SSH

Defining Connection Profiles

Under Connection Profiles you can configure separate connection settings for each Secure Shell server you connect to. You can also configure several profiles for the same server, for example, with different user accounts.

Click Test Connection to open a connection to the remote server. You need to connect to the server once in order to get the server's host key. Tectia Client will prompt you to verify the received key. Check that it is valid, preferably by calling the server's administrator, and save the validated key. After this, the locally saved information on the key will be used in the authentication process automatically.

Defining Connection Settings

On the Connection tab, you can define the protocol settings used in the connection. Any changed connection settings will take effect the next time you log in.

Configuring connection profiles

Figure A.15. Configuring connection profiles


Host Name

Specify the host name or the IP address of the remote host computer to which you want to connect with the profile.

Port Number

Define the listen port on the Secure Shell server. The default SSH port number is 22. In case you know that the remote server uses another port, enter the number in the Port Number field.

[Note]Note

A Secure Shell server program must be listening to the specified port on the remote host computer or the connection attempt will not succeed. If you are unsure which port the remote host computer is listening to, contact the system administrator of the remote host.

User Name

Select Use current Windows user name if the connection should always be made using the currently logged in Windows user name. This is similar to defining %USERNAME% (note the percent signs) as the user name. %USERNAME% reads the actual user name from an environment variable.

Select Specify user name and enter the user name, if you want to define the user name this profile will use when connecting to the remote host computer.

Select Prompt user for the user name if the user should enter the user name manually every time when connecting.

Select Use the Default Connection's user name if you want to apply the generic user name defined in the General - Default Connection settings.

Advanced

In Compression, select the desired compression setting from the drop-down menu. Valid choices are zlib and none. Compression is disabled by default.

In Tunnel using profile, use the drop-down list to select a profile for creating a nested tunnel. The first tunnel will be created to the server defined in the current connection profile, and from there, the second tunnel will be created to a host defined in the profile selected with the Tunnel using profile setting. By default, tunneling is disabled.

Usage

This field shows information on where the defined profile is used.

Defining Authentication

On the Authentication tab, you can define the user authentication methods for the profile.

Configuring authentication methods for the profile

Figure A.16. Configuring authentication methods for the profile


  1. Select the Use Defaults check box to use the authentication methods defined on the Default Connection page (Defining Authentication), or clear the check box to define a custom list of authentication methods.

    To add a new authentication method to the list, click Add and select the method from the drop-down menu.

    To remove an authentication method, select a method from the list and click Delete.

    Use the arrow buttons to organize the preferred order of the authentication methods. The first method that is allowed by the Secure Shell server is used. Note that in some cases, the server may require several authentication methods to be passed before allowing login.

    Possible methods for user authentication are:

    • Public-key: Use public-key authentication. See also Defining User Authentication.

    • Password: Use a password for authentication.

    • Keyboard-interactive: Keyboard-interactive is designed to allow the Secure Shell client to support several different types of authentication methods, including RSA SecurID, and PAM. For more information on keyboard-interactive, see User Authentication with Keyboard-Interactive.

    • GSSAPI: GSSAPI (Generic Security Service Application Programming Interface) is a common security service interface that allows different security mechanisms to be used via one interface. For more information on GSSAPI, see User Authentication with GSSAPI.

  2. If you want to use the profile in non-interactive connections, you can select to store a password with the profile in the Password Authentication field.

    Select Password to enter the actual password string.

    Select Password file to enter a path to a file containing the password.

    Select Password program to enter a path to a program or a script that outputs the password.

    [Caution]Caution

    If the password is given using this option, it is extremely important that the ssh-broker-config.xml file, the password file, or the program are not accessible by anyone else than the intended user.

    [Note]Note

    Any password given with the command-line options will override this setting.

  3. In the GSSAPI Authentication field, by selecting the Allow Ticket Forwarding check box you can enable Tectia Client to allow forwarding the Kerberos ticket over several connections.

  4. When using Public-Key Authentication, you can also define which key types are used and how the keys are selected.

    Key selection defines the policy Connection Broker uses when proposing user public keys to the server. Select the mode from the drop-down list. The options are:

    • Try available public keys automatically (the default). With this policy, the client will try the keys in the following order:

      1. Keys with public key available and private key without a passphrase (no user interaction)

      2. Keys with public key available but private key behind a passphrase (require a passphrase query, provided the key is accepted by the server)

      3. The rest of the keys, meaning keys that require a passphrase for the public key as well as the private key.

    • Prompt user to select the public key - with this policy, the Connection Broker prompts the user to select the key from a list of available keys. If authentication with the selected key fails, the client will prompt the user again to select another key.

