Chapter 2 Introduction

Table of Contents

Secure File Transfer
Secure Application Connectivity
Secure System Administration

Security Services
Secure Shell Protocol
Different Protocol Versions

The SSH Tectia client/server solution is designed to secure end-to-end communications within corporate networks. SSH Tectia allows secure network services over an unsecured network, such as the Internet. SSH Tectia products can be deployed cost-effectively also to very large corporate networks, and the installation and maintenance can be managed centrally.

SSH Tectia products are based on Secure Shell (SecSh) technology originally developed by the founders of SSH Communications Security. The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) has standardized the Secure Shell protocol, see RFC 4251 at http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc4251.txt.

The award-winning SSH Secure Shell technology allows you to securely log in to remote host computers, to execute commands safely on a remote computer, to securely copy remote files, to forward X11 sessions (on Unix), and to provide secure encrypted and authenticated communications between two non-trusted hosts. Arbitrary TCP/IP ports can also be forwarded (tunneled) over the secure channel, enabling secure connection, for example, to an e-mail service.

The SSH Tectia client/server solution includes the following separate products:

SSH Tectia Client - a workstation product providing the basic Secure Shell client features and tools
SSH Tectia ConnectSecure - installed on server hosts for securing server-to-server connections, while providing enterprise-level secure file transfer features in addition to the basic Secure Shell client features
SSH Tectia Server - the Secure Shell server product
SSH Tectia Server for Linux on IBM System z - Secure Shell server installed on Linux on IBM System z platforms. It provides both the client-side and server-side Secure Shell components. The client-side components are identical with SSH Tectia Client, so in this document, what is said about SSH Tectia Client applies also to the client-side components.
SSH Tectia Server for IBM z/OS - Secure Shell server installed on IBM mainframes. It provides both the client-side and server-side Secure Shell components. The client-side components are identical with SSH Tectia Client, so in this document, what is said about SSH Tectia Client applies also to the client-side components. SSH Tectia Server for IBM z/OS is introduced in its own Product Description.

The SSH Tectia products work ideally together, but they can also be used with other Secure Shell-based clients or servers.

SSH Tectia solution suite offers a versatile enterprise platform for governance of system security and data-in-transit, automation of file transfers and business processes, as well as managed file transfer and security infrastructure as shown in Figure 2.1.

Figure 2.1. SSH Tectia MFT Auditor position in the SSH Tectia product offering

SSH Tectia Client and Server are part of the infrastructure layer, providing a powerful and versatile framework for managed file transfer, application connectivity, and secure system administration. SSH Tectia ConnectSecure operates on the automation layer, providing tools for composing, automating, and executing secure file transfer operations and other data transactions without expensive re-engineering of applications and scripts.