SSH key

What is a SSH key?

SSH keys are used for secure connections across a network. They come in pairs, so you have a public key and a private key.

Here is an example of a public key (usually they are all in one line):

ssh-dss AAAAB3NzaC1kc3MAAACBAJ3hB5SAF6mBXPlZlRoJEZi0KSIN+NU2iGiaXZXi9CDrgVxTp6/
sc56UcYCp4qjfrZ2G3+6PWbxYso4P4YyUC+61RU5KPy4EcTJske3O+aNvec/20cW7PT3TvH1+sxwGry
mD50kTiXDgo5nXdqFvibgM61WW2DGTKlEUsZys0njRAAAAFQDs7ukaTGJlZdeznwFUAttTH9LrwwAAA
IAMm4sLCdvvBx9WPkvWDX0OIXSteCYckiQxesOfPvz26FfYxuTG/2dljDlalC+kYG05C1NEcmZWSNES
GBGfccSYSfI3Y5ahSVUhOC2LMO3JNjVyYUnOM/iyhzrnRfQoWO9GFMaugq0jBMlhZA4UO26yJqJ+BtX
IyItaEEJdc/ghIwAAAIBFeCZynstlbBjP648+mDKIvzNSS+JYr5klGxS3q8A56NPcYhDMxGn7h1DKbb
2AV4pO6y+6hDrWo3UT4dLVuzK01trwp PYp6JXTSZZ12ZaXNPz7sX9/z6pzMqhX4UEfjVsLcuF+ZS6a
QCPO0ZZEa1z+EEIZSD/ykLQsDwPxGjPBqw== someone@somewhere.com

The idea is that you put your public key on servers that you want to establish a connection with. The server will only grant access to someone who has the matching private key.

Why do I need a SSH key?

Our CVS server uses this system, so if are a Moodle developer and you want to make your logins easier (by avoiding typing in your password all the time) then send us your public key on this form: http://moodle.org/cvs

How do I create a SSH key pair?

Unix/Linux

1. Run: ssh-keygen -d
2. Look in your ~/.ssh directory (or wherever you saved the output). You'll find id_dsa (private) and id_dsa.pub (public).
3. Cut and paste the contents of id_dsa.pub into your developer profile on http://moodle.org/cvs
4. Put the private key wherever you will be calling CVS from (in your .ssh directory, for example). Make sure it's secure!