How to run OpenSSH, SSH, SCP, SFTP on Windows

Did you know, you can SSH into a PC or a Windows Server? Copy files using SCP ? or even SFTP (Secure FTP) onto a Windows machine??

Yes, you can run OpenSSH, an OpenSource Secure Shell Server for UNIX and LINUX systems. “OpenSSH for Windows” is a free package that installs a minimal OpenSSH server and client utilities in the Cygwin package without needing the full Cygwin installation.

The “OpenSSH for Windows” package provides full SSH/SCP/SFTP support. SSH terminal support provides a familiar Windows Command prompt, while retaining Unix/Cygwin-style paths for SCP and SFTP. This is a unix style command prompt only access to windows server to run commands or copy files using SCP or SFTP. Access can be setup for either a Domain user or a local user on the system.

“OpenSSH for Windows” works well on Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP and WIndows 2003. Simply download and install the package from here.

Once done, from the command prompt navigate to “C:\Program Files\OpenSSH\bin” folder as follows:

C:\> cd “C:\Program files\OpenSSH\bin”

Add Group Permissions

Run the following command to create a group permissions file (UNIX Style /etc/group file)

C:\Program files\OpenSSH\bin> mkgroup -l >> ..\etc\group

where -l indicates local group
-d would add domain groups

Add Authorized users (create unix style /etc/passwd file)

C:\Program files\OpenSSH\bin> mkpasswd -l -u winsockfix >> ..\etc\passwd

where -l indicates a local user
-d would add a domain user
-u indicates the username

We are done with the config now. Reboot the PC or Server now.

Start the OpenSSH Server

C:\>net start opensshd

Clients

To SSH to another system:

ssh <user@servername>

To SCP

scp <localfilename> <user@servername>:<destinationdirectory>
or
scp <user@servername>:<remotefilename> <localfilename>
or
scp <user@servername>:<remotefilename> <user@otherservername>:<destinationdirectory>

To SFTP (Secure ftp):

sftp <user@servername>