TrueNAS SCALE Version Documentation
This content follows the TrueNAS SCALE 23.10 (Cobia) releases. Use the Product and Version selectors above to view content specific to different TrueNAS software or major version.
Adding SSH Credentials
6 minute read.
Last Modified 2023-09-18 13:42 EDTThe SSH Connections and SSH Keypairs widgets on the Backup Credentials screen display a list of SSH connections and keypairs configured on the system. Using these widgets, users can establish Secure Socket Shell (SSH) connections.
To begin setting up an SSH connection, go to Credentials > Backup Credentials and click the Add button on the SSH Connections widget.
This procedure uses the semi-automatic setup method for creating an SSH connection with other TrueNAS or FreeNAS systems.
Semi-automatic simplifies setting up an SSH connection with another FreeNAS or TrueNAS system without logging in to that system to transfer SSH keys. This requires an SSH keypair on the local system and administrator account credentials for the remote TrueNAS. You must configure the remote system to allow root access with SSH. You can generate the keypair as part of the semiautomatic configuration or a manually created one using SSH Keypairs.
Using the SSH Connections configuration screen:
Enter a name and select the Setup Method. If establishing an SSH connection to another TrueNAS server use the default Semi-automatic (TrueNAS only) option. If connecting to a non-TrueNAS server select Manual from the dropdown list.
Enter the authentication settings.
a. Enter a valid URL scheme for the remote TrueNAS URL in TrueNAS URL. This is a required field.
b. Enter an admin user name, which is the username on the remote system entered to log in via the web UI to set up the connection. Or, leave Admin Username set to the default root user and enter the user password in Admin Password.
c. If two-factor authentication is enabled, enter the one-time password in One-Time Password (if neccessary).
d. Enter a Username, which is the user name on the remote system to log in via SSH.
e. Enter or import the private key from a previously created SSH keypair, or create a new one using the SSH Keypair widget.
(Optional) Enter the number of seconds you want to have SCALE wait for the remote TrueNAS/FreeNAS system to connect in Connect Timeout.
Click Save. Saving a new connection automatically opens a connection to the remote TrueNAS and exchanges SSH keys. The new SSH connection displays on the SSH Connection widget. To edit it, click on the name to open the SSH Connections configuration screen populated with the saved settings.
Follow these instructions to set up an SSH connection to a non-TrueNAS or non-FreeNAS system. To manually set up an SSH connection, you must copy a public encryption key from the local system to the remote system. A manual setup allows a secure connection without a password prompt.
Using the SSH Connections configuration screen:
Enter a name and select Manual from the Setup Method dropdown list.
Enter the authentication settings.
a. Enter a host name or host IP address for the remote non-TrueNAS/FreeNAS system as a valid URL. An IP address example is https://10.231.3.76. This is a required field.
b. Enter the port number of the remote system to use for the SSH connection.
c. Enter a user name for logging into the remote system in Username.
c. Select the private key from the SSH keypair that you use to transfer the public key on the remote NAS from the Private Key dropdown.
d. Click Discover Remote Host Key after properly configuring all other fields to query the remote system and automatically populate thr Remote Host Key field.
(Optional) Enter the number of seconds you want SCALE wait for the remote TrueNAS/FreeNAS system to connect in Connect Timeout.
Click Save. Saving a new connection automatically opens a connection to the remote TrueNAS and exchanges SSH keys. The new SSH connection displays on the SSH Connection widget. To edit it, click on the name to open the SSH Connections configuration screen populated with the saved settings.
This procedure covers adding a public SSH key to the admin account on the TrueNAS SCALE system and generating a new SSH Keypair to add to the remote system (TrueNAS or other).
Copy the SSH public key text or download it to a text file:
Log into the TrueNAS system that generated the SSH keypair and go to Credentials > Backup Credentials.
Click on the name of the keypair on the SSH Keypairs widget to open the keypair for the SSH connection.
Copy the text of the public SSH key or download the public key as a text file.
Add the public key to the admin account on the system where you want to register the public key.
Log into the TrueNAS system where you want to register the public key and go to Credentials > Local Users.
Edit the admin account. Click on the icon and then click Edit to open the Edit User screen.
Paste the SSH public key text into the Authorized Keys field on the Edit User configuration screen in the Authentication settings.
Do not paste the SSH private key.
Click Save.
If you need to generate a new SSH keypair:
- Go to Credentials > Backup Credentials.
- Click Add on the SSH Keypairs widget and select Generate New.
- Copy or download the value for the new public key.
- Add the new public key to the remote NAS.
If the remote NAS is not a TrueNAS system, refer to the documentation for that system, and find their instructions on adding a public SSH key.
TrueNAS generates and stores RSA-encrypted SSH public and private keypairs on the SSH Keypairs widget found on the Credentials > Backup Credentials screen. Keypairs are generally used when configuring SSH Connections or SFTP Cloud Credentials. TrueNAS does not support encrypted keypairs or keypairs with passphrases.
TrueNAS automatically generates keypairs as needed when creating new SSH Connections or Replication tasks.
To manually create a new keypair:
- Click Add on the SSH Keypairs widget.
- Click Generate New on the SSH Keypairs screen.
- Give the new keypair a unique name and click Save. The keypair displays on the SSH Keypairs widget.
Click the vertical ellipsis at the bottom of the SSH Keypairs configuration screen to download these strings as text files for later use.