Windows SSH Server WinSSHD

WinSSHD is a free for personal use SSH server for the Windows operating system. It supports secure remote access via console (vt100, xterm, bvterm) or gui (remote desktop or WinVNC), secure file transfers using SFTP or SCP and secure TCP / IP connection tunneling. The personal version offers most of the features offered in the commercial version. A few features, like the number of Windows account and virtual account entries or the number of Windows and virtual groups are limited in the personal edition. Only the features to use domain accounts and GSSAPI authentication are disabled.

The server is not running after starting up the Windows SSH Server. It is up to the system administrator to start the server so that other users can connect to it.

Users with a Windows username and password are able to use SFTP and SCTP file transfers, access a command prompt via a terminal console and to route TCP connections through WinSSHD by default.

It is up to the administrator to modify the access rights or remove accounts from being able to access the system at all. The administrator can disable services provided by WinSSHD or restrict user access. Both methods can increase the system’s security and should be dealt with before starting the server for the first time.

A good start is the WinSSHD user guide which explains the core concepts of the SSH server and offers tips on how to configure and secure it properly. Interested users can download the WinSSHD SSH Server from the developer’s website

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Author: Martin Brinkmann, Wednesday August 5, 2009 -
Tags:remote connection, scp, server, sftp, ssh server, tunneling, windows software, winsshd

Responses so far:

1. Walter says:

   August 5, 2009 at 6:16 pm

   Hi Martin,

   can you say how this one compares to Mobassh or freesshd?
   Especially the later one does not work for me very well when I connect from a Linux System.

   Thanks,
   Walt

   Reply
   • Martin says:

     August 5, 2009 at 6:29 pm

     Walter I cannot really say how they compare when connecting from a Linux system. WinSSHD is tightly integrated with the Windows operating system while FreeSSHD is not. I personally think that it is much easier to work with FreeSSHD than with WinSSHD although the latter could prove to be better suited for larger computer networks and domains. Quite a few users are reporting problems with FreeSSHD when connecting from a Linux system, take a look http://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q=freesshd+linux+connection+problems

     Reply
2. supomo says:

   August 7, 2009 at 10:54 pm

   I like Cygwin version of sshd. I haven’t tried all other windows version, but cygwin if more like linux and has a lot more development into it.

   Reply