Workstation setup

Working with ISPsystem software products requires a PC or a mobile device with connectivity to:

the product's web interface;
the server with the product via SSH.

Connecting to the web interface

Stable operation of the web interface is supported in the latest versions of browsers:

Google Chrome;
Mozilla Firefox;
Safari.

Operation of the web-interface in other browsers with Chromium engine (Opera, Microsoft Edge, etc.) is supported but not guaranteed.

For details on supported versions, see the documentation of the frameworks used:

Angular;
Stencil.

For correct operation of the web interface:

enable JavaScript support in your browser settings;
allow the use of cookies;
do not use ad blockers, extensions such as NoScript, or other software that disables or blocks interactive content on the page.

Connecting via SSH

SSH is a network protocol for remote connection to a server. SSH uses traffic encryption algorithms, so the SSH connection is secure.

Connection is made under a superuser account on the remote server. Usually, this is the root account.

Password or SSH keys are used for authentication. SSH uses port 22/TCP by default, but can be reconfigured to use a different port.

The software for SSH operation consists of two parts:

server — a part of the OS on a remote server;
client — installed at the workstation.

Installing client software

For PCs with Unix family operating systems (Ubuntu, Debian, AlmaLinux, macOS, etc.) installation of additional software is not required.

For Windows 10 and later devices, install the OpenSSH Client component. Read more in Microsoft's official documentation .

For mobile devices, install any SSH client.

Connection using login and password

Open a terminal window or console.
Enter the command:
If SSH uses the default port
```
ssh <user>@<host>
```
If SSH uses a non-standard port
```
ssh -p <port> <user>@<host>
```
Comments to the command

<port> — connection port
<user> — account with superuser permissions
<host> — IP address or domain name of the remote server
Enter the password for the account.

Connecting with SSH keys

SSH keys are a pair — a private key and a public key. The private key is secret information that is stored by the user. The public key must be stored on the server to be accessed via SSH.

Generate a key:
1. Open a terminal window or console.
2. Enter the command:
```
ssh-keygen
```
3. Specify the file name and path for the SSH keys. If these parameters are not specified, the private key will be stored in the id_rsa file and the public key will be stored in id_rsa.pub in the directories:
  - Windows OS — C:\Users\<username>\.ssh\;
  - Unix family OS — /home/<username>/.ssh/.
Copy the contents of the public key to the /<superuser_name>/.ssh/authorized_keys file on the server. On Unix systems, you can use the following command to do this:
If SSH uses the default port
```
ssh-copy-id -i <path_to_key> <user>@<host>
```
If SSH uses a non-standard port
```
ssh-copy-id -i <path_to_key> -p <port> <user>@<host>
```
Comments to the command

<path_to_key> — path to the file with public SSH key
<port> — connection port
<user> — account with superuser permissions
<host> — IP address or domain name of the remote server
Connect to the server:
1. Open a terminal window or console.
2. Enter the command:
  If SSH uses the default port
```
ssh <user>@<host>
```
  If SSH uses a non-standard port
```
ssh -p <port> <user>@<host>
```
  Comments to the command
  
  <port> — connection port
  <user> — account with superuser permissions
  <host> — IP address or domain name of the remote server

Copying files

You can copy files from a workstation to the remote server and back using the scp utility. To do this:

Open the terminal window or the console.
Enter the command:
Copy a file from workstation to server
```
scp <path_to_local_file> <user>@<host>:<path_to_remote_file>
```
Copy a file from server to workstation
```
scp <user>@<host>:<path_to_remote_file> <path_to_local_file> 
```
Comments to the commands

<path_to_local_file> — path to the file on the workstation
<user> — account with superuser permissions
<host> — IP address or domain name of the remote server
<path_to_remote_file> — path to the file on the remote server

Example command:
```
scp my_local_file.txt root@192.0.2.1:/root/my_dir/my_remote_file.txt
```
If SSH uses a non-standard port, specify it in the command in the -P parameter
Example of a command with a non-standard port
scp my_local_file.txt -P 2222 root@192.0.2.1:/root/my_dir/my_remote_file.txt

Possible issues with SSH connection

Message	Issue	Possible causes	Solution
Access denied Permission denied	Authentication error	Incorrect password is specified	Check that the password is entered correctly.
		SSH key not added	Make sure that: the private part of the SSH key is saved on the device from which you are connecting; the public part of the SSH key is added to the ~/.ssh/authorized_keys file on the server.
		Access rights restricted	Make sure the server allows SSH access from your IP address.
Connection refused Connection timed out	Connection problem	Incorrect address or port is specified	Make sure you specify the correct server IP address or domain name and connection port (default is 22).
		Connection blocked by firewall	Check the firewall settings on the server. If necessary, open the correct port.
		The server is down or unavailable	Power on the server or check its connection to the network.
Connection reset by peer	The connection is disconnected before the end of data transfer	Network problems have occurred	Check the stability of your internet connection.
Connection reset by peer		The sshd service configuration contains errors	Check the service configuration in the /etc/ssh/sshd_config file on the server.
Host key verification failed	The hash of the server's public key has changed or does not match the entries in the known_hosts file	The server is using a different key	Delete the entry for the old key with the command `ssh-keygen -R <server_address>`

Examine the /var/log/auth.log files on the server for detailed diagnostics.

The article was last updated on 04.16.2025. The article was prepared by technical writers of ISPsystem.