Configuring and using PuTTY/Pageant

PuTTY is a free and easy to use ssh client for Windows (7 and 10). You can use it to connect to your favorite remote Linux servers in text mode, and start remote graphical applications if you also have a running X server

Installation

Download and install the latest version of PuTTY

Launching PuTTY/Pageant

You could directly launch PuTTY, but it is actually more efficient to launch Pageant, especially if you are regularly going to connect to the same server(s)

Start ⇒ PuTTY ⇒ Pageant

It will seem that nothing happens, but you should get the Pageant icon at the bottom right of your screen.
Pageant will allow you to create or use existing connection profiles (Sessions), and also easily use ssh keys (more on ssh keys later)

If you right click on the Pageant icon, you can manage sessions with the New Session option, use Saved Sessions profiles and manage ssh keys (View Keys, Add Key).
You can also view/add keys by double clicking on the pageant icon

Configuring PuTTY

Launch the session/configuration manager: (Right click on) Pageant ⇒ New Session

You can keep most PuTTY's default settings. This section will show you how to create your first session profile, with some useful options. If you want to add another session later, just Load an existing (and properly configured) session, Save it under a new name, and the change the session details

When changing a setting, select a (sub-)Category in the left part of the PuTTY Configuration windows, and change the displayed settings in the right part of the window.

After changing the settings of an existing Session, do not forget to go back to the Session category and click Save!

Creating a new session

In the Session category:

Specify a Host Name: e.g. ssh1.lsce.ipsl.fr for the LSCE access server

Specify a matching session name in Saved Sessions: e.g. ssh1

Click on Save to save the session

If you are in a hurry, you can connect to the Linux server by clicking on Open, but you should first change some useful settings

Changing some useful settings

In the Windows ⇒ Selection category:

Select xterm for the mouse buttons behavior. This will allow you to use the mouse buttons in the Putty terminal the same way you would use them in an standard Linux xterm terminal: Copy text with the left button, and Paste it with the middle button

In the Connection ⇒ Data category:

Specify your login name in Auto-login username. This way you won't have to type it when you connect to the Linux server

In the Connection ⇒ SSH ⇒ Auth category:

Select Allow agent forwarding. This is the same as using ssh with the -A option

In the Connection ⇒ SSH ⇒ X11 category:

Select Enable X11 forwarding. This is the same as using ssh with the -X option

When you have finished updating settings, do not forget to go back to Category ⇒ Session and Save the session!

The best way to use PuTTY, is to use it with Pageant:

Start Menu ⇒ Putty menu ⇒ Pageant (this will just put the Pageant icon in the rightmost part of the taskbar, the icon may even me masked)

Right-click on the Pageant icon and choose:

New session to define a new server you want to connect to

Recommended settings:

Saved Sessions to connect to a server

Add key to select a private ssh key and type/store the matching pass phrase (if you have a private ssh key you generated on Linux, you need to convert it with Putty Menu ⇒ PuTTYgen)

Adding and configuring a new session

Making ssh tunnels with Putty

Using ssh keys

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