Welcome to yet another new series: Moving Beyond SSH. During this series we will be taking an Xdev dedicated server from nothing but SSH to a fully functional web server. Although the title of this post is contradictory, before we go beyond SSH, we must first login to SSH. That’s what we’ll be covering today.

SSH (which stands for Secure Shell) is a protocol for remotely controlling offsite devices over the Internet. Unlike its predecessor (Telnet), SSH is secure. SSH can also be used to securely transfer files to a server via the SFTP or SCP protocols.

You will be installing all the software needed for a web server onto your Xdev by issuing commands through SSH. But before we get to that, you will first need to login through SSH into your server. For this you will need your server’s IP address and password (all provided in the email sent to you when you order an Xdev) and SSH software.

Windows

If you’re running Windows (any version), you will need to download PuTTY (choose “putty.exe” on that page). There is no installation process, just run the downloaded file. Once you have run the downloaded file, find the box that is labelled Host Name (or IP Address) and enter your server’s IP address in that box. The default port 22 is fine and ensure the radio box beside “SSH” is selected. Click on the “Open” button. (see section after the Mac/Linux instructions for the rest of the directions)

Mac OS X and Linux

If you’re running Mac OS X or any distribution of Linux or Unix, you should already have the required software installed. Open up the “Terminal” application (Mac: Under Applications > Utilities. Linux/Unix: Varies, search the web if you can’t find it). Type in the following into the resulting window (replacing IP_ADDRESS with the IP address of your server):

ssh -l root IP_ADDRESS

Then press enter/return on your keyboard.

You’re Almost Logged In

After you have followed the above instructions for your Operating System, a window will appear. This will be your SSH window. The window will say something along the lines of “Do you want to accept this server’s certificate?”. Type in “yes” and hit enter/return on your keyboard. In Windows, you will now have to enter your username, which is “root”, type that in, then hit enter. In Windows, Mac and Linux, you will now have to enter your server’s password, then hit the enter/return key (it won’t appear like you’re typing anything, don’t worry, you are).

Congratulations, you have just logged into your server via SSH!

The First Thing

After logging in, the first thing you should do is to change your password. In your SSH window, type in the command:

passwd

Then, hit enter/return. After that, type in your current password, hit enter/return, type in your new password, hit enter/return and then confirm your new password (and hit enter/return).

IMPORTANT: You should use a very strong password, as if someone were to crack it, they would have full access to your server. It is also important to write down your password in a safe place, because if you forget it, it will be impossible to access your server (for both you and BlueFur staff).

Concluding

To log out of your server, type:

logout

Then press enter/return.

Next week, we’ll go over SSH a bit more.