    Key types defines whether only plain public keys or only certificates are tried during public-key authentication. Select the key type from the drop-down list. The default is to try both plain public keys and certificates.

    By selecting Issuer must match server certificate issuer, you can make the Connection Broker filter the user certificates that will be included in the list presented to the user. The client-side user certificates can be filtered according to their issuer name that is compared to the certificate issuers requested or accepted by the server. By default, the filtering is not done. This option is useful when a user has several certificates with different access rights to the same server, for example for a testing role and for an administrator role. The Connection Broker chooses the relevant certificates that are applicable on the remote host, and the user can choose the correct certificate from the short-listed ones.

    To generate a public-key pair and to upload it to the remote server, click the Public-Key Authentication Wizard button. For instructions, see Using the Public-Key Authentication Wizard.

    Enabled algorithms lists the public-key signature algorithms that are used for authenticating and signing the user's public key. The algorithms that will be used are those that are configured for both Tectia Server and the Connection Broker. You can use the up and down arrow buttons to modify the order of the algorithms. To move an algorithm to the Disabled algorithms list, select it and click the right arrow button.

  5. Click OK to save the connection profile.

Using the Public-Key Authentication Wizard

On Windows, you can use the Tectia Public-Key Authentication Wizard to generate and to upload public-key pairs. The wizard will generate two key files, your private key and your public key.

The new private and public key will be stored on your local computer in the %APPDATA%\SSH\UserKeys directory. The private key file has no file extension, and the public key has the same base file name as the private key, but with .pub as the file extension.

Select the Keys and Certificates page under User authentication and click New Key to start the Public-Key Authentication Wizard.

The Public-Key Authentication Wizard

Figure A.17. The Public-Key Authentication Wizard


Define the key properties and the required passphrase to protect your key pair; you will be requested to enter the passphrase always when using the keys to authenticate yourself.

File Name

Type a unique name for the key file. Tectia Client suggest a name consisting of the user name and the host name.

Comment

In this field you can write a short comment that describes the key pair. You can for example describe the connection the keys are used for. This field is not obligatory, but helps to identify the key later.

Passphrase

Type a phrase that you have to enter when handling the key. This passphrase works in a similar way to a password and gives some protection for your private key.

[Note]Note

In FIPS mode, due to a FIPS regulation which forbids exporting unencrypted private keys out of the FIPS module, it is not possible to generate user keys without a passphrase.

Make the passphrase difficult to guess. Use ideally at least 20 characters, both letters and numbers. Any punctuation characters can be used as well. While the passphrase or private key are never sent over the network, a dictionary attack can be used against a private key if it is accessible locally. For ease of use, an authentication agent is recommended instead of leaving the passphrase empty. By default ssh-broker-g3 functions as an authentication agent.

Memorize the passphrase carefully, and do not write it down.

For connections where no user interaction is available, you can consider leaving the passprase empty.

Retype passphrase

Type the passphrase again. This ensures that you have not made a typing error.

Click the Advanced Options, to define the type of the key to be generated and the key length to be different from the defaults. By default, Tectia Client generates a pair of 3072-bit RSA keys.

In the Key Properties fields, you can make the following selections:

Key Type

Select the type of the key to be generated. Available options are Ed25519, RSA, ECDSA and DSA.

[Note]Note

In FIPS mode (conforming to FIPS 186-5) RSA, ECDSA and Ed25519 are supported. DSA has been deprecated.

Key Length

Select the length (complexity) of the key to be generated. Available options are:

  • DSA/RSA keys: 2048, 3072, 4096, 5120, 6144, 7168, 8192 bits

  • ECDSA keys: 256, 384, 521 bits

  • Ed25519 keys: 256 bits

Larger keys of the same key type are more secure, but also slower to generate. A 256-bit ECDSA key and a 3072-bit RSA key provide equivalent security.

As soon as a new key has been generated, the Wizard proceeds to uploading the key to a remote server. In case you want to upload an existing key to a remote server, select the key file in the Keys and Certificates view, and click Upload. The following dialog appears in both cases:

Uploading a key

Figure A.18. Uploading a key


In the Upload Public Key view of the wizard, define the remote host where to upload the key:

Quick connect

Select this option to define the remote Host name and your user name there. The default Secure Shell port is 22.

