that we are using the Linux operating system, our center is 'North City Center', and we are part of the San Diego Community College District.

You can make other changes to these programs for cosmetic purposes. If you have Lucinda Console font, you may find it to be a good choice since the curly braces ({}) are well distinguished from angle-brackets (<>) and parentheses (). This is important in programming.