Access management

For remote access to the server, the Customer Portal offers two authentication methods.

SSH Key

An SSH key is a pair of cryptographic keys used for authentication. An SSH key pair consists of a private key and a public key. The private part of the key stored on the local machine from which the user connects to the server. The public part stored on the server. It is recommended to use SSH keys in most cases, especially if you need maximum security. Advantages: High level of security, no need to enter a password for each connection.

Password

A password can be used for quick access or in situations where using SSH keys is difficult or impractical. It is also suitable for temporary access or for users who are not familiar with setting up SSH keys. The password for server access will be sent to the contacts with Primary and Technical roles via email. Advantages: Easy to set up and use, does not require additional tools for SSH key generation.

How to create SSH key

Generate keys via Customer Portal

1. In the left-hand menu, navigate to Identity and Access and select SSH & GPG keys

2. Click Create

3. Specify the SSH key name in the Name field, select Generate new SSH key and click Create

A new private SSH key will be generated. Carefully copy the key to ensure all characters are accurately transferred and pasted into a file on your local machine. Make sure to save the SSH key on your local machine in a secure location. Use this key when ordering new dedicated servers or reinstalling the OS on an existing server by selecting SSH key from the list created in the Customer Portal. The public part will be automatically generated and added to the dedicated server.

Generate keys on a local machine

Linux

To generate an SSH key, you can use the ssh-keygen utility. It is part of the standard OpenSSH toolset.

1. Open a terminal and generate an SSH key pair on your local machine using the following command:

ssh-keygen

By default, rsa type of key will be generated. If you need a different type of key, specify it:

ssh-keygen -t <SSH key type>
#<SSH key type>: ed25519, rsa, ecdsa, or dsa.

The utility will prompt you to choose a directory to store the key pair. For example, when choosing the default rsa key type:

Generating public/private rsa key pair.
Enter file in which to save the key (/username/.ssh/id_rsa): 

By default, they are stored in the .ssh directory inside the user's home directory. It is more convenient to store the keys in the default directory. This allows the SSH client to automatically locate the SSH keys during authentication

2. Choose the key storage location:

   • To use a non-standard directory, specify it at this step in the format /path_to_id_rsa_key/ and press Enter
   • Otherwise, press Enter to accept the default directory

3. The utility will prompt you to enter a passphrase for the key for additional security (optional). Enter a passphrase or press Enter to skip it. This can be used to encrypt the private key file on the disk, providing an additional layer of protection in case the user account is hacked. Note that you will need to enter it every time the corresponding key is used

Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):

Once this process is complete, you will have an SSH key pair that can be used for authentication:

• id_rsa – the private key, stored on the local computer. Never share or transfer it to anyone or anywhere
• id_rsa.pub – the public key. This needs to be added to the server to authenticate

The key fingerprint and its image will appear in the terminal:

Your identification has been saved in /username/.ssh/id_rsa
Your public key has been saved in /username/.ssh/id_rsa.pub
The key fingerprint is:
SHA256:6S0ATIXbSPYGtNAJdhj1T1Ak8QSyxuE/a3XzWtJKrMQ username@IP
The key's randomart image is:
+---[RSA 3072]----+
|  =BB+*=+        |
| ..BB* =         |
|   oO*. o        |
|   .oo+o .       |
|     .+ S o      |
|       B + +     |
|      o E = +    |
|     . . + =     |
|        . o      |
+----[SHA256]-----+

Windows

You can use the PuTTYgen utility to generate an SSH key pair on Windows OS. It is automatically installed with the PuTTY SSH client.

1. Go to PuTTY website and install utility
2. Launch PuTTYgen
3. Select the type of SSH key (e.g., rsa) and click the Generate button
4. Move the mouse cursor around the screen until the progress bar is completely filled You can move the mouse in any manner, just be careful not to accidentally close PuTTYgen
5. Choose whether to use a passphrase:
   • When the key is ready, enter and confirm the passphrase for the private key in the designated fields
   • If you do not want to set a passphrase, simply save the private and public key files in a secure location. The utility will warn you that the key is being saved without a passphrase

This completes the creation of an SSH key pair

How to add an existing SSH key to the server

To connect to the server via SSH, you must have a public key on the server. Adding an SSH key to the server via the Customer Portal is only possible during the installation or reinstallation of the OS. In all other cases, this can be done via the console.

Linux based systems

1. Open a terminal on your local machine
2. Copy the public key to the server using the following command:

ssh-copy-id -i path_to_file/id_rsa.pub username@server_ip

Replace:

• path_to_id_rsa.pub with the full path to the id_rsa.pub key on your local computer
• username with your actual username on the server
• server_ip with the server's IP address

3. Press Enter and type the password

Your public key will be added to the server.

