SSH To Start9 Embassy from Windows

To connect to the Start9 Embassy via SSH on Windows you must have an SSH key installed.

This document assumes you have already installed Bonjour Print Services as part of the Embassy set-up procedures.

There are many SSH key generators and SSH clients but we are going to use Putty. Putty is available direct from the creator at: https://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/latest.html

Download the version applicable to your Windows computer – if bought within the last five years or so, it’s probably a 64bit PC. Use the link in the MSI Windows Installer section for the full package.

Setup Embassy to accept the SSH key:
Open a new tab in your browser and connect to your Start9 Embassy and login.
Click Embassy on the left index under Services.
Click Developer Options on the right.
Click SSH Keys.
Click the + (plus) symbol to add a new SSH key.

Put the browser to the side and continue creating the SSH key in PuttyGen.

From the Windows Start search box, type in puttygen and click the icon that comes up.

You will not need to change any of the defaults. Click Generate and it will prompt you to move your mouse around to create random key data. When it is complete, it will provide your public key.

Create a passphrase and confirm it. Remember or store this password. You’ll need it if you ever have to view your public key in the future.
Click Save Private Key button and save the file in a place on the computer that you will store long-term (ie c:\sshkeys\). This is not meant to be deleted ever as it is referenced every time you connect through SSH by the Putty app. The file extension will end in ppk (ie – testprivatekey.ppk). You do not need to click ‘Save your Public Key’ as it is not needed for this connection but you will copy the public key in its entirety.
Click in the public key window and copy (use CTRL+C) the entire key starting from ssh-rsa all the way down to the last character.

Bring forward the browser with the Embassy tab open. Paste the copied SSH key into the SSH textbox in the Embassy page.

It will save the key in a 2 character hex format (ie 3a:4b:5f etc…) and then hide it with ****. Once your key is saved, you can exit this screen. You can also close PuttyGen.

Configure Putty:
From the Windows Start search box, type in putty and click the icon that comes up.

It will load Putty. In the left side Index, click Session:

Enter your Embassy local address in the Host Name field.
Enter ‘Embassy’ in Saved Sessions text box (do not Save yet).

Click Data in the Connection section.

Enter ‘pi’ as the Auto Login Username (no quotes).

Further down, click [+] next to SSH in the Connection sub-section to open its submenu.
Click Auth.

Enter or Browse to the ppk key file you created with PuttyGen.

Go back up and click Session. Click the Save button to the right.
This completes the configuration.
Click the Open button. It will launch a Terminal window that connects to your Embassy.
Enter your passphrase you created when you built the key in PuttyGen and hit Enter.

You are now connected. Be careful in here as you could make irreparable damage in here to your device.
When you want to run an SSH connection later, run Putty and then load the Embassy configuration and click Open.