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Generating and Exchanging SSH Keys for Secure Access

Understanding the creation and exchange of SSH keys is a key concept to grasp as a new system administrator. In this lab, we will generate keys on two systems using the `ssh-keygen` utility and learn how to exchange and verify the keys with a remote system using `ssh-copy-id` and associated key files on each. At the end of this lab, you will understand how to create secure keys for remote access, how to exchange them, and where to store them on each system involved in the chain.

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Path Info

Level
Clock icon Beginner
Duration
Clock icon 15m
Published
Clock icon Nov 12, 2018

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Table of Contents

  1. Challenge

    Create the Key on Server 1

    1. In your terminal, log in to Server 1.
    `ssh cloud_user@[SERVER1_PUBLIC_IP]`
    1. Change to the .ssh directory.
    cd .ssh
    1. Generate a key for Server 1.
    ssh-keygen
    1. List the contents of the id_rsa.pub file.
    cat id_rsa.pub
    1. Copy the output of this command to your clipboard.

  2. Challenge

    Create the Key on Server 2

    1. Log in to Server 2.
    `ssh cloud_user@[SERVER2_PUBLIC_IP]`
    1. Change to the .ssh directory.
    cd .ssh/
    1. Install the nano text editor.
    sudo yum install nano
    1. Open the authorized_keys file in nano.
    nano authorized_keys
    1. Add the key we just generated to the file. (Note: We don't see the other accounts shown in the video, but it won't impact the lab activity.)
    2. Press Ctrl + X.
    3. Press Y and then Enter to save the changes.

  3. Challenge

    Exchange the SSH Keys between the Servers

    1. In your Server 2 terminal window, create a new key.
    ssh-keygen
    1. List the contents of the id_rsa.pub file.
    cat id_rsa.pub
    1. Copy the output of this command to your clipboard.
    2. Type exit to log out of Server 2.
    3. Install nano.
    sudo yum install nano
    1. Open the authorized_keys file in nano.
    nano authorized_keys
    1. Add the key we just generated to the file.
    2. Press Ctrl + X.
    3. Press Y then Enter to save the changes.

  4. Challenge

    Test the Configuration

    1. Attempt to log in to Server 2 from Server 1 without a password.
    `ssh cloud_user@[SERVER2PUBLIC_IP]`
    1. Attempt to log in to Server 1 from Server 2 without a password.
    ssh cloud_user@[SERVER1PUBLIC_IP]
A Cloud Guru - Labs - Generating and Exchanging SSH Keys for Secure Access
Author
A Cloud Guru

The Cloud Content team comprises subject matter experts hyper focused on services offered by the leading cloud vendors (AWS, GCP, and Azure), as well as cloud-related technologies such as Linux and DevOps. The team is thrilled to share their knowledge to help you build modern tech solutions from the ground up, secure and optimize your environments, and so much more!

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