Connection profile

Select a Connection profile from the drop-down list that specifies the desired remote host and user name.

Click Upload to upload the key to the selected server. If you are already connected to the remote server host, the key upload starts immediately. If you are not connected, you will be prompted to authenticate on the server (by default with password).

The public key will be uploaded to the default user home directory (%USERPROFILE%\.ssh2 on Windows, $HOME/.ssh2 on Unix).

Defining Ciphers

On the Ciphers tab, you can define the encryption algorithms used for the profile.

Defining a cipher list for the profile

Figure A.19. Defining a cipher list for the profile


Select the Use Defaults check box to use the algorithms defined on the Default Connection page (Defining Ciphers), or define a cipher list using the arrow buttons. The ciphers are tried in the order they are specified.

Tectia proprietary algorithms are marked with (Tectia) and are operable with Tectia products only. They correspond to the algorithms that end with @ssh.com in the Connection Broker configuration file.

Defining MACs

On the MACs tab, you can configure the message integrity algorithms used for the profile.

Defining a MAC list for the profile

Figure A.20. Defining a MAC list for the profile


Select the Use Defaults check box to use the algorithms defined on the Default Connection page (Defining MACs), or define a MAC list using the arrow buttons. The MACs are tried in the order they are specified.

Tectia proprietary algorithms are marked with (Tectia) and are operable with Tectia products only. They correspond to the algorithms that end with @ssh.com in the Connection Broker configuration file.

Defining KEXs

On the KEXs tab, you can configure the key exchange methods used for the profile.

Defining a KEX list for the profile

Figure A.21. Defining a KEX list for the profile


Select the Use Defaults check box to use the methods defined on the Default Connection page (Defining KEXs), or define a KEX list using the arrow buttons. The KEXs are tried in the order they are specified.

Tectia proprietary algorithms are marked with (Tectia) and are operable with Tectia products only. They correspond to the algorithms that end with @ssh.com in the Connection Broker configuration file.

Defining Server Connections

On the Server tab, you can define advanced server connection settings for the profile.

Defining server connection settings for the profile

Figure A.22. Defining server connection settings for the profile


Use Defaults

Select the check box to use the values defined on the Default Connection page (Defining Server Connections) for the server connection settings.

Idle timeout

Specify how long idle time (after all connection channels are closed) is allowed for a connection before automatically closing the connection. The default is 5 seconds. Setting a longer time allows the connection to the server to remain open even after a session (for example, Tectia SSH Terminal GUI) is closed. During this time, a new session to the server can be initiated without re-authentication. Setting the time to 0 (zero) terminates the connection immediately when the last channel to the server is closed.

TCP connection timeout

Specify for how long a TCP connection will be attempted to a Secure Shell server. Define the timeout in seconds. After the defined time the TCP connection will be released in case the remote server is down or unreachable. Setting the value as 0 (zero) means that the default system TCP timeout will be used.

Keepalive interval

Specify an interval (in seconds) for sending keepalive messages to a Secure Shell server. The default is 0, meaning that no keepalive messages are sent.

Exclusive connection

Select this check box if you want that the profile always opens a new connection, instead of reusing a currently open connection.

Show server banner

Select the check box if you want to have the server banner message file (if it exists) visible to users before login.

Enabled Hostkey Algorithms

This list shows the host key signature algorithms used for server authentication with host keys or certificates. The algorithms that will be used are those that are defined in both Tectia Server and Connection Broker configuration files. This way the use of only certain algorithms, such as SHA-2, can be enforced by the server.

The host key algorithms are tried in the order they are specified, with one exception: If a host key of a server already exists in the host key store of the client, its algorithm is preferred. You can use the up and down arrow buttons to modify the order of the algorithms.

Disabled Hostkey Algorithms

The host key algorithms listed here are not used for server authentication. To disable a host key algorithm, select it in the Enabled Hostkey Algorithms list and click the right arrow button.

Defining Proxy Settings

On the Proxy tab, you can select proxy settings for the profile.

Defining proxy settings for the profile

Figure A.23. Defining proxy settings for the profile


No proxy

Select this option if you do not want to use a proxy.

