I have a windows box about 3 hours from my house. It has ssh server installed (bitvise). I have connectivity from multiple windows machines to it using keys, a specific username, and a passphrase.

I just installed ubuntu on a VM. I went to the file manager, then went to other connections and added sftp:// x.x.x.x:xxxx and it denies the connection. So here is my question; where do i put my username and private key on the ubuntu client so i can connect to the ssh server to put some files on it?

second question, what is a good sftp GUI client as well in case i need to use that at some point?

thanks

With Linux, you must upload your ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub key to the remote server. If you don't have it, generate it:

$ ssh-keygen -t rsa

Then upload it to the remote server:

$ ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub -p [port number] username@x.x.x.x

You do that on the command line. You will be prompted to enter your password.

But you say the server runs Windows. I'm not sure this approach will work. Sorry. Good luck.

Can your VM connect to the Internet?
Is password authentication disabled on the server?
As far as I know bitvise can use rsa keys so it should doable.

Try Filezilla.

I have password authentication off on the server for security. Before any hosts connect, i turn that off

the public key is already on the ssh server. Its the private key thats the issue. All my other machines can connect to the ssh server with no issue using the public/private key generated by the ssh server.


IE, i use the bitvise ssh server key manager to generate a key pair, then i export only the private key to the machines that need to connect. so i have one public key on the server, and 3 private keys that have been exported from that public key for the clients if that makes sense haha. Then each client gets their private key. I then open the sftp client gui such as bitvise client or filezilla, open the private key, enter the username and it connects.

linux should have no issue communicating with a windows box?

I think we can get this to work.

thanks

the VM can indeed connect to the internet. I do know its hitting the server because the error that comes back is "connection denied" If i turn off the internet the error is "network unavailable" or something close to that.

I have password authentication off for security. I have the bitvise server generate a key pair, then i export the private key and give it to each client that needs to connect. So far thats 2 haha. Ubuntu will be the 3rd client.

the other machines were up in 3 minutes. so far im into this ubuntu machine 12 days with no connectivity and its driving me crazy haha

I have an Android device, trying to connect to a Linux host that uses OpenSSH (modern). The older Android stuff (Connectbot) can't make use of new OpenSSH keys, and I'm getting errors like yours. Ubuntu is likely using newer OpenSSH keys. Your Windows SSH server might not like that. Or the Ubuntu client might not want to use those keys. I'd try Windows -> Linux SSH server and see if that works. Android's OpenSSH client -> Linux does work. This might be a key operability issue, on either the client or server, because it doesn't sound like a connectivity issue. Did you look at the logs? Just throwing this out there, in hopes it might lead to a solution.

sftp user@host

Is a working command, assuming public key login and standard port.

Did you create rsa keys?
If so you can copy the private key to your user's .ssh directory but it needs to have the correct permissions.

it is using the newest version of open ssh and documentation says it works with all current versions of linux in 2022

Its a matter of not knowing where i need to put the private key on the ubuntu machine. It connects, but is denied the connection due to not having a key..

es i have created the keys. Bitvise has a key manager and generates the rsa key pair.

I did find the .ssh directory like you speak of, and even with it pasted in there, it still does not work. Im guessing permissions like you say?

chmod the file to what numbers?

thanks

Private key should be 600.

If the key name isn't id_rsa you might need to specify it using a config file. Try from the command line

sftp -P port# -i /path/private_key_name name@server_address

i just used the key to connect to the server from filezilla in ubuntu, so i know the key works.

in the command line i get the following:


Load key error in libcrypto
permission denied
connection closed

but yet its the same key i used for filezilla and it worked just fine.

the key does have a password on it

any new answers or possible information
thaks

I figured it out. Someone else duplicated my exact setup in a lab and they were able to get it to work. What happened was my key works with file zilla and all clients, but something happened during the export/conversion that it corrupted the key and the libcrypto doesnt like it.

i am know generating ECDSA keys from the client itself