SSH Client Configuration

When logging in to a server, one has to provide the (username unless the username on the server is the same as on the current system). In addition, the fully qualified domain name has to be provided. In order to simplify the process of logging in, it is possible to write a configuration.

For example, it is possible log in to sandbox via

ssh sandbox

instead of the much more verbose

ssh firstname.lastname@sandbox.bulme.at

To set this up, edit (create if it doesn't exist) the file ~/.ssh/config and append the following

Host sandbox
  HostName sandbox.bulme.at
  User firstname.lastname

Right after saving the file it will be possible to use

ssh sandbox

to log in to the newly configured server. It is possible to configure many additional parameters and multiple servers in this configuration file. See man ssh_config for more information.