Use proxy rules

Select this option to use the proxy rules defined in the General settings Proxy Rules page (Defining Proxy Rules).

Specify a proxy for this profile only

Click Add to add a new proxy definition for this profile.

Defining alternate proxy for the profile

Figure A.24. Defining alternate proxy for the profile


Select the Type of the rule. The type can be Direct, Socks4, Socks5, or Http.

For other types than direct, enter the address of the proxy Server and Port.

Defining Tunneling

Tunneling, or port forwarding, is a way of forwarding otherwise unsecured TCP traffic through an encrypted Secure Shell connection (tunnel). You can secure for example POP3, SMTP, and HTTP connections that would otherwise be unsecured.

The tunneling settings for the connection profile are configured using the Tunneling tab. Any changed tunneling settings will take effect the next time you log in.

Defining tunneling through a profile

Figure A.25. Defining tunneling through a profile


[Note]Note

The client-server applications using the tunnel will carry out their own authentication procedures (if any) the same way they would without the encrypted tunnel.

Forwarding Options

It is possible to define separately for each connection profile whether X11 and/or agent forwarding are enabled, or whether the general default forwarding settings are applied to the profile.

Use Defaults

Select this option to make the profile follow the default settings for X11 and agent forwarding defined on the Defaults - Tunneling tab (Defining Default Tunneling Settings).

Tunnel X11 connections

To allow X11 forwarding for this connection profile, select this check box.

Tectia Client can securely tunnel (forward) X11 graphic connections from the remote host computer to an X Windows server running on the local computer.

[Note]Note

A prerequisite for X11 tunneling is that you have an X emulator (such as eXceed or Reflection X) running in passive mode on the Windows computer.

To tunnel (forward) X11 traffic, do the following actions:

  1. Install an X server (X emulation) program on Windows (eXceed, Reflection X, or the like).

  2. Start Tectia Client.

  3. Select the Tunneling tab of the Connection Profiles page and make sure that the Tunnel X11 connections check box is selected.

  4. Save your settings for Tectia Client.

  5. Restart Tectia Client and log into the remote host.

  6. Start the X server (X emulation) program.

  7. To test the tunneling, run xterm or xclock from Tectia Client.

For more information, see X11 Forwarding.

Allow Agent Forwarding

To allow agent forwarding on the client side for this connection profile, select this check box.

In agent forwarding, Secure Shell connections and public-key authentication data are forwarded from one server to another without the user having to authenticate separately for each server.

For more information, see Agent Forwarding.

Local Tunnels

There are two types of tunnels that can be defined for application tunneling, local (outgoing) tunnels and remote (incoming) tunnels.

Local tunnels protect TCP connections that your local computer forwards from a specified local port to a specified port on the remote host computer you are connected to. It is also possible to forward the connection beyond the remote host computer, but the connection is encrypted only between Tectia Client and Tectia Server.

Remote tunnels protect TCP connections that a remote host forwards from a specified remote port to a specified port on your local computer.

To edit local tunnel definitions, click the Local tunnels tab.

To add a new local tunnel, click Add. The Local Tunnel dialog box opens.

Defining a local tunnel

Figure A.26. Defining a local tunnel


The following fields are used to define a local tunnel:

  • Type: Select the type of the tunnel from the drop-down list. Valid choices are TCP and FTP. If you are tunneling an FTP connection, set the tunnel type as FTP. For other protocols, set the tunnel type as TCP.

    [Note]Note

    If the Secure Shell server and the FTP server are located on different computers, FTP tunneling works only if FTP is set to run in passive mode. If the Secure Shell server and the FTP server are located on the same computer, tunneling works regardless of whether FTP is running in passive or active mode. For more information on FTP tunneling, see Non-Transparent FTP Tunneling.

  • Listen port: This is the number of the local port which the tunnel listens to or captures.

    [Note]Note

    The protocol or application that you wish to create the tunnel for may have a fixed port number (for example 143 for IMAP) that it needs to use to connect successfully. Other protocols or applications may require an offset (for example 5900 for VNC) that you will have to take into an account.

  • Allow local connections only: Select this option if you want to allow only local connections to be made. This means that other computers will not be able to use the tunnel created by you. By default, only local connections are allowed. This is the right choice for most situations.

    Consider the security implications carefully if you decide to also allow outside connections.

  • Destination host: This field defines the destination host for the tunneling. The default value is localhost.

