Unable to Send SSH Key: Windows 11 vs. Windows 10 Processes

Unable to Send SSH Key: Windows 11 vs. Windows 10 Processes

Secure Shell (SSH) is a cryptographic network protocol used for secure data communication, remote command-line login, and other secure network services between two networked computers that connect over an insecure network.

In order to use SSH, you need to generate a pair of SSH keys, one public and one private. The public key is copied to the remote server, while the private key is kept secret and secure on your local machine.

In this article, we will cover the process of generating SSH keys on a Linux machine and copying the public key to a remote server using the SCP command on both Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Generating SSH Keys on Linux

To generate SSH keys on a Linux machine, open a terminal and run the following command:

ssh-keygen

This will prompt you to enter a file in which to save the key. You can press enter to accept the default location and file name.

Next, you will be prompted to enter a passphrase for the key. This is optional, but recommended for added security.

Copying the Public Key to a Remote Server using SCP on Windows 10

To copy the public key to a remote server using SCP on Windows 10, open a command prompt and run the following command:

scp ~/.ssh/id\_rsa.pub username@remote\_server:/home/username/.ssh/authorized\_keys

Replace username with your username on the remote server and remote\_server with the hostname or IP address of the remote server.

Copying the Public Key to a Remote Server using SCP on Windows 11

The process for copying the public key to a remote server using SCP on Windows 11 is similar to that of Windows 10, but with one key difference: the PowerShell command prompt on Windows 11 does not support the SCP command by default.

To use SCP on Windows 11, you will need to install the OpenSSH client. This can be done by following these steps:

1. Open the Settings app and go to Apps > Optional features.
2. Click on Add a feature and select OpenSSH Client from the list.
3. Click Install and wait for the installation to complete.

Once the OpenSSH client is installed, you can use the SCP command in the PowerShell command prompt to copy the public key to the remote server.

In this article, we covered the process of generating SSH keys on a Linux machine and copying the public key to a remote server using the SCP command on both Windows 10 and Windows 11.

• On Linux, use the ssh-keygen command to generate SSH keys.
• On Windows 10, use the SCP command in the command prompt to copy the public key to the remote server.
• On Windows 11, install the OpenSSH client and use the SCP command in the PowerShell command prompt to copy the public key to the remote server.

References

• SSH Key Generation
• Installing the OpenSSH Client on Windows 10
• Using OpenSSH with SChannel