Hello! There are many ways to connect remotely to a computer. Indeed, one of the most common is through remote control software. For example, Windows Remote Desktop or TeamViewer. These programs allow you to manage your computer via the Internet. Just as if we were sitting in front of it. Now well, when connecting to another system such as GNU/ Linux then you must use another tool. For this reason, today we will talk about PuTTY to manage SSH connections in Windows 10.
PuTTY is a simple and free SSH connections manager in Windows 10
This is a free, open source software designed to manage the SSH protocol in Windows. Certainly the most recent versions of this system include its own client powered from CMD. It is even possible to use Bash’s client when configuring the Windows Subsystem for Linux. However, PuTTY offers a complete client with a multitude of options.
How to download PuTTY.
As mentioned, this software is totally free. Therefore, it can be downloaded for free from this link. Downloads for Windows are available for 32 and 64 bits. In addition, you can download the installer in .msi format. A portable binary is also available in .exe format. The latter is ideal for saving to a USB drive. However, if you want to keep data and settings, we recommend the installable version.
Basic use of PuTTY.
The main interface of this program is basically a kind of configuration menu. On the left side are all the options offered by the program. Additionally, in the right menu are the different sections. However, the section that interests us most is Session. Since it allows you to connect to a remote server. And consequently be able to manage SSH connections in Windows 10
How to connect to a server.
There are three basic elements to connect to a server. These are the IP address, the port to be used and the selected protocol. Changing the protocol will automatically change the port to the one used by that default protocol. However, it is still possible to change it manually. Below the connection data is the session section. There you can save the most common connections and invoke them again at any time. Finally, it is possible to choose what appears when closing the remote connection.
Once you have filled in the connection data, please click on Open. Immediately you will be shown the end, you must enter username and password and that’s it! You are now ready to start controlling a PC remotely.
PuTTY terminal options
Once connected to a remote terminal, the only thing we will see is the terminal to enter the corresponding commands. However, the window offers a simple but complete menu of options to control the session. To open it, just click on the icon in the upper left corner.
Below is a list of the main commands:
- Special Command: allows executing directly a series of common commands on the working machine. This option can appear, or not, depending on the machine connected.
- Event Log: It shows a record that details all the processes and data generated in the connection.
- New Session:Allows you to return to the main screen of the program to create a new connection to the same or another server with different parameters.
- Restart Session: Close the open session and restart it to start working with it from the login.
- Duplicate Session: It will create a duplicate of the current session.
- Saved Sessions: This is direct access to the sessions saved in the program, along with its preferences.
- Change Settings: Allows you to change some parameters of the current session settings.
- Copy All to Clipboard: Copies the entire contents of the program’s buffer to the Windows clipboard.
- Clear Scrollback: It is equivalent to use the CLS or clear function. That is, it cleans the screen but does not clear the buffer.
- Reset Terminal:Â Re-start the session completely, starting from scratch. Clears the screen and the buffer.
- Full Screen: Converts the console to full screen, and pressing Alt+Enter returns it to its normal state.
Ultimately we have taken a look at PuTTY a simple SSH connection manager in Windows. The program is very intuitive. Of course your ability will grow as you use it. Bye!
