Using SSH to Connect to Our Class Server

Server Name/Port number will be in your Canvas Course Page

SSH (Secure SHell) has been around for a while. It is a protocol that allows for encrypted connections to remote machines (often running Linux/Unix or BSD flavors (Mac has a BSD origin))
Microsoft has not really supported SSH at all, until recently, via Powershell
you need a SSH client software to connect to the remote machine, where you can do work
Even if you use something like MySQL Workbench, that program needs to use SSH to connect to the machine that runs our database software

You need to create a .ssh folder inside your home directory
on linux that is usually /home/username
on mac it is often /Users/username
Copy your private key (which ends in .pem for our example) into that .ssh folder
Open up the terminal
cd ~ should take you to your users home directory
pwd will give you your present working directory (it is just information, this command does not make any changes)
mkdir .ssh to make the folder/directory if you have not already done so
Move your key file into the new .ssh folder somehow
- use the file manager gui tool (whichever one you use)
- use the cp command
  - if your file is in your downloads folder on Mac/Linux cp ~/Downloads/filename.pem ~/.ssh/
cd .ssh
chmod 600 filename.pem

Using the terminal
ssh -i ~/.ssh/filename.pem username@host.name.com -p 22
replace filename.pem with the name of your keyfile (assuming you put it in a .ssh folder in your home directory)
replace username with your actual username
replace host.name.com with the actual hostname of the server
while 22 is the default port, make sure you use the ACTUAL port # for the server
When you first connect, it will ask you to store the servers public key, type yes (not just y but the complete yes)
You can then connect to your MySQL Database using: mysql -u username -p, again, replace username with your Real Username
the prompt should now look like mysql>
If you want to change your MySQL password, at the mysql> prompt type
ALTER USER username Identified By 'passwordyouwanthere'; and obviously put the password you want in the quotes.
When done with MySQL quit and to get out of the SSH just exit

Note, if you can get Filezilla to work on Mac/Linux, that is probably easier, especially for beginners, but, if for some reason you can not get it working:
You can still upload and download files with the sftp command instead of Filezilla
You must have already done the .ssh folder set up above
sftp -i ~/.ssh/filenmame.pem -P 22 username@host.name.com (again, replace filename.pem, 22, username and host.name.com as needed)
Commands on the "remote" server when connected via sftp
ls lists the contents of the remote directory (your target)
pwd lists the directory you are in on the remote machine
cd directoryname will try to change the target directory on the remote machine
cd .. will move you up one level in the directory/folder tree on the remote machine
How to do things on your "local" machine while connected
lls lists the contents of present local directory, usually the one you started sftp inside
lpwd list the local directory that is presently active
lcd directoryname will try to change your local (source) directory
lcd .. will move you up one level in the directory/folder tree on your local machine
Moving files
put filename.whatever will try to upload the filname.whatever from your local directory to the remote directory
get filename.whatever will try to download filename.whatever from the remote directory to your local directory
When done type quit

If you are using windows, you need to get Putty.exe. Either get the .msi version (64bit x86) or just get the putty.exe (64bit x86 stand alone).
When you save the file, it will usually be in your Downloads directory, find it and run the file
If it is the .msi version, you will actually install it and it will be added to your menu
However, the putty.exe version is a stand alone and will just run when you double click on it

When you first fire up putty, the Putty Configuration window opens up
The left menu (Category:) will be on Session, and you need to use the school server name for the Host Name, the port # in the "Port" section
Then click on "Connection* in the left side Menu
For "Seconds Between Keepalives" change the 0 to 60
(You can also click on "Appearance" in the left menu and choose "Change" to alter the font size if you wish)
You need to set up the SSH encryption key, which has a .ppk ending, this will be under "Connection->SSH->Auth->Credentials"
- Before you connect, you can save your connection settings
- Type whatever name you can remember into the "Saved Sessions" window and click "save"
- Next time you open putty, click on the name of your session, and hit "Load"
Click "Open" to start your connection
As this is your first time connecting to the server, some form of warning will pop up, just agree with it.
If everything works, you should see the command prompt like this: [username@nbtl ~]$
(Note: Image is from the old torchwood server)

Using the command line SSH or Putty, once connect the rest is the same for everyone
type the command mysql -u username -p when you are at the linux command prompt
If it works, you should see mysql> on the screen
If you want to change your msyql password:
- ALTER USER username Identified By 'passwordyouwanthere';
When done with MySQL just type quit which will return you to the Linux Shell Prompt
exit to shut down your SSH connection