Bitmindframes study guides

Using bitvise WinSSHD for secure VPN

Professional-Grade SSH Server

We continue to invest great amounts of effort to make sure we create the best SSH software we can. These are some of the important features that make WinSSHD special:

• Ease of use : WinSSHD was written specifically for the Windows platform so that it is easy to install and configure. In a regular Windows environment, it will work immediately upon installation with no configuring .
• Unlimited connections : WinSSHD imposes no limits on the number of users who can connect. It will accept as many simultaneous connections as you need!
• Windows groups : WinSSHD 4 natively supports configurability through Windows groups. No need to define account settings for each Windows account individually. WinSSHD knows what groups a user is in and, if configured, will use appropriate Windows group settings.
• Speed : WinSSHD is one of the fastest SSH servers available. With Tunnelier, SFTP file transfer speeds of up to 5 MB/s (megabytes per second) can be obtained.
• Single sign-on : WinSSHD 4 supports GSSAPI-enabled Kerberos 5 key exchange, as well as NTLM and Kerberos 5 user authentication. This means that, using Tunnelier or another compatible GSSAPI-enabled client, any user in the same Windows domain , or a trusted one, can log into WinSSHD without having to verify the server’s host key fingerprint, and without even having to supply a password! Using Windows group-based settings, the user’s account doesn’t even have to be configured in WinSSHD.
• Virtual accounts : want to set up an SFTP server with many users, but don’t want to create and manage 1000 Windows accounts? No problem. WinSSHD supports virtual accounts, created in WinSSHD Settings, backed by the identity of one or more Windows accounts. WinSSHD settings for these accounts are also configurable on a virtual group basis.
• bvterm : in conjunction with our Tunnelier SSH client, WinSSHD provides you with the best console available on the Windows platform. Our bvterm protocol supports the full spectrum of a Windows console’s features: colors, Unicode characters, and large scrollable buffers. Of course, WinSSHD also supports standard protocols such as VT-100 and xterm.
• Flexibility : most WinSSHD features can be configured individually on a per-account basis from the user-friendly WinSSHD Control Panel. Using our Tunnelier SSH client, the WinSSHD Control Panel can be accessed and configured through the same user-friendly interface from any remote location .
• Server-side forwarding : with WinSSHD and Tunnelier, a server and multiple clients can be set up so that all port forwarding rules are configured centrally at the server, without requiring any client-side setting updates. The SSH clients only need to be configured once, and port forwarding rules can easily be changed when necessary.
• Scriptable settings : Using the supplied wcfg utility, all settings can also be configured from a text file, from a script or interactively from the command-line. Settings can also be configured programmatically through the WinsshdCfgManip COM object .
• Multi-site support : WinSSHD supports multiple simultaneous, independent installations on the same server for customers needing completely separate sites for different groups of users. Multiple WinSSHD versions can run concurrently, installed on separate sites. (A version prior to 4.10 will occupy the ‘default’ site.)

I like to feel secure so i wanted to show you how to setup an encrypted remote connection from anywhere to your home network. I use this to simply transfer files securely or do remote tasks on multiple computers.

For the tutorial i will be using version 4.23 of WinSSHD. You can download the software here .
Install WinSSHD on the computer you want to connect to.For me this is my main Server.

SERVER TAB -You will need to start WinSSHD on the machine and configure its settings.

KEYPAIR TAB- the keypair information.

SETTINGS TAB -Edit the WinSSHD server settings & set password cache for Domains.

SETTINGS TAB -This is where you setup your server settings for WInSSHD

Before you connect you will need an SSH client, you can use PuTTy or Tunnelier.

Tunnelier is free and is made by bitvise so i will use it.
Here is a quick rundown of the settings most of them are pretty self explanitory and defaults can be used.

LOGIN- Enter the IP address & Port you want to use (higher ports wont be used by other services)
The username/password must be the local windows account on the WinSSHD server.
So you are virtually logging into the machine remotely.

OPTIONS- Setup reconnection specify if you want a service such as Remote Desktop to open when you login.

TERMINAL- If you want to change your terminal window settings check one of the boxes.

SFTP -This sets your directory for local and remote hosts. Using defaults will put you in the root of each machine so if you only need access to a specific folder set the directory here.

SERVICES -If you connect thru a proxy or want ftp-sftp bridge you can set it to enabled.

C2S Fwding -Client to server forwarding.

S2C Fwding -Server to client forwarding.

SSH -Secure Shell Protocol seetings.

If you have a router at home you will need to setup port forwarding to the computer WinSSHD is on.
If you own a linksys router you can reach the management interface by typing in http://192.168.1.1
I have an old linksys so your may be different but the concept is the same.
Under port forwarding you must enter the ports you want forwarded along with the IP address of the computer and the selected protocols you want to receive on those ports.
If you setup WinSSHD on port 60000 then you want to forward to that machines IP on that port.

Now that you have allowed traffic through your router you can try to connect.

Open up Tunnelier and Enter your username and password and click connect.If you connect you will notice the 3 icons on the left.If you want to run a remote terminal session you can use bvterm.
BVTERM -Remote terminal connections for active directory =)

REMOTE DESKTOP CONNECTION -Use the machine like your sitting in front of it with full SSH2 encryption.

SFTP -Secure FTP remotely to your computer with ease.

This is a just the basics when it comes to encrypting transmissions over the internet.
Now that you can safely work at your home and office, sit back relax and live your life.

Tags: ip, interface, vlan, 802.1q, guides, vtp