Windows

To add an existing SSH key to a Windows-based server, complete the following steps:

1. Open the Command Prompt on your local computer
2. Copy the public key to the server using the following command:

scp path_to_file\your_key.pub username@server_ip:C:\Users\username\.ssh\authorized_keys

Replace:

• path_to_file\your_key.pub with the full path to the public key on the local computer

• username with your actual username on the server

• server_ip with the server's IP address

3. Press Enter and type the password

Your public key will be added to the server.

To check the permissions, complete the following steps:

1. Connect to the server via RDP or other remote access methods
2. Open a PowerShell on the server
3. Retrieve the access control list (ACL) of the authorized_keys file:

Get-Acl C:\Users\<username>\.ssh\authorized_keys | Format-List

4. To display the file permissions for the authorized_keys file, use this command:

icacls C:\Users\<username>\.ssh\authorized_keys

Replace <username> with the actual username for which you want to check the SSH file permissions

How to connect to the server

There are various ways to remotely connect to a dedicated server, using SSH, RDP (for Windows), or VNC.

SSH

SSH is a cryptographic network protocol that allows users a secure way to access a server over an unsecured network. This protocol refers to the suite of utilities that implement the SSH protocol and available on most operating systems, including Linux, macOS, and Windows. The SSH protocol supports various authentication methods, such as password, public and private keys. To authenticate on the server using the generated SSH key, you must first add it to the server. Instructions are provided in the article How to add an SSH key to the server. To connect to a remote server via SSH, use the ssh utility on your local machine. On macOS and Linux, you can access this utility via the Terminal. On Windows, use PowerShell. Before connecting to the server, you will need its IP address and login credentials:

• IP address: public and private IP addresses can be found on the server details page in the Customer Portal. Use the public IP address of your server if you're connecting via the Internet

• Credentials: username and password, or username and private key. If you have not provided a public key when ordering a server, an automatically generated password will be sent to you via email. For a newly provisioned dedicated server, the username is root

Password authentication

To authenticate using a password, run the following command and enter the password sent to your email.

ssh username@server_ip_address

Key-based authentication

To authenticate using a key, use the private key from the pair that corresponds to the public key you set up for the server. Usually, SSH keys are stored in the ".ssh" subdirectory of the user's home directory. Assuming the key file is named "id_rsa", the command will look like this:

ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa username@server_ip_address

Note that "id_rsa" is a default file name for a private key when you generate key pair with the "ssh-keygen" utility. Your actual key may have another name. When using the key for the first time on your local machine, the console will display a warning that the key is being used for the first time and will ask if you want to proceed with the given fingerprint.

Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no/[fingerprint])?

Type "yes" and press Enter. You will gain access to the server without being prompted for a password.

"Permissions too open" error

When using a key file for the first time, you might encounter an error from SSH stating "Permissions for [the key file] are too open". Use the following command to set more restrictive file permissions for the key file under macOS and Linux:

chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_rsa

Use the following series of commands to change file permissions in Windows PowerShell:

#Extracts username of the current user
[String] ${stUserDomain},[String] ${stUserAccount} = [System.Security.Principal.WindowsIdentity]::GetCurrent().Name.split("\")
#Grants full permissions to the current user
icacls $home/.ssh/id_rsa /grant:r ${stUserAccount}:F
#Removes inherited permissions
icacls $home/.ssh/id_rsa /inheritance:r

How to connect to the server via SSH on a Windows-based system

You can use SSH clients like PuTTY or the built-in OpenSSH Client (available with Windows 10 and later).

1. Prepare connection details and ensure you have the server's IP address or domain name, username, and password (or a private key for authentication).
2. Launch the SSH client If using the PuTTY client, ensure the connection type is set to SSH and the port is 22. Then click Open
3. Use the following command:

ssh username@server_ip

Replace:

• username with your actual username on the server
• server_ip with the server's IP address or domain name

4. Complete authentication:

   • If using a password, enter it when prompted
   • If using SSH keys, specify the path to the private key with the -i option:

     ssh -i path_to_your_private_key username@hostname_ip

5. Confirm the connection by typing 'yes' and pressing Enter if you trust the connection

You will gain access to the server.

VNC console

A VNC (Virtual Network Computing) console is a remote management tool that allows users to access and control their servers' graphical interface remotely over the Internet. This enables users to perform server maintenance tasks, install updates and software, and resolve issues even if the operating system does not boot or is not installed. Dell servers use the Integrated Dell Remote Access Controller (iDRAC). In the Customer Portal, there is a VNC console that provides access to the server's console using VNC technology, independent of the Java/HTML5 console provided directly by iDRAC. To connect to the server using VNC, complete the following steps:

1. In the left-hand menu, navigate to Dedicated Servers → Manage
2. In the My servers section, choose the server and click Details
3. Click VNC console
4. Enter your account password in the pop-up window and click Continue

A screen with the console will open. Use the icon to open a sidebar with VNC console control elements.

RDP

RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) from Microsoft is designed for remote access to the graphical interface of Windows systems. It is used for remote administration, technical support, and working with applications. To connect to the server via RDP, see this article How to connect to a Windows server.