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5.1 Initialization

This page will cover your SSH client preparation for seamless access to your node. You will verify that SSH is installed on your personal computer, create a convenient host alias in your SSH configuration, and perform a test connection.

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The following steps are performed on your 💻 personal computer.

1. Check SSH Installation​

Before verifying basic access, we must check if SSH is already installed. Open the terminal and check your SSH client version:

ssh -V

You should see an output similar to:

OpenSSH_9.0p1, LibreSSL 3.3.6
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If SSH is not installed, follow your operating system’s documentation to install the latest OpenSSH client.

2. Configure SSH​

To avoid typing full connection details each time, define a host entry in the SSH config file.

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The default SSH configuration file should be located at ~/.ssh/config. The file is a user-specific SSH file to customize various settings for the SSH client on a per-host basis. It allows you to define different options for each remote host you connect to via SSH, such as hostname, username, port, identity files, and other preferences.

2.1 Create the Directory: Ensure that the SSH directory exists with proper permissions.

mkdir -p ~/.ssh/
chmod 700 ~/.ssh
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You can use the mkdir command to create a directory. Adding the p flag will create any necessary parent directories.

2.2 Open the Configuration File: Open your SSH config file with your preferred text editor.

vim ~/.ssh/config

2.3 Add the Node Connection: Add a host snippet for your node and replace placeholders.

Host <ssh-device-alias>
  User <node-username>
  HostName <node-ip-address>
  Port <ssh-port>
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  • <ssh-device-alias>: a memorable short name
  • <node-username>: your node’s administrative login user
  • <node-ip-address>: your node’s static IP
  • <ssh-port>: the custom SSH port you configured
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Ensure each property line is indented by two spaces and safe the file.

3. Trial Connection​

Now verify the connection by opening the first connection to your node:

ssh <ssh-device-alias>
  • onfirm the host fingerprint by typing yes.
  • Enter your node password when prompted.

You should see the Ubuntu welcome banner:

Welcome to Ubuntu 22.04.2 LTS [BUILD]

 * Documentation:  https://help.ubuntu.com
 * Management:     https://landscape.canonical.com
 * Support:        https://ubuntu.com/advantage

  System information as of [DATE]

  System load:           1.0
  Usage of /:            1.2% of 997.87GB
  Memory usage:          1%
  Swap usage:            0%
  Temperature:           36.0 C
  Processes:             219
  Users logged in:       0
  IPv4 address [Connection Type]: [IPv4 IP Address]
  IPv6 address [Connection Type]: [IPv6 IP Address]

[NEWS]

[SECURITY_NOTICES]

0 updates can be applied immediately.

[EMS_NOTICE]


Last login: [DATE] from [IP_FROM_PERSONAL_COMPUTER]

To end the session, run:

exit
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Always confirm you’ve fully disconnected before continuing further terminal steps.