CS Technical FAQ

The use of shosts has been disabled on Computer Science machines. We recommend using ssh keys if you want to login to another account (such as a class account) via SSH.

To generate the ssh key, use the "ssh-keygen" command:
$ ssh-keygen -t rsa

You will be prompted with a few questions - usually the defaults will be fine. We recommend using a passphrase to help protect your key, although you don"t have to.

Next, copy the contents of ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub to the file ~/.ssh/authorized_keys

Now, when you ssh between CS machines, your ssh key will be used, instead of password authentication.

Note: If you are a TA who needs access to a class account via SSH keys, please see our FAQ entry SSH access to CS class accounts for Teaching Assistants.