1-9 
To do...  Use the command...  Remarks 
Generate an RSA 
key pairs 
public-key local create rsa 
Generate key 
pair(s) 
Generate a DSA 
key pair 
public-key local create dsa 
Required 
By default, no key 
pairs are generated. 
 
 
z  The command for generating a key pair can survive a reboot. You only need to configure it once. 
z  It takes more time to encrypt and decrypt data with a longer key, which, however, ensures higher 
security. Therefore, specify the length of the key pair accordingly. 
z  Some third-party software, for example, WinSCP, requires that the modulo of a public key must be 
greater than or equal to 768. Therefore, a local key pair of more than 768 bits is recommended. 
 
Destroying key pairs 
The RSA or DSA keys may be exposed, and you may want to destroy the keys and generate new ones.  
Follow these steps to destroy key pairs: 
To do…  Use the command…  Remarks 
Enter system view 
system-view 
— 
Destroy the RSA 
key pairs 
public-key local destroy rsa 
Destroy key 
pair(s) 
Destroy the DSA 
key pair 
public-key local destroy dsa 
Optional 
 
Creating an SSH User and Specifying an Authentication Type 
This task is to create an SSH user and specify an authentication type. Specifying an authentication type 
for a new user is a must to get the user login. 
An SSH user is represented as a set of user attributes on the SSH server. This set is uniquely identified 
with the SSH username. When a user logs in to the SSH server from the SSH client, a username is 
required so that the server can looks up the database for matching the username. If a match is found, it 
authenticates the user using the authentication mode specified in the attribute set. If not, it tears down 
the connection. 
To prevent illegal users from logging in to the device, SSH supports the authentication modes of 
password, publickey, and password-publickey. 
z  Password authentication