First Connection with Password

On Windows, you can connect to a remote host by using the Tectia SSH Terminal GUI as follows:

Open the Tectia SSH Terminal by clicking its icon on your desktop:
Figure 3.1. The Tectia SSH Terminal icon
To open a Secure Shell connection, do one of the following:
- Click the Connect icon on the toolbar.
- On the File menu, click Connect.
- Press Enter or Space on the keyboard when the (still disconnected) terminal window is active.
This opens the Connect to Server dialog box where you can define the host you want to connect to:
Figure 3.2. The Connect to Server dialog box

Define the following information and click Connect:
- Host Name – the FQDN, short host name, or the IP address of the remote host. (To test connecting to Tectia Server installed on the same machine, type in "localhost".)
- User Name – your user name on the remote host
- Port Number – 22 is the default Secure Shell listener port.
- Authentication Method – to authenticate with your password, use <Default Settings>.
With later sessions within the same (disconnected) terminal window, the values used in the previous connection will be pre-filled.
The server authentication phase starts. The remote server host will provide your local computer with its host public key. The host key identifies the server host.
Tectia Client checks if information on this key is already stored in your own host key directory. If not, the host key directory common to all users on your computer is checked next. If information on this host key is not found, you are asked to verify the new key.
When public-key authentication is used to authenticate the server, the first connection is very important. When Tectia Client receives a new server host key, it will display the host identification message.
Figure 3.3. The host identification dialog – the first connection to a remote host

The message displays the fingerprint of the host's public key in the SSH Babble format that is a series of pronounceable five-letter words in lower case and separated by dashes.
Verify the validity of the fingerprint, preferably by contacting the administrator of the remote host computer by telephone. After verifying the fingerprint, it is safe to save information on the host key for future use. You can also choose to cancel the connection, or to proceed with this connection without saving the host public key information.
Caution
Never save a host public key without verifying its authenticity!
Click OK to close the host identification dialog.
Information on the server public key will be stored on the client-side machine so that the client can later validate the key. On Tectia Client, the public key information is stored in the "%APPDATA%\SSH\HostKeys" directory.
%APPDATA% corresponds to:
- "C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming"
After the first connection, only the locally stored information about the server public key will be used in server authentication.
The user authentication phase starts. You will be prompted to authenticate yourself to the server with your password. The required authentication method depends on the server settings.
After the server has successfully authenticated you, the Secure Shell connection to the server is opened.

	Caution
	Never save a host public key without verifying its authenticity!