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PuTTY

Introduction to PuTTY

PuTTY is a free SSH client for Windows platforms. It is suitable for anyone wishing to find a secure replacement for telnet. The instructions below walk you through download, installation, and basic use.

SSH keys required from off-site

From the mid-2021, logging in using a password is only permitted when using the University VPN or when on campus. If you want to log in directly from outside of the University network then you'll need to set up SSH keys first.

Installing and Setting up PuTTY

PuTTY can be downloaded from the download link on the PuTTY homepage :-

You probably want to find the section titled "For Windows on Intel x86", then click on the link next to "Installer". Once downloaded, run the program to install PuTTY on your machine.

Start up the PuTTY application from your start menu.

  • This is the main PuTTY window.
  • You will always see this when PuTTY starts up.

  • Enter the name of the machine you want to log into the "Host Name" field.
  • If not already selected, choose "SSH" from the Protocol selection just below that field.

  • In the box below "Saved Sessions" enter a name for the saved details - the hostname is fine.
  • Click Save.
  • Now to start the session you can just double click on the item in the Saved Sessions list.

Using PuTTY

Load PuTTY then select the name of the session you saved in the instructions above and double-click on it.

  • The first time you connect to a host you might get the above message - this is normal.
  • Select Yes to save the key.
  • If you're really security concious you can verify the fingerprint is correct for the host you're connecting to.
  • This should only come up the first time you connect to a machine, and not in subsequent connections.

  • Enter your login at the prompt.
  • When asked, enter your password.

  • You will now be presented with a prompt similar to telnet.

You can now use the machine as you normally would.