Command Reference Guide

978 Fabric OS Command Reference

53-1002746-01

sshUtil

Manages public key authentication.

SYNOPSIS sshutil allowuser user name

sshutil showuser

sshutil importpubkey

sshutil showpubkeys

sshutil delpubkeys

sshutil genkey

sshutil exportpubkey

sshutil delprivkey

sshutil delknownhost

sshutil help

DESCRIPTION Use this command to enable and manage SSH public key authentication on a switch. SSH public key

authentication provides a mechanism for authenticating an authorized user without a password. SSH

public key authentication is more secure than password authentication and can be used to securely

access services that require automatic login.

SSH public key authentication works as follows: An authorized user generates a pair of encryption keys

(public and private) on a local machine (a switch or a server). Messages encrypted with the private key

can only be decrypted by the public key, and vice versa. The private key remains on the local machine;

the public key is exported to a remote host. The remote host responds to login requests by sending a

brief message encrypted with the public key. The private key on the local host decrypts the message,

and the login succeeds.

Use the sshUtil command to do the following:

• Configure a user to perform public key authentication and to manage keys on a switch.

• Generate a private/public key pair on the local switch.

• Import a public key for a specified user from a remote host to the local switch.

• Export the public key from the local switch to a remote host.

• Delete the public keys associated with a specified user or all users on the local switch.

• Delete the private key on the local switch.

• Delete the known host name or IP address from the file .ssh/known_hosts.

NOTES The execution of this command is subject to Virtual Fabric or Admin Domain restrictions that may be in

place. Refer to Chapter 1, "Using Fabric OS Commands" and Appendix A, "Command Availability" for

details.

Outgoing public key authentication from the switch to a remote host is restricted to Fabric OS Commands

which use secure copy (SCP), such as configDownload or configUpload.