Introduction
Secure Shell (SSH) is a UNIX-based command interface and protocol for securely getting access to a remote computer. SSH is actually a suite of three utilities - slogin, ssh, and scp - that are secure versions of the earlier UNIX utilities, rlogin, rsh, and rcp. SSH commands are encrypted and secure in several ways. Both ends of the client/server connection are authenticated using a digital certificate, and passwords are protected by being encrypted.
In short, SSH allows you to connect to your server securely to perform Linux command-line operations. And although you will be running Linux commands, SSH can still be performed from a Windows, Mac, or Linux computer.
Requirements
To get started, please visit your Server Guide in the Account Center, and make sure you have the following information ready:
- IP address for your server
NOTE:
If DNS is set up for a domain you are hosting, you may use the domain instead of the IP address.
- Your SSH username and password
Set root password
You will need to set your root password in the Account Center the first time you connect to your server.
- Log into your Account Center.
- Click on your primary domain.
- Click on SSH Access.
- Click on the option to set your root password.
- Type your new password twice, then save your changes.
Enabling SSH
Your cPanel credentials are also your primary FTP & SSH credentials. However, you will need to enable SSH access before being able to connect through SSH or SFTP.
- Log into your Media Temple account.
- Click on the ADMIN button associated to your Shared Hosting server.
- Under Settings, click Server.
- Under SSH access, click Manage.
- Set the option for SSH to Enabled.
Instructions
Enabling SSH access
For security reasons, your Grid comes with SSH access disabled by default. Here are instructions for enabling SSH access:
- Log into your Account Center and click on your primary domain.
- Click on Server Administrator.
- Set the SSH option to Enabled and click Save.
NOTE:
This option enables SSH for the Server Administrator user only. This is the only Grid SSH user with wide-reaching permissions.
Instructions
Enable or Disable SSH access
- Log into your Media Temple Account.
- Click on the ADMIN button associated with your Managed Wordpress server.
- Click on the Settings tab.
- Click Show More.
- Locate SSH and select the slider.
For Premium WordPress / Managed WordPress Personal, Pro, and Elite:
1. Log into your Account Center and enter the Managed WordPress Control Panel.
2. Click on Manage Site for the site you would like to enable access for.
3. From the My Site menu, find the SSH + SFTP panel and make sure that SSH Access is on. 
Instructions
Enable SSH access
On the DV and DV Dedicate-Virtual servers, you have several possible SSH users. Choose the appropriate one for your needs.
SSH for root user
For high-level configuration tasks and server administration, you can enable the root user for your server. This user can modify absolutely everything, so make sure you use it wisely. See Enable root access for instructions.
SSH using sudo
For high-level tasks coupled with increased security, you can set up a sudo user instead. This user normally functions as a lower-level user, but can perform the same tasks as root when necessary. See How do I disable SSH access for the root user? for more information.
For all examples that pertain to the root user, a sudo user can do the exact same thing by adding sudo in front of the rest of the command. You will be prompted for the root password, and then the command will execute.
Example root command:
top
Same command for a sudo user:
sudo top
SSH for FTP user
For domain-specific tasks, you can enable SSH access for the FTP user associated with that domain. This is the best option if you plan to copy or create web-accessible files.
Plesk
- Log into your domain's Plesk Control Panel.
- Note the name of your System user, then click FTP Access.
- Click on your System user.
- Click on the drop-down menu and select /bin/bash.
- Then click OK or Apply to save your changes.
cPanel
- When you create an account in cPanel, you will be prompted to create a username/password. These credentials can be used to access your domain via SSH.
- For existing accounts the password can be updated by logging into cPanel and clicking on Password & Security.
- Alternatively, you can login into WHM and click on Account Functions >> Password Modification.
Choose a SSH client
You will first need to choose an SSH client.
- Mac OS X includes the SSH client Terminal by default.
- Windows-based Operating Systems do not come with an SSH client by default. We recommend PuTTY. For information, please see: Using SSH in PuTTY (Windows).
- Linux distributions include support for SSH by default as well. Simply start up a terminal.