    [Note]Note

    The destination host is resolved by the Secure Shell server, so here localhost refers to the Secure Shell server host you are connecting to.

  • Destination port: The destination port defines the port that is used for the forwarded connection on the destination host.

To edit a tunnel definition, select a tunnel from the list and click Edit. The Local Tunnel dialog opens.

To delete a tunnel definition, select a tunnel from the list and click Delete to remove a tunnel. Note that the selected tunnel will be removed immediately, with no confirmation dialog.

For more information on local tunnels, see Local Tunnels.

Remote Tunnels

Remote (incoming) tunnels protect TCP connections that the remote host forwards from a specified remote port to the specified port on your local computer.

Click the Remote tunnels tab to edit incoming tunnel definitions. Click Add to open the Remote Tunnel dialog box.

Defining a remote tunnel

Figure A.27. Defining a remote tunnel


The following fields are used to define a remote tunnel:

  • Type: Select the type of the tunnel from the drop-down list. Valid choices are TCP and FTP. For more information on FTP tunneling, see Non-Transparent FTP Tunneling.

  • Listen port: Enter the port that the tunnel listens to or captures from the remote host computer.

    [Note]Note

    Privileged ports (below 1024) can be forwarded only when logging in with root privileges on the remote host computer.

  • Destination host: Define the destination host for the port forwarding. The default value is localhost.

    [Note]Note

    Here localhost refers to your local computer. Also note that if the connection from the remote host computer is forwarded beyond your local computer, that connection is unsecured.

  • Destination port: Define the port that is used for the forwarded connection on the destination host.

To edit a tunnel definition, select a tunnel from the list and click Edit. The Remote Tunnel dialog opens.

To delete a tunnel definition, select a tunnel from the list and click Delete to remove a tunnel. Note that the selected tunnel will be removed immediately, with no confirmation dialog.

For more information on remote tunnels, see Remote Tunnels.

Defining Windows Settings

The type of the Tectia window that is opened initially is configured using the Windows tab. The selected GUI version, Tectia SSH Terminal GUI or Tectia Secure File Transfer GUI, will be opened first when this profile is accessed.

Defining initial Tectia window type

Figure A.28. Defining initial Tectia window type


[Note]Note

When a profile is added from the Tectia Connections Configuration GUI using the Add Profile option, the initial window type of the new profile is automatically set to be the same as in the current GUI view.

Defining Color Settings

The colors used in the Tectia SSH Terminal GUI can be selected using the Colors page.

The color settings can be defined either globally or per profile. When colors are defined in Tectia terminal Global Settings, the Use Global Colors option is not available, but the color settings will affect all connection profiles. See Selecting Colors.

Defining Tectia terminal colors

Figure A.29. Defining Tectia terminal colors


Use Global Colors: Select this check box if you want to apply the global color settings to this profile. When this check box is selected, you cannot modify the color settings.

Text Colors

The text colors affect the terminal window background color and the color of text in both a connected window and a disconnected window.

  • Foreground: Select the desired foreground color from the drop-down menu. Foreground color is used for text in a window that has a connection to a remote host computer. You can select from sixteen colors. Black is the default foreground color.

  • Background: Select the desired background color from the drop-down menu. You can select from sixteen colors. White is the default background color.

  • Selection: Select the desired background color for mouse-selected texts from the drop-down menu. You can select from sixteen colors. Aquamarine is the default selection color.

  • Disconnected: Select the desired foreground color for terminal windows that have no connection to a remote host computer. You can select from sixteen colors. Gray is the default foreground color for a disconnected terminal window.

Cursor Color

Select the desired cursor color from the drop-down menu. You can select from sixteen colors. Navy is the default cursor color.

ANSI Colors

With ANSI control codes it is possible to change the color of text in a terminal window. With the ANSI Colors setting you can select to use this feature. Even if you disable ANSI colors, you can still select your favorite text and background colors to be used in the terminal window.

Select the Enable ANSI Colors check box to allow ANSI colors to be used in the terminal window. By default, ANSI colors are selected.

Reverse Colors

By reversing the display colors you can quickly change the display from positive (dark on light) to negative (light on dark) to improve visibility.

Select the Reverse Video check box to change the foreground color into background color and vice versa. This setting affects the whole terminal window when you click OK.

Defining Terminal Settings

The settings used for the Tectia Client terminal are configured using the Terminal tab. Keyboard mappings take effect when you start a new connection or reset the terminal.

