How do I add an SSH Key in Spinup?

Owned by Tristen Lawrence
Last updated: Sept 14, 2023
2 min read

Objective
Generate an SSH Key, and add it to my Spinup profile.

Introduction
SSH (Secure SHell) is a protocol used to securely connect to remote systems, and an SSH key is a form of authentication that aids in establishing such secure connections. As such, SSH keys are required to connect to servers created in Spinup. In this guide, you will learn how to generate an SSH key, and add it to your profile in Spinup.

Setting Up SSH Key

Before you can create a server in Spinup, you will need to add a SSH key to your profile. Once added, this key will give you access to any new servers you create. (If you already have an SSH key set up on your profile, feel free to move on to the next step).

To add an SSH Key to your profile:

  1. Login to Spinup. From the homepage, click on your (name / netid) on the navigation bar on the top of the page. This will bring you to your user profile settings.

  2. From the ‘User Settings’ tab on the left-side of the page, select the ‘Manage SSH keys' tab.

  3. Generate an SSH Key. (If you have already generated an SSH before, you can just copy it and move onto the next step):

  1. Open a terminal.

  2. In the terminal, run the command:

ssh-keygen -t rsa

  1. Follow through the steps provided in the terminal.

  2. Once finished, copy your public key to your clipboard via the following command:

cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

  1. Ensure “OpenSSH” is enabled:

    1. Open the Settings app.

    2. Go to Apps > Optional Features.

    3. Scroll down and see if "OpenSSH Client" is listed. If it's not, click on Add a feature, find "OpenSSH Client", and install it.

  2. Open the Command Prompt.

  3. In the Command Prompt, run the command:

ssh-keygen -t rsa

  1. Once finished, copy your public key to your clipboard via the following command:

 

  1. Once you have copied your public key, paste that public key into the ‘SSH Key’ text box on the user settings page, and hit save. You should now be able to create a virtual server in Spinup.

This SSH key will only work on new instances that you create. To connect to instances others have created, they will need to add you to their server (see: How to add new users on Linux?archived ).

If your department needs help accessing a server where the server owner has left, reach out for support at cloudeng@yale.edu.