Linux and macOS

On Linux and macOS workstations, use thessh-keygen utility to create a new SSH key pair. The following example creates an RSA key pair.

Open a terminal and use thessh-keygen command with the-C flag tocreate a new SSH key pair.

ssh-keygen -t rsa -f ~/.ssh/KEY_FILENAME -CUSERNAME

Replace the following:

• KEY_FILENAME: the name for your SSH key file.

  For example, a filename ofmy-ssh-key generates a private key file namedmy-ssh-key and a public key file namedmy-ssh-key.pub.

• USERNAME: your username on the VM. For example,cloudysanfrancisco, orcloudysanfrancisco_gmail_com.

  For Linux VMs, theUSERNAME can't beroot,unless you configure your VM to allow root login. For more information,seeConnect to VMs as the root user.

  For Windows VMs that use Active Directory (AD), the username must beprepended with the AD domain, in the format ofDOMAIN\. For example, the usercloudysanfrancisco within thead.example.com AD has aUSERNAME ofexample\cloudysanfrancisco.

ssh-keygen saves your private key file to~/.ssh/KEY_FILENAME and your public key file to~/.ssh/KEY_FILENAME.pub.

A public key for the usercloudysanfrancisco looks similar to thefollowing:

ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAABAQDAu5kKQCPF... cloudysanfrancisco

Windows 10 or later

On workstations with Windows version 10 or later, use thessh-keygen utility to create a new SSH key pair. The following example creates an RSA key pair.

Open Command Prompt and use thessh-keygen command with the-C flag tocreate a new SSH key pair.

ssh-keygen -t rsa -f C:\Users\WINDOWS_USER\.ssh\KEY_FILENAME -CUSERNAME

Replace the following:

• WINDOWS_USER: your username on the Windowsmachine.

• KEY_FILENAME: the name for your SSH key file.

  For example, a filename ofmy-ssh-key generates a private key file namedmy-ssh-key and a public key file namedmy-ssh-key.pub.

• USERNAME: your username on the VM. For example,cloudysanfrancisco, orcloudysanfrancisco_gmail_com.

  For Linux VMs, theUSERNAME can't beroot,unless you configure your VM to allow root login. For more information,seeConnect to VMs as the root user.

  For Windows VMs that use Active Directory (AD), the username must beprepended with the AD domain, in the format ofDOMAIN\. For example, the usercloudysanfrancisco within thead.example.com AD has aUSERNAME ofexample\cloudysanfrancisco.

ssh-keygen saves your private key file toC:\Users\WINDOWS_USER\.ssh\KEY_FILENAMEand your public key file toC:\Users\WINDOWS_USER\.ssh\KEY_FILENAME.pub.

A public key for the usercloudysanfrancisco looks similar to thefollowing:

ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAABAQDAu5kKQCPF... cloudysanfrancisco

Windows 8 or earlier

On workstations with Windows version 8 or earlier, use the PuTTYgen tool tocreate a new SSH key pair. The following example creates an RSA key pair.

1. Downloadputtygen.exe if you haven't already.

2. Open PuTTYgen.

3. UnderParameters specify the following:

   • Type of key to generate:RSA
   • Number of bits in a generated key:2048 or more

4. ClickGenerate and follow the on-screen instructions.

   The tool displays the public key value.

5. In theKey comment section, replace the pre-populated text with yourusername. For example,cloudysanfrancisco, orcloudysanfrancisco_gmail_com.

   For Linux VMs, theKey comment can't beroot, unless you configureyour VM to allow root login. For more information,seeConnect to VMs as the root user.

   For Windows VMs that use Active Directory (AD), theKey comment mustbe prepended with the AD domain, in the format ofDOMAIN\. For example, the usercloudysanfrancisco within thead.example.com AD has aKey commentofexample\cloudysanfrancisco.

6. Optional: enter aKey passphrase to password-protect your key.

7. ClickSave private key to choose a location to save the private keyto.

   PuTTYgen writes the private key to a file with a.ppk extension.

8. ClickSave public key to choose a location to save your public keyto. Keep the PuTTYgen window open.

9. Copy the text from thePublic key for pasting into OpenSSHauthorized_keys file field.

10. Open the public key file. The public key has a format similar to thefollowing:

    ---- BEGIN SSH2 PUBLIC KEY ----Comment: "USERNAME"KEY_VALUE---- END SSH2 PUBLIC KEY ----

11. Replace the entire contents of the public key file with the value youcopied from thePublic key for pasting into OpenSSH authorized_keysfile field, so that your public key file matches the following format:

    KEY_VALUEUSERNAME

A public key for the usercloudysanfrancisco looks similar to thefollowing:

ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC1yc2EAAAADAQABAAABAQDAu5kKQCPF... cloudysanfrancisco