Testing the SSH Setup on a Host
After setting up SSH on a host, test the setup to ensurethat you can use SSH to contact the host from another host. Testingthe SSH setup on a host verifies that the SSH server daemon sshdis running and that the SSH user has a valid user account onthe host.
If you cannot use SSH to contact the host, troubleshoot the SSHsetup before setting up SSH user authentication.
To Test the SSH Setup on a Host
- From another host, use SSH to log in into the host thatyou are testing as the SSH user.
$ ssh -l user-name host-name
- user-name
The user name for the SSH user's account on the host.
- host-name
The host name of the host that you are logging in to.
- In response to the prompt, type your password.
If this step succeeds, your setup of SSH is complete.
The first time that you connect to a host, you might bewarned that the authenticity cannot be established and be asked if you wantto continue connection. If you trust the host, answer yes to connect to thehost.
Troubleshooting
To obtain diagnostic information, use the -v option of the command-line SSH clientand the -d option of the SSH server daemon sshd. How tostart the SSH server daemon sshd manually depends on the operating systemand SSH provider that you are using.
If the SSH server daemon sshd is set up on a host thathas a firewall, ensure that a rule is defined to allow inboundtraffic on the SSH port. The default SSH port is port 22.
If your connection is refused, the SSH server daemon sshd is not runningand you must start the daemon. For instructions, see the following sections:
If your connection is accepted, but you cannot log in, ensure thatthe SSH user has a valid user account on the host.
Next Steps
After testing the SSH setup, set up SSH user authentication to enable SSHto authenticate users without prompting for a password. For more information, see Setting Up SSH User Authentication.
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FAQs
Steps to check and validate sshd configuration:
Open the terminal application on your server. Access the sshd_config file with your preferred text editor. $ sudo vi /etc/ssh/sshd_config [sudo] password for user: Make any necessary changes to the configuration file and save your edits.
How to check SSH setup? ›
Steps to check and validate sshd configuration:
Open the terminal application on your server. Access the sshd_config file with your preferred text editor. $ sudo vi /etc/ssh/sshd_config [sudo] password for user: Make any necessary changes to the configuration file and save your edits.
How can I tell if SSH is working? ›
If the SSH service is running, you'll see “Active: active (running)” in the output. If the SSH service is enabled, the output will display “Remote Login: On.” If the SSH service is running, the output will display “Running” in the “Status” column.
How to try SSH? ›
- Open Terminal .
- Enter the following: Shell ssh -T [email protected] # Attempts to ssh to GitHub ssh -T [email protected] # Attempts to ssh to GitHub. ...
- Verify that the fingerprint in the message you see matches GitHub's public key fingerprint. If it does, then type yes : ...
- Verify that the resulting message contains your username.
- Step1: Install and enable SSH Server. ...
- Step2: Enable SSH Protocol Version 2. ...
- Step 3: Customize the default SSH port (22) ...
- Step4: Disable root login (SSH) ...
- Step 5: Use ssh keys (Public and Private) ...
- Step 6: Disable X11 Forwarding. ...
- Step 7: Disable Empty Passwords. ...
- Step 8: Set Max Authentication Attempts.
SSH configuration files are a powerful tool for automating SSH connections. The default location of a user-specific config file is in ~/. ssh/config, whereas the system-wide configuration file for all users is in /etc/ssh/ssh_config.
How do I know if I have ssh installed? ›
Go to Apps > Apps and Features > Manage Optional Features. Check the list to see if “OpenSSH Client” is already enabled.
How would you troubleshoot if SSH is not working? ›
If you've decided that troubleshooting is right for your situation, go through the following steps:
- Check the control panel. ...
- Check if Droplet is disabled because of abuse. ...
- Recover root access. ...
- Access the Recovery Console. ...
- Reboot your Droplet. ...
- Review file management and permissions. ...
- Check logs.
Running ssh-add -l will display all keys currently known to your agent. If the list is empty, you have an ssh-agent running, but no keys currently unlocked.
How to check SSH key using CMD? ›
Command Prompt (for Windows 10 only)
- Open Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell.
- Issue the command: ssh-keygen.
- To view public key, navigate to C:\Users\<username>/.ssh/id_rsa.pub (see image below) or execute this command in the command prompt: more C:\Users\<username>/.ssh/id_rsa.pub.
You can try ssh localhost to test if it is running; if it respons with something like Connection refused , then it is not running. These commands must be run as root. If the server does not start automatically, try using the service sshd start command, or just reboot the computer.
How to test SSH on Windows? ›
You can start an SSH session in your command prompt by executing ssh user@machine and you will be prompted to enter your password. You can create a Windows Terminal profile that does this on startup by adding the commandline setting to a profile in your settings.json file inside the list of profile objects.
How do I get SSH to work? ›
How to Connect via SSH
- Open the command line/terminal window and run the following ssh command: ssh [username]@[host_ip_address] ...
- When connecting to the server for the first time, a message appears asking to confirm the connection. ...
- Provide the password when prompted and press Enter.
You can verify that the SSH server is running by running “ssh localhost” on the Linux side. If it asks for the key/password, the server is active: If the server is not running, you can manually start it by running “sudo service sshd start” or “sudo systemctl start sshd”.
How is SSH working? ›
Remote encrypted connections: SSH sets up a connection between a user's device and a faraway machine, often a server. It uses encryption to scramble the data that traverses the connection. An intercepting party would only find something like static — random data that means nothing unless it is decrypted.
How to run SSH on server? ›
Enable OpenSSH for Windows Server 2025
To enable SSHD using Server Manager: In Server Manager, on the navigation pane to the left, select Local Server. In the Properties window, locate Remote SSH Access. Select Disabled to enable the OpenSSH service.
How do I check my current ssh connection? ›
To list all connected SSH sessions, you can use the “who -a” command. The -a option shows all users, including those who are not logged in through the system console. The result will show your username, terminal, and login date and time.
How to check ssh key using CMD? ›
Command Prompt (for Windows 10 only)
- Open Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell.
- Issue the command: ssh-keygen.
- To view public key, navigate to C:\Users\<username>/.ssh/id_rsa.pub (see image below) or execute this command in the command prompt: more C:\Users\<username>/.ssh/id_rsa.pub.
You can verify that the SSH server is running by running “ssh localhost” on the Linux side. If it asks for the key/password, the server is active: If the server is not running, you can manually start it by running “sudo service sshd start” or “sudo systemctl start sshd”.
How do I make sure ssh is enabled? ›
In Server Manager, on the navigation pane to the left, select Local Server. In the Properties window, locate Remote SSH Access. Select Disabled to enable the OpenSSH service.
