It does not take long before the SSH or SFTP server is up and running. All it takes is to start the server in the server management console and add at least one user account. User accounts require the usual set of information that include a username, home directory and a password. A public key can be added as well to provide public key authentication. The server administrator can define the user rights in the very same user creation dialog.

It is possible to enable command and shell access, sftp and forwarding separately from each other. The login requirements can also be configured. Users have basically three options to log into the server: password authentication, public key authentication or keyboard-interactive authentication. The server admin can make any or all of the selected methods a requirement.

The server management console contains several settings that are of importance. Administrators define the server-key file location and log path in there, session timeouts, the server port, ssh and sftp security settings like forcing a delay on new connections or blocking IPs after a number of failed connection attempts. The management console itself can be password protected and configured to a specific port and IP.

The free version of Silvershield SSH and SFTP Server should be just fine for smaller networks. Users who want more connections without having to pay for the SSH server can take a look at FreeSSHd A Free SSH Server For Windows or the Windows SSH Server WinSSHD.

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

FreeSSHd is a free SSH Server for the Windows operating system. Users can setup the SSH server on one computer system running the Windows operating system and use SSH compatible tools like Putty to connect to that remote computer system. The server can be setup with just a few mouse clicks. The administrator is only required to add users that are allowed to connect to the computer system in the SSH Server configuration.

Authorization can be NT authentication, passwords stored in SHA1 hashes or Public key driven. It is furthermore possible to allow shell, sftp and tunneling access individually. Having said that it should be obvious that FreeSSHd not only offers shell access to authorized users but also secure ftp and tunneling access.

Various options are available that define certain aspects of the SSH Server software. It is possible to add whitelist and blacklists of IP addresses that are allowed to connect to the server, enable event logging, set the secure FTP home path, select a specific allowed cipher, enable tunneling, telnet and check the access logs of the SSH server.

FreeSSHd is a comfortable SSH and SFTP server for the Windows operating system. Setup of the server should not pose to many difficulties even for inexperienced users. All in all a great software program that can be run manually or added to Windows services for extra comfort.

A free and a professional version of Moba SSH is available on the homepage. The server software installs itself as a Windows service. The remote desktop connection can then be established using selected user accounts of the host system. Shortcuts are available to manage users and add domain users.

Possible usage scenarios include centralized backups, system and network monitoring, remote commands, system administration or managing computers from a remote location.

To create a remote desktop connection to the PC running Moba SSH server one would simply use a SSH client like Putty to connect to the IP of the server. The system will ask for the credentials of one enabled user account to log into the system remotely.

Advanced options are available to change the port, allow tcp forwarding, enabling the cron service or enabling RA authentication.

A SSH connection can be used to use an encrypted channel to transfer the unencrypted data so that the data is protected from third parties. To make use of this encrypted channel a connection has to be established and maintained between the local computer and a SSH server on the Internet. If your Email provider would offer SSH access for instance it could be setup to create a connection with their SSH server to retrieve and send emails.

My Encrypted Tunnel is a free application that makes use of Putty Link to establish an SSH connection:

MyEnTunnel is a simple system tray application (or NT service) that establishes and maintains TCP SSH tunnels. It does this by launching Plink (PuTTY Link) in the background and then monitors the process. If the Plink process dies (e.g. connection drops, server restarts or otherwise becomes unreachable) MyEnTunnel will automatically restart Plink to reestablish the tunnels in the background. It tries to use as little CPU and system resources as possible when monitoring (When the “Slow Polling” option is enabled it only does one context switch per second).

It can also be used to exchange data between two computers. To do this one computer needs to act as the SSH Server. Users looking for an advanced Windows client with additional functionality might find it in Tunnelier which is free for personal use.