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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
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
Creating a new session
In the Session
category:
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:
In the Connection
⇒ SSH
⇒ X11
category:
When you have finished updating settings,
do not forget to go back to Category
⇒ Session
and Save the session!
Adding and configuring a new session
Making ssh tunnels with Putty
Using ssh keys