Configuring Secure Shell
This chapter describes the Secure Shell (SSH) feature. The SSH feature consists of an application and a protocol.
Finding Feature Information
Your software release may not support all the features documented in this module. For the latest feature information and caveats, see the release notes for your platform and software release. To find information about the features documented in this module, and to see a list of the releases in which each feature is supported, see the Feature Information Table at the end of this document.
Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and Cisco software image support. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to www.cisco.com/go/cfn. An account on Cisco.com is not required.
Prerequisites for Configuring SSH
Prior to configuring SSH, perform the following tasks:
- Download the required image on your router. (The SSH server requires you to have an IPsec (DES or 3DES) encryption software image downloaded on your router; the SSH client requires you to have an IPsec (DES or 3DES) encryption software image downloaded on your router.) For more information on downloading a software image, see the Cisco IOS XE Configuration Fundamentals Configuration Guide , Release 2.
- Configure a host name and host domain for your router.
To configure a host name and host domain, enter the hostname hostname and ip domain-name domainname commands in global configuration mode:
- Generate an RSA key pair for your router, which automatically enables SSH.
To generate an RSA key pair, enter the crypto key generate rsa command.
 Note |
To delete the RSA key-pair, use the crypto key zeroize rsa global configuration command. Once you delete the RSA key-pair, you automatically disable the SSH server. |
- Configure user authentication for local or remote access. You can configure authentication with or without AAA. For more information on AAA, see the Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting chapters in the Cisco IOS XE Security Configuration Guide: Securing User Services , Release 2 and the Cisco IOS Security Command Reference .
Restrictions for Configuring SSH
- RSA authentication available in SSH clients is not supported in the SSH server for Cisco IOS XE software.
- SSH server and SSH client are supported on DES (56-bit) and 3DES (168-bit) data encryption software images only.
- Execution shell is the only application supported.
- The login banner is not supported in Secure Shell Version 1. It is supported in Secure Shell Version 2.
Information About Secure Shell
Secure Shell (SSH) is an application and a protocol that provide a secure replacement to the Berkeley r-tools. The protocol secures the sessions using standard cryptographic mechanisms, and the application can be used similarly to the Berkeley rexec and rsh tools. There are currently two versions of SSH available: SSH Version 1 and SSH Version 2. This document describes SSH Version 1. For information about SSH Version 2, see the Secure Shell Version 2 Support document.
Note |
Hereafter, unless otherwise noted, the term "SSH" will denote "SSH Version 1" only. |
How SSH Works
SSH Server
The SSH Server feature enables a SSH client to make a secure, encrypted connection to a Cisco router. This connection provides functionality that is similar to that of an inbound Telnet connection. Before SSH, security was limited to Telnet security. SSH allows a strong encryption to be used with the Cisco IOS XE software authentication. The SSH server in Cisco IOS XE software will work with publicly and commercially available SSH clients.
SSH Integrated Client
The SSH Integrated Client feature is an application running over the SSH protocol to provide device authentication and encryption. The SSH client enables a Cisco router to make a secure, encrypted connection to another Cisco router or to any other device running the SSH server. This connection provides functionality that is similar to that of an outbound Telnet connection except that the connection is encrypted. With authentication and encryption, the SSH client allows for a secure communication over an insecure network.
The SSH client in the Cisco IOS XE software works with publicly and commercially available SSH servers. The SSH client supports the ciphers of Data Encryption Standard (DES), Triple DES (3DES), and password authentication. User authentication is performed like that in the Telnet session to the router. The user authentication mechanisms supported for SSH are RADIUS, TACACS+ and the use of locally stored user names and passwords.
Note |
The SSH client functionality is available only when the SSH server is enabled. |
Related Features and Technologies
For more information about SSH-related features and technologies, review the following:
- Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) feature. AAA is a suite of network security services that provide the primary framework through which access control can be set up on your Cisco router or access server. For more information on AAA, see the Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting chapters in the Cisco IOS XE Security Configuration Guide: Securing User Services , Release 2 and the Cisco IOS Security Command Reference .
- IP Security (IPsec) feature. IPsec is a framework of open standards that provides data confidentiality, data integrity, and data authentication between participating peers. IPsec provides these security services at the IP layer. IPsec uses Internet Key Exchange (IKE) to handle negotiation of protocols and algorithms based on local policy and to generate the encryption and authentication keys to be used by IPsec. IPsec can be used to protect one or more data flows between a pair of hosts, between a pair of security gateways, or between a security gateway and a host. For more information on IPsec, see the chapter Configuring Security for VPNs with IPsec and the Cisco IOS Security Command Reference .
How to Configure SSH
Configuring SSH Server
Note |
The SSH client feature runs in user EXEC mode and has no specific configuration on the router. |
Note |
The SSH commands are optional and are disabled when the SSH server is disabled. |
To enable and configure a Cisco Router for SSH, you can configure SSH parameters. If you do not configure SSH parameters, the default values will be used.
To configure SSH server, use the following command in global configuration mode:
Verifying SSH
To verify that the SSH server is enabled and view the version and configuration data for your SSH connection, use the show ip sshcommand. The following example shows that SSH is enabled:
Router# show ip ssh
SSH Enabled - version 1.5
Authentication timeout: 120 secs; Authentication retries: 3
The following example shows that SSH is disabled:
Router# show ip ssh
%SSH has not been enabled
To verify the status of your SSH server connections, use the show ssh command. The following example shows the SSH server connections on the router when SSH is enabled:
Router# show ssh
Connection Version Encryption State Username
0 1.5 3DES Session Started guest
The following example shows that SSH is disabled:
Router# show ssh
%No SSH server connections running.
