Using the Public Key Wizard

Introduction

Version 3.0.1 introduces the Public Key Wizard for automating the process of configuring Public Key authentication on your server connections. This currently supports the most widely used SSH implementation OpenSSH with the client able to configure the user’s ~/.ssh/authorized_keys file with the keys installed in the Desktop SSH Agent.

Support for the Public Key Subsystem will be made in a future release.

Don’t hesitate to contact Jadaptive Support at support@jadaptive.com if you have any problems with this feature or would like the application extended to support another Public Key mechanism.

Starting the Wizard

When you create a new connection you will see the checkbox illustrated in the image below at the bottom of the dialog.

When you create a new connection, this checkbox is selected by default, on editing a connection the checkbox is not selected but you can reselect it to run the wizard again on existing connections.

How the Wizard Works

When you run the Public Key Wizard it will create a connection to your server and attempt to authenticate you. If the agent’s private keys are already configured it will authenticate using Public Key authentication and start a shell. In this case, no further action is required as you have a working connection that is authenticated with your keys.

If no suitable keys are found, and assuming the server supports password authentication, then the terminal will prompt you for your password.

If the server does not support password authentication then the connection will not authenticate. In this case, you will need to configure the server manually or contact the administrator of the server.

Configuring Your Keys

When the wizard has an authenticated connection, and it detects that Public Key authentication is available on the server, it will ask you if you want to configure your keys.

Response by typing ‘yes’ or ‘y’

The wizard will now iterate through your keys, asking you if you want to configure that key on the server.

The shell will then start.

Do I need to use the Built-in Terminal for this to work?

The Public Key wizard always uses the built-in terminal to configure keys. However, you do not need to use this as your default terminal in order to take advantage of Public Key authentication with connections configured via the Public Key Wizard. Once keys are configured this is irrespective of the terminal used, so you can continue to use your preferred terminal through the Desktop SSH Agent, whether connections are launched from the Desktop SSH Agent or launched manually.