Defining Tectia terminal settings

Figure A.30. Defining Tectia terminal settings


User Defined Keymap File

Use this option to create additional keyboard shortcuts or to modify the existing ones. The additional key mappings are saved into a separate text file with the .sshmap file extension. The current keymap file is displayed in the text field.

If you have defined an alternative keymap settings file, you can load it by typing the path and file name in the text field, or by clicking Browse. Clicking Browse will open an Open dialog box that allows you to locate an alternative keymap file.

You can modify the current key mappings and add new ones by clicking Edit. Clicking Edit will open the Tectia Keymap Editor, where you can create a new key mapping by clicking Add. Clicking Add will open the Tectia Shortcut dialog box.

To define a keyboard shortcut, on the Function drop-down list, select the function you want to map a key to. Depending on the function, you may further define it using an additional text box or drop-down list that appears when you select a function. In the text box in the lower left of the dialog box, press the key or key combination you want to map to the function.

Adding a keyboard shortcut using Tectia Keymap Editor

Figure A.31. Adding a keyboard shortcut using Tectia Keymap Editor


To use the new key mapping, restart Tectia Client and reconnect to the server using the same connection profile for which you made the mapping. Notice that the key mapping only applies to this specific connection profile.

Predefined Keyboard Inputs

Select the Backspace sends Delete check box if you want to map the Backspace key to the Delete operation.

Select the Delete Sends Backspace check box if you want to map the Delete key to the Backspace operation.

Select the Enter sends CR + LF check box if you want to map the Enter key to send the carriage return (CR) and line feed (LF) characters. Otherwise only the line feed character will be sent.

Select the Lock Function Keys check box if you want to lock the function keys.

Select the Line Wrap check box if you want the text lines to wrap at the terminal window edge. By default, line wrapping is on.

Select the Use Alt as meta key (send Escape) check box if you want the Alt key to function as the meta key in the same way as the Escape key. If this option is selected, you can for example press the Alt+X key combination to simulate the Escape followed by X.

Keypad Mode

Select how you want the numeric keypad on the right-hand side of the regular keyboard to function.

Select Numeric Keypad to use the keypad to enter numbers.

Select Application Keypad to use the keypad for application control (with the keypad keys functioning as cursor keys, Home, End, Page Up, Page Down, Insert and Delete).

Terminal answerback

Use the Terminal answerback drop-down list to select the same terminal answerback mode that is used by the Tectia Server related to the profile.

Euro character

Use the Euro character drop-down list to select the support mode for the euro character (€).

The supported options are Windows (where euro is mapped as 0x80) and ISO 8859-15 (euro mapped as 0xA4). Select the same character set that is used by the Tectia Server related to the profile.

Note however that enabling the euro character support will disable the 8-bit terminal control codes.

Defining File Transfer Settings

The File Transfer tab defines which files are transferred using ASCII mode and which newline conventions are applied.

Defining Tectia file transfer settings

Figure A.32. Defining Tectia file transfer settings


ASCII transfer with old servers

Detect Windows server from the version string: Secure Shell client and server exchange version strings when setting up the connection. Select this check box to automatically detect Windows servers and use the correct setting for them. For this feature to work correctly, the Windows server has to specify "windows" in its version string.

Select the Unix check box to use Unix compatible line breaks (LF).

Select the Windows check box to use Windows compatible line breaks (CRLF).

Select the Ask before ASCII transfer check box to make Tectia Client ask you to specify the server type before each ASCII file transfer.

Defining Favorite Folders

In the Favorites Folders tab, you can create a list of commonly used remote directories. These favorites can then be easily selected from a drop-down menu in the file transfer window.

Defining favorite remote folders for file transfer

Figure A.33. Defining favorite remote folders for file transfer


Favorite Folders

This list contains the favorite folders you have defined for the current connection profile. You can add, remove, and sort the favorites by using Add, Delete, and the arrow buttons below the list.

If you are defining a remote favorite that is located on a Windows Secure Shell server, the folder on the Windows server must be specified as follows: /drive/folder/subfolder.

A valid favorite folder definition would be, for example:

/C/Documents and Settings/All Users/Desktop
Home Folder

In the Home Folder field you can enter the directory where any new SFTP connections associated with this profile will start. If you leave the field empty, new connections will use the remote home folder that has been specified for your user account on the remote host computer.