SSH into Shared Server Using Windows PowerShell

PowerShell is a task automation and configuration management program from Microsoft, consisting of a command-line shell and the associated scripting language. PowerShell now comes included with Windows and can be used to connect to a server using SSH. This guide will explain the steps to get connected to a shared server using SSH in Windows PowerShell.

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What to do or how to resolve:

1. Log into cPanel
2. Generate and Authorize a Pair of SSH Keys
3. Navigate to SSH Access, under Security
   
4. Click on Manage SSH Keys
   
   
5. Scroll down to Private Keys
6. Locate the private key which was generated in Step 2. Click View/Download
   
   
7. Click Download Key
   
   
8. Save the key file to your Desktop
   NOTE: By default, the file will be named id_rsa and will not have an extension.
9. Open the Run dialog using the <Windows Key + R> shortcut key
10. Enter %USERPROFILE%\.ssh into the Open field and click OK
    
    
11. Copy the id_rsa key file from your Desktop into the .ssh folder that was opened
12. Right-click on the background of the .ssh folder and select New and then select Text Document from the context menu
    
13. Select the entire name of the text document (including the .txt extension) and rename it to config and press Enter
14. Right-click on the config document and select Open With
15. Select Notepad and click OK
16. Enter the following information into the notepad

    Host [MyWebsite]
        HostName domain.com
        Port 2222
        User userna5
        IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_rsa

    REPLACE:
    Replace [MyWebsite] with any short name that you can remember.
    Replace domain.com with your domain or the account's hostname, found in Account Technical Details.
    Replace userna5 with your cPanel username.

17. Save and close the file
18. Open a new Command window using <Windows Key + R> and entering PowerShell into the Open field. Click OK or Press <Enter>
19. At the command prompt, enter ssh [MyWebsite]
    REPLACE: Replace [MyWebsite] with whatever you used in the Host line above. Please be aware it is case sensitive.
20. If prompted to continue connecting, type yes and press <Enter>
21. Enter the passphrase for the id_rsa key when prompted
    NOTE: When entering the password, no characters will be displayed. This is normal. The password is still being typed.
    
22. If successful, the cPanel username and server will be displayed
    EXAMPLE: 

    PS C:\Users\testuser> ssh IMHServer 
    The authenticity of host '[ecngx318.inmotionhosting.com]:2222 ([199.250.218.13]:2222)' can't be established.
    ECDSA key fingerprint is SHA256:BKUrtUjsHV+***************UhfZ1FpAPvNskJW0J8.
    Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no/[fingerprint])? yes
    Warning: Permanently added '[ecngx318.inmotionhosting.com]:2222' (ECDSA) to the list of known hosts.
    Enter passphrase for key 'C:\Users\testuser/.ssh/id_rsa':
    [userna5@ecngx318 ~]$