SSH Tectia Server uses an XML-based configuration file ssh-server-config.xml that allows flexible implementation of real-life enterprise security policies.

The configuration file can be used to define settings with values that are different from the factory-set default values. When the configuration file has been created, the values of elements included in the file will override the default values of those elements. Any elements not included in the configuration file will use the hardcoded default values.

You can view the default values in the ssh-server-config-default.xml file that is stored in /etc/ssh2/ on Unix and in <INSTALLDIR>\SSH Tectia Server\ on Windows. The default configuration file is not read by SSH Tectia Server, but it shows the hardcoded system defaults.

The SSH Tectia Server includes also an example file ssh-server-config-example.xml that contains a useful example configuration with explanations of the options. The example file is located in the same directory as the default configuration file.

The ssh-server-config.xml configuration file can be edited with an XML editor or ASCII text editor directly in XML format (see Configuration File for SSH Tectia Server). You can also use the SSH Tectia Server Configuration tool to edit the configuration (see Configuration Tool).

After editing the configuration file, in most cases it is enough to reconfigure the server, but changing the listener ports or the FIPS-mode settings requires restarting the server. On Windows, reconfiguration happens when you click "Apply" or "OK". On Unix, to make SSH Tectia Server re-read its configuration, you can use the ssh-server-config-tool(8). For server restarting instructions, see Starting and Stopping the Server.