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How to connect to the CCI server

We run the CCI server as a resource to host websites and projects for students and staff at CCI, the server currently hosts:

  • Apache 2 (Web Server)
  • PHP
  • Node.js
  • Python
  • MySQL
  • PostgreSQL
  • MQTT

For security reasons access to the server is via SSH (Secure SHell) using key authentication. To connect to the server you'll need to:

  1. Request access via Slack #technical for a username and password
  2. Create a public/private key pair on your computer
  3. Upload the public key to the server
  4. Login using SSH or SFTP

Creating an SSH key requires some basic SSH commands on your computer, it's also really important that you keep the private key secret and that you revoke it immediately if you ever loose it or suspect illegal access to your computer.

Check for an existing key

  1. Open the Terminal / Command Prompt
  2. Type macOS/*nix: ls .ssh Windows: dir .ssh and press enter
  3. Check for 2 files id_rsa and id_rsa.pub

If these files exist then you have existing keys, otherwise follow the instructions to create a key

Create a key

  1. Open the Terminal / Command Prompt
  2. Type ssh-keygen and press enter. The computer will hold on Generating public/private rsa key pair. for a short time.
  3. Press enter when you see Enter file in which to save the key (/Users/username/.ssh/id_rsa):
  4. Press enter when you see Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase): unless you want to be prompted for a password when you connect to the server, in which case you should type this now (when typing passwords in the Terminal it will not be visible.`
  5. When you see Enter same passphrase again: either retype the passphrase or press enter for no password.
  6. You'll see a number of lines output:
Your identification has been saved in id_rsa.
Your public key has been saved in id_rsa.pub.
The key fingerprint is:
SHA256:wS+TjYgAeQftejsnZOE4b7SQJ+iRAPAd6FwA1/ykCcY username@computername
The key's randomart image is:
+---[RSA 3072]----+
|=++B.            |
|o+E.*...         |
|.=o=.=  o        |
|. o.=... *       |
|...=... S o      |
|.oB B    o       |
|. .@ o           |
| .  B .          |
|   . +           |
+----[SHA256]-----+

After this is complete you should check the key using the previous instructions.

Upload the key

  1. Open Terminal
  2. Copy the contents of id_rsa.pub

macOS: Type pbcopy < ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub and press enter, this will copy the key to your clipboard.

Windows/Linux users go to your file browser and find the folder .ssh in your home directory and then open id_rsa.pub in your plain text editor and copy the text.

  1. Open a web browser and login using your username and password a https://cci.arts.ac.uk:20000
  2. Select SSH Configuration
  3. On your first login you need to select Key Type as RSA (for SSH v2) and then press Setup SSH Keys
  4. Select Authorised Keys
  5. Click Add a new SSH 2 authorised key
  6. Type a key name as one word i.e. "MyKey"
  7. Set the type to RSA
  8. Paste the key into the large text box, and remove the suffix (ssh-rsa ) and prefix ( username@computer) as highlighted...

ssh-rsa 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 username@computer

  1. Press Create

Verify SSH key

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