Remoter Forums

HotFix release is out:

What's New:
-Fix for SSH server authentication banner causing Remoter to close
-Fix for VNC password corruption
-Left-Handed Mode (for Trackpad buttons)
-Key Authentication for SSH (put private key file in Documents as ssh.key.)

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For SSH Key authentication:
-Generate the key on your computer. Remoter uses putty's key format, so the preferred method to generate the key is to use puttygen. Alternatively, keys generated by ssh-keygen (via 'ssh-keygen -t rsa', don't set a passphrase (leave empty)) should also work. They will internally be converted into putty's format before use.
-Name the private key file "ssh.key" and place it in Remoter's Documents directory. To put it in Remoter's Documents Directory:
--Connect your device to your computer, open iTunes, select your device. Go to Applications. Select Remoter at the bottom, and drag-and-drop the ssh.key into iTunes
--Edit the session, and leave the SSH Password field EMPTY.

Hi RAF,

How can I use a different key for each of my connections? It seems like I can add only one key naming it ssh.key to itunes and its using it for all connections? Is there a way to use a different key for different server? Thanks.

Hi skp123,
This is currently a planned feature, but it's not in 2.02. Hopefully in 2.2 (next version). I wasn't sure it was a requested feature, since to me once key should suffice; can you explain to me why you need multiple keys? I just want to understand the use-case. Thanks.

Raf.

Hi RAF,

I will be surprised if folks dint request this already. I administer different servers in different server farms and we use different keys for security. Simple use case- I don't think anyone has the same key pair for their test servers and production machines or for that matter say I have a personal machine at home using my personal key while I can't use that on our work servers. Also, a neat feature would be to password protect saved servers in the save/favorite connections list. I hate someone getting access to my iPad and can click my saved connection and go straight to our production server. hope your next release will come out soon. Thanks.

skp123 wrote:Hi RAF,

I will be surprised if folks dint request this already. I administer different servers in different server farms and we use different keys for security. Simple use case- I don't think anyone has the same key pair for their test servers and production machines or for that matter say I have a personal machine at home using my personal key while I can't use that on our work servers. Also, a neat feature would be to password protect saved servers in the save/favorite connections list. I hate someone getting access to my iPad and can click my saved connection and go straight to our production server. hope your next release will come out soon. Thanks.

skp123,

That's what I don't understand, I guess. You create a public/private key pair for your iphone/ipad. (the private key goes into Remoter as the ssh.key file). The public key is given to all the computers that your iphone/ipad is allowed to connect to; be them servers at work, your computer at home; all you give them is your device's public key so that they allow connections from Remoter.
What am I missing?

Raf.

PS: There will be a keycode option, this is global to Remoter. If you need a per-connection password, the next release will allow SSH keys with passphrases, and you can configure to prompt for the passphrase on every connection.

Hi Raf and skp123

Really its more of a convenience option than security, I think I understand where Raf is coming from with the single key setup. If its one key or many keys either way if someone stole your iPhone/iPad it wouldn't make any difference, they'd still have access to all the servers. But some people may opt for/have different key strengths/types for different servers or have other devices already setup with differing keys in which case they'd want the ability to have multiple keys or they'd have to reset all their devices.

Looking forward to the next update, where as you've said these features will be included, so far its a great looking piece of software.

Grand Admiral

OK, this is how I ended up implementing it. There is a new view called: SSH Key Manager: (this is a WiP screenshot):


In the manager you can import a key, create new keys (RSA for SSH1, RSA for SSH2, DSA for SSH2), rename keys, add/change passphrases to keys, delete keys, email the public key, copy the public key into the pasteboard (so you can then paste it into the authorized_keys file).

Then in the session editor, any of the available keys can be selected, along with the associated passphrase if necessary.

Hope to have the next release out ASAP.

Raf.

Hi raf,

I have an inconsiderate idea. Now you have "copy to PasteBoard" in the ssh key manager, why not implement a "paste from PasteBoard" function, which would be helpful when you import ssh keys from email or dropbox? Thanks.

cjsas wrote:Hi raf,

I have an inconsiderate idea. Now you have "copy to PasteBoard" in the ssh key manager, why not implement a "paste from PasteBoard" function, which would be helpful when you import ssh keys from email or dropbox? Thanks.

You can paste by selecting "Direct Paste" from the Special menu (located on the top toolbar next to the "Macros" menu.
This will paste your PasteBoard directly to your SSH (or VNC) session, and should do what you need!

Raf.

raf wrote:

cjsas wrote:Hi raf,

I have an inconsiderate idea. Now you have "copy to PasteBoard" in the ssh key manager, why not implement a "paste from PasteBoard" function, which would be helpful when you import ssh keys from email or dropbox? Thanks.

You can paste by selecting "Direct Paste" from the Special menu (located on the top toolbar next to the "Macros" menu.
This will paste your PasteBoard directly to your SSH (or VNC) session, and should do what you need!

Raf.

Thanks Raf. What I meant was not to paste in the SSH session, but to paste a key in the SSH Key Manager so that we can actually use this key in Remoter. That will be easier than importing a key from itunes. Is there any way to do this?