.. _ssh-authenticator:

**********************
SSH/Key Authentication
**********************

The SSH/Key authentication method requires either a username and
password combination or a private key to be set. The hostname and
port of the device to connect to are always required.

.. image:: ../../_static/authentication/images/ssh_cred.png

The fields available with SSH/Key Authentication are:

 * Hostname/IP

     * The device hostname or IP address for the SSH connection.
       This field is required.

 * Port

    * The port number for the SSH connection.
      Default: ``22``. This field is required.

 * Username

    * The username for an SSH or user account on the device.
      This field is optional.

 * Password

    * The password for an SSH or user account on the device.
      This field is optional.

 * Private Key (PEM Format)

    * The SSH private key in PEM format used to connect to the device.
      Keys with a passphrase are supported. This field is optional.

.. note::

    The private key can have a maximum of ``64`` characters per line. Therefore,
    you cannot use keys in the ``OpenSSH`` format, because that format uses
    ``70`` characters per line. However, you can use the ``ssh-keygen`` command
    to convert between ``OpenSSH`` and ``PEM`` format. When you attempt to save
    the credential, `SL1` will validate that the private key entered is in the
    correct format.

.. note::

    For PEM Keys with a Passphrase, you can use the ``Password`` field to
    set the Passphrase.