Troubleshooting Tips
- If your SSH configuration commands are rejected as illegal commands, you have not successfully generated a RSA key pair for your router. Make sure you have specified a host name and domain. Then use the crypto key generate rsacommand to generate a RSA key pair and enable the SSH server.
- When configuring the RSA key pair, you might encounter the following error messages:
- No hostname specified
You must configure a host name for the router using the hostname global configuration command. For more information, see "Prerequisites for Configuring SSH."
You must configure a host domain for the router using the ip domain-name global configuration command. For more information, see "Prerequisites for Configuring SSH."
- The number of allowable SSH connections is limited to the maximum number of vtys configured for the router. Each SSH connection will use a vty resource.
- SSH uses either local security or the security protocol that is configured through AAA on your router for user authentication. When configuring AAA, you must ensure that AAA is disabled on the console for user authentication. AAA authorization is disabled on the console by default. If AAA authorization is enabled on the console, disable it by configuring the no aaa authorization console command during the AAA configuration stage.
Monitoring and Maintaining SSH
To monitor and maintain your SSH connections, use the following commands in user EXEC mode:
| Command |
Purpose |
|---|---|
Router# show ip ssh |
Displays the version and configuration data for SSH. |
Router# show ssh |
Displays the status of SSH server connections. |
SSH Configuration Examples
This section provides the following configuration example showing output from the show running configuration EXEC command on a Cisco ASR1000 Series Aggregation Services Router.
Note |
The crypto key generate rsa command is not displayed in the show running configuration output. |
SSH on a Cisco ASR1000 Series Router Example
In the following example, SSH is configured on a Cisco ASR1000 series router with a timeout that is not to exceed 60 seconds, and no more than 2 authentication retries. Also, before configuring the SSH server feature on the router, TACACS+ is specified as the method of authentication.
hostname RouterASR1K aaa new-model aaa authentication login default tacacs+ aaa authentication login aaa7200kw none enable password enableasr1kpw username username1 password 0 password1 username username2 password 0 password2 ip subnet-zero no ip domain-lookup ip domain-name cisco.com ! Enter the ssh commands. ip ssh time-out 60 ip ssh authentication-retries 2 ip route 192.168.1.0 255.255.255.0 10.1.10.1 ip route 192.168.9.0 255.255.255.0 10.1.1.1 ip route 192.168.10.0 255.255.255.0 10.1.1.1 map-list atm ip 10.1.10.1 atm-vc 7 broadcast no cdp run tacacs-server host 192.168.109.216 port 9000 tacacs-server key cisco radius-server host 192.168.109.216 auth-port 1650 acct-port 1651 radius-server key cisco line con 0 exec-timeout 0 0 login authentication aaa7200kw transport input none line aux 0 line vty 0 4 password enableasr1kpw end
Additional References
Related Documents
Standards
| Standard |
Title |
|---|---|
| No new or modified MIBs are supported by this feature, and support for existing MIBs has not been modified by this feature. |
-- |
MIBs
| MIB |
MIBs Link |
|---|---|
| No new or modified MIBs are supported by this feature, and support for existing MIBs has not been modified by this feature. |
To locate and download MIBs for selected platforms, Cisco software releases, and feature sets, use Cisco MIB Locator found at the following URL: |
RFCs
| RFC |
Title |
|---|---|
| No new or modified RFCs are supported by this feature, and support for existing RFCs has not been modified by this feature. |
-- |
Technical Assistance
| Description |
Link |
|---|---|
| The Cisco Support and Documentation website provides online resources to download documentation, software, and tools. Use these resources to install and configure the software and to troubleshoot and resolve technical issues with Cisco products and technologies. Access to most tools on the Cisco Support and Documentation website requires a Cisco.com user ID and password. |
Feature Information for Configuring Secure Shell
The following table provides release information about the feature or features described in this module. This table lists only the software release that introduced support for a given feature in a given software release train. Unless noted otherwise, subsequent releases of that software release train also support that feature.
Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support and Cisco software image support. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to www.cisco.com/go/cfn. An account on Cisco.com is not required.
| Table 1 | Feature Information for Configuring Secure Shell |
| Feature Name |
Releases |
Feature Configuration Information |
|---|---|---|
| Secure Shell SSH Version 1 Integrated Client |
Cisco IOS XE Release 2.1 |
The SSH Version 1 Integrated Client feature is an application running over the SSH protocol to provide device authentication and encryption. In Cisco IOS XE Release 2.1, this feature was introduced on Cisco ASR 1000 Series Aggregation Services Routers. |
| Secure Shell SSH Version 1 Server Support |
Cisco IOS XE Release 2.1 |
The SSH Version 1 Server Support feature enables a SSH client to make a secure, encrypted connection to a Cisco router. In Cisco IOS XE Release 2.1, this feature was introduced on Cisco ASR 1000 Series Routers. |
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Any Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and phone numbers used in this document are not intended to be actual addresses and phone numbers. Any examples, command display output, network topology diagrams, and other figures included in the document are shown for illustrative purposes only. Any use of actual IP addresses or phone numbers in illustrative content is unintentional and coincidental.
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