SSH Reference Manual

• The host key is the private key that is used to authenticate the host against the clients. The fingerprint of the host

key will need to be configured on the remote systems that connect to the SSH2 process running on the NonStop

system. The fingerprint of the host key file is displayed during startup of the process. It can also be seen via

SSHCOM command INFO HOST-KEY

• In order to prevent unauthorized usage of the host key file (i.e. moving it to other systems), the file is stored in a

proprietary format and encrypted. The host key file is secured as "----".

• The customer name configured via parameter CUSTOMER

or, if that does not exist, the customer name held

within the license file for the SSH2 program is used as an input for host-based key encryption. When you plan

to duplicate the host key and user database onto other NonStop systems (such as a disaster recovery system),

you need to make sure the parameter CUSTOMER or the license file of that other system has the same customer

name in it. Otherwise, the host key file and user data base cannot be used on the other system. If you purge the

HOSTKEY and

SSHCTL files and restart the SSH2 process, a new HOSTKEY and SSHCTL file will be

created using either the value of parameter CUSTOMER or, if that does not exist, the customer name from the

license file.

• Although a license file is no longer required for NonStop SSH on H and J operating systems, any existing

HOSTKEY and SSHCTL

file requires the customer name that was used to create the file. If a license file exists,

the customer name will be extracted from that file (entry SSH2.customer), unless parameter CUSTOMER is set

in which case the value of CUSTOMER is used. If a license file does not exist and an existing HOSTKEY or

SSHCTL file is accessed, the parameter CUSTOMER must be set to the original value for the customer name.

• The public key part of the host key can be exported using the SSHCOM daemon mode command EXPORT

HOST-KEY.

• If multiple SSH2 processes started from the same subvolume but used for different purposes, then not only

separate SSH database files (configured via SSHCTL

) but separate host key files (configured via HOSTKEY)

should be configured. Example: SSH for maintenance and public network.

Default

If omitted, SSH2 will use a file name of HOSTKEY.

Example

HOSTKEY $SYSTEM.SSH2.SSHKEY