-\versionid $Id: pubkey.but,v 1.16 2002/05/16 22:36:36 jacob Exp $
+\versionid $Id: pubkey.but,v 1.18 2002/09/11 17:30:36 jacob Exp $
\C{pubkey} Using public keys for SSH authentication
for a passphrase (if necessary) and will then display the key
details in the same way as if it had just generated the key.
-PuTTYgen can also load SSH2 private keys in OpenSSH's format and
-\cw{ssh.com}'s format. Once you have loaded one of these key types,
-you can then save it back out as a PuTTY-format key so that you can
-use it with PuTTY. The passphrase will be unchanged by this process.
-You may want to change the key comment before you save the key,
-since OpenSSH's SSH2 key format contains no space for a comment and
-\cw{ssh.com}'s default comment format is long and verbose.
+If you use the Load command to load a foreign key format, it will
+work, but you will see a message box warning you that the key you
+have loaded is not a PuTTY native key. See \k{puttygen-conversions}
+for information about importing foreign key formats.
-\S{puttygen-export} Exporting your private key in an alternative format
+\S{puttygen-conversions} Dealing with private keys in other formats
-\cfg{winhelp-topic}{puttygen.export}
+\cfg{winhelp-topic}{puttygen.conversions}
Most SSH1 clients use a standard format for storing private keys on
disk. PuTTY uses this format as well; so if you have generated an
So a key generated with one client cannot immediately be used with
another.
-PuTTYgen has the ability to export private keys in OpenSSH format,
-or in \cw{ssh.com} format. To do so, select an option from the
-\q{Export} menu at the top of the PuTTYgen window. Exporting a key
-works exactly like saving it (see \k{puttygen-savepriv}) - you need
-to have typed your passphrase in beforehand, and you will be warned
-if you are about to save a key without a passphrase.
-
-Note that the export options are only available if you have
-generated an SSH2 key.
+Using the \q{Import} command from the \q{Conversions} menu, PuTTYgen
+can load SSH2 private keys in OpenSSH's format and \cw{ssh.com}'s
+format. Once you have loaded one of these key types, you can then
+save it back out as a PuTTY-format key so that you can use it with
+PuTTY. The passphrase will be unchanged by this process (unless you
+deliberately change it). You may want to change the key comment
+before you save the key, since OpenSSH's SSH2 key format contains no
+space for a comment and \cw{ssh.com}'s default comment format is
+long and verbose.
+
+PuTTYgen can also export private keys in OpenSSH format and in
+\cw{ssh.com} format. To do so, select one of the \q{Export} options
+from the \q{Conversions} menu. Exporting a key works exactly like
+saving it (see \k{puttygen-savepriv}) - you need to have typed your
+passphrase in beforehand, and you will be warned if you are about to
+save a key without a passphrase.
+
+Note that since only SSH2 keys come in different formats, the export
+options are not available if you have generated an SSH1 key.
\H{pubkey-gettingready} Getting ready for public key authentication
Your server should now be configured to accept authentication using
your private key. Now you need to configure PuTTY to \e{attempt}
-authentication using your private key. You can do this in either of
-two ways:
+authentication using your private key. You can do this in any of
+three ways:
\b Select the private key in PuTTY's configuration. See
\k{config-ssh-privkey} for details.
+\b Specify the key file on the command line with the \c{-i} option.
+See \k{using-cmdline-identity} for details.
+
\b Load the private key into Pageant (see \k{pageant}). In this case
PuTTY will automatically try to use it for authentication if it can.