How to create an SSH key

An SSH key is a secure encrypted code that allows you to connect to a server without having to type the password in plain text. To setup a key, follow these instructions:

1. First you need to connect to an SSH host on each machine (this will create the .ssh directory in your home directory):

ssh anymachine.com

2. On the local machine, type:

ssh-keygen -t dsa

It will prompt you for the secret passphrase. After you enter the passphrase, it will create id_dsa and id_dsa.pub in the /home/user/.ssh directory.

3. Next copy the above-mentioned files to the remote server:

scp ~/.ssh/id_dsa.pub yourdomain.com:.ssh/authorized_keys2

4. Now tell your server which key to use:

ssh-agent sh -c 'ssh-add < /dev/null && bash'

It will ask your for your passphrase and create a new bash shell.

5. Finally, type ssh yourdomain.com (It should now connect without asking you for a password).

Source: http://pkeck.myweb.uga.edu/ssh/
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