Ubuntu Tips: Install OpenSSH

There are situations when you will need to access your Linux computer remotely. You can quickly configure Ubuntu to accept a Secure Shell Host (SSH) connection across a network or the Internet. Connecting via the SSH protocol will allow the user to administer the computer using Shell commands as though they were physically at the machine. Below I will explain how to install the OpenSSH Server and connect via the terminal.

Step 1 - Installation

The installation of the OpenSSH Server is a simple exercise and can be complete with one command. You do require the administrator password to complete this modification.

Once you have opened a new Terminal window paste the following command and press enter. You will then be asked to supply the administrator password. Then follow on screen commands.

sudo apt-get install openssh-server openssh-client

Once the command has finished executing you computer is now ready to accept SSH connections.

Step 2 - Connecting remotely

Below are two examples of the ssh command in the terminal to connect your Ubuntu machine remotely from another system. Type either of the following commands:

ssh your-server-ip-address

The following command allows you to specify the user account when connecting to your machine. This is neccessary for machines with more than one user account.

ssh user@your-server-ip-address

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