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SSH Access

The ODU CS Department provides SSH (Secure SHell) access to Linux and Unix servers for CS students. SSH allows you to securely connect to these machines, and use terminal commands to interact with them.

CS Account and VPN Required

To gain SSH access, you will need to first connect to the CS VPN. SSH access and VPN access both require a CS Account

SSH Clients

To connect using SSH, you must have an SSH client installed on your machine. Linux and Mac have an SSH client ready out of the box, but the Windows 10/11 clients may need to be enabled before they can be used.

Windows 11
  1. Open Settings.
  2. Go to System -> Optional Features
    Windows SSH step 1
  3. Click View features
    Windows SSH step 2
  4. Find the entry for OpenSSH Client (Client, not Server!), check the box next to it, and then click Next Windows SSH step 3
  5. Click Add and wait for it to install
Windows 10" (Fall 2018 build or newer)

⚠ Fall 2018 build or newer is required

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Go to Apps -> Apps and Features -> Optional Features
  3. Find the entry for OpenSSH Client (Client, not Server!), click on it, and then click Install.
  4. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

How to SSH

  1. open a teminal application ("cmd" on windows, "terminal" on linux)
  2. type ssh <username>@<hostname>, for example ssh cs_jdoe001@linux.cs.odu.edu

⚠ Be sure to use your CS username, which starts with cs_

  1. You will then be prompted for your CS password.

Available Linux/Unix Servers

Once you have obtained an SSH client, you can visit the Unix and Linux Services page for the information on the available servers and their hostnames for connection.