Using SSH keys has become the default method for accessing remote directories here at Customer Paradigm so making sure that everyone can access them can be a bit of trouble. Typically the keys generated are OpenSSH keys making them available to all users. Sometimes they are generated as Putty keys. I will describe how a Mac user here at Customer Paradigm uses each type of key.
Option 1: OpenSSH key
Download the key into a given directory.
Open the terminal and enter the following at the command line:
cd /directory/containing/key (ex. cd /Users/ikua/ddo_keys/)
Make sure key is there by using the following at the command line:
ls
Change the permissions on the file by entering the following:
chmod 500 <name_of_key>
Now SSH into the server.
ssh -i <name_of_key> <user_name>@<server_ip>
Option 2: Use an existing Putty Key
Install MacPorts if you have not already.
http://www.macports.org/install.php
Open a terminal and enter the following to install Putty:
sudo port install putty
Putty will be installed along with Puttygen. Now you can use Putty for your SSH needs on a Mac.
You can also use Puttygen to convert the PPK to OpenSSH.
Here is an example of what to enter in the command line:
puttygen <key_name>.ppk -O private-openssh -o <key_name>
Good luck and share your Mac SSH experiences and any tips you might have with us in your comments.