Connecting to the Virtual I/O Server by using OpenSSH

You can set up remote connections to the Virtual I/O Server using secure connections.

You can use the Open Source Secure Sockets Layer (OpenSSL) and Portable Secure Shell (OpenSSH) software to connect to the Virtual I/O Server using secure connections. For more information about OpenSSL and OpenSSH, see the OpenSSL Project and Portable SSH Web sites.

To connect to the Virtual I/O Server using OpenSSH, complete the following tasks:

If you are using a version of Virtual I/O Server prior to Version 1.3.0, then install OpenSSH before you connect. For instructions, see Downloading, installing, and updating OpenSSH and OpenSSL.
Connect to the Virtual I/O Server. If you are using Version 1.3.0 or later, then connect using either an interactive or noninteractive shell. If you are using a version prior to 1.3.0, then connect using only an interactive shell.
- To connect using an interactive shell, type the following command from the command line of a remote system:
```
ssh username@vioshostname
```
  where username is your user name for the Virtual I/O Server and vioshostname is the name of the Virtual I/O Server.
- To connect using a noninteractive shell, run the following command:
```
ssh username@vioshostname command
```
  Where:
  - username is your user name for the Virtual I/O Server.
  - vioshostname is the name of the Virtual I/O Server.
  - command is the command that you want to run. For example, ioscli lsmap -all.
    Note: When using a noninteractive shell, remember to use the full command form (including the ioscli prefix) for all Virtual I/O Server commands.
Authenticate SSH. If you are using Version 1.3.0 or later, then authenticate using either passwords or keys. If you are using a version prior to 1.3.0, then authenticate using only passwords.
- To authenticate using passwords, enter your user name and password when prompted by the SSH client.
- To authenticate using keys, perform the following steps on the SSH client's operating system:
  1. Create a directory called $HOME/.ssh to store the keys. You can use RSA or DSA keys.
  2. Run the ssh-keygen command to generate public and private keys. For example,
```
ssh-keygen -t  rsa
```
    This creates the following files in the $HOME/.ssh directory:
    - Private key: id_rsa
    - Public key: id_rsa.pub
  3. Run the following command to append the public key to the authorized_keys2 file on the Virtual I/O Server:
```
cat $HOME/.ssh/public_key_file | ssh username@vioshostname tee -a /home/username/.ssh/authorized_keys2
```
    Where:
    - public_key_file is the public key file that is generated in the previous step. For example, id_rsa.pub.
    - username is your user name for the Virtual I/O Server.
    - vioshostname is the name of the Virtual I/O Server.

The Virtual I/O Server might not include the latest version of OpenSSH or OpenSSL with each release. In addition, there might be OpenSSH or OpenSSL updates released in between Virtual I/O Server releases. In these situations, you can update OpenSSH and OpenSSL on the Virtual I/O Server by downloading and installing OpenSSH and OpenSSL. For instructions, see Downloading, installing, and updating OpenSSH and OpenSSL.

Last updated: Thu, October 15, 2020