Login credentials
You should use the following information to log into the server via SSH (replace 00000 with your site number):
- Server: s00000.gridserver.com
- Username: Your Server Administrator Username (example.com)
- Password: This is the same as your Server Administrator FTP password. Read this article if you need to reset this password.
You should use the following information to log into the server via SSH (replace example.com with a domain name that resolves to your server):
- Server: example.com or your IP address
- Username: This depends on which user you chose to enable. The root username is just root. Your domain FTP user or a different sudo user will have a custom name depending on what you typed when you created the user.
- Password: This depends on which user you chose to enable. The root and sudo articles above show how to set a password for those users. The domain FTP user will have the same password that you use for FTP.
You should use the following information to log into the server via SSH (replace example.com with a domain name that resolves to your server):
- Hostname: Server IP address or your domain name (example.com)
- Username: Your cPanel username (also known as your primary FTP username).
- Password: Your cPanel password (also your primary FTP password).
Connecting to the server
If you are new to command-line interfaces, you may want to familiarize yourself with some of the commands first.
It is standard to hit "Enter" after each command, to execute it after you finish typing.
- Open your SSH client.
- To initiate a connection, type:
Replace "username" with your cPanel login found in the Account section and "xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx" with the IP address found in the Server section.ssh username@xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx - To initiate a connection, type:
Replace "username" with the username and "hostname" with the hostname found in the SETTINGS section of your WordPress control panel under SSH & SFTP.ssh username@hostname - Type:
ORssh example.com@s00000.gridserver.comssh example.com@example.comNOTE:
If you are trying to connect as a sub-FTP user on the Grid, you will want to use the following command context:
ssh subftpuser%example.com@example.comIn this case, the username is the full email address. But, you will need to replace the @ symbol in the email address with a % to make sure the command works.
Username: subftpuser%example.com
Password: This is the same as your email password. - Make sure you use your own domain name or IP address. If you want a user other than root, type the other username before the @ symbol.
Type:
OR (IP address version)ssh root@example.com
OR (domain FTP user version)ssh root@70.32.86.175ssh domainuser@example.com - Be sure to replace xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx with your server's IP address. Type:
ssh root@xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx - If this is your first time connecting to the server from this computer, you will see the following output. Accept the connection by typing "yes."
The authenticity of host 'example.com (12.33.45.678)' can't be established. RSA key fingerprint is 3c:6d:5c:99:5d:b5:c6:25:5a:d3:78:8e:d2:f5:7a:01. Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)?yes - You will now be prompted to enter your password. Please note that you will NOT see your cursor moving, or any characters typed (such as ******), when typing your password. This is a standard Terminal security feature. Hit enter.
- You can also copy and paste, using Command+V to paste.
Password: - That's it, now you're connected to your Managed WordPress service via SSH.
- You are now logged into your Grid via SSH. You should see output like this:
The programs included with the Debian GNU/Linux system are free software; the exact distribution terms for each program are described in the individual files in /usr/share/doc/*/copyright. Debian GNU/Linux comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by applicable law. example.com@n11:~$You can begin typing commands at the prompt.
- You are now logged into your server via SSH. You should see output like this:
Last login: Tue Jan 25 15:43:16 2011 from 12.33.45.678 ############################################################ (mt) shortcuts ############################################################ To see your Plesk password, type: p To rebuild your Apache/Web Server configuration, type: web To rebuild your Qmail/Mail Server configuration, type: mchk To see your Qmail/Mail Server queue, type: q To completely restart your Qmail/Mail server, type: r To connect to your MySQL server as admin, type: my To get rid of these messages/aliases, edit your /root/.bash_profile [root@current ~]#You can begin typing commands at the prompt.
- The output will look something like this:
The programs included with the Debian GNU/Linux system are free software; the exact distribution terms for each program are described in the individual files in /usr/share/doc/*/copyright. Debian GNU/Linux comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by applicable law. root@XX:~$You can begin typing commands at the prompt.
- Once connected, you can begin typing commands at the prompt.
