Providing The Switch's Public Key To Clients - HP ProCurve 6200yl Series Access Security Manual

Configuring Secure Shell (SSH)
Configuring the Switch for SSH Operation
Figure 7-5. Example of Generating a Public/Private Host Key Pair for the Switch
Notes
7-12
For example, to generate and display a new key:
The 'show crypto host-public-key' displays it in two different formats because
your client may store it in either of these formats after learning the key. If you
wish to compare the switch key to the key as stored in your client's known-
hosts file, note that the formatting and comments need not match. For version
1 keys, the three numeric values bit size, exponent <e>, and modulus <n> must
match; for PEM keys, only the PEM-encoded string itself must match.
"Zeroizing" the switch's key automatically disables SSH (sets ip ssh to no).
Thus, if you zeroize the key and then generate a new key, you must also re-
enable SSH with the ip ssh command before the switch can resume SSH
operation.

3. Providing the Switch's Public Key to Clients

When an SSH client contacts the switch for the first time, the client will
challenge the connection unless you have already copied the key into the
client's "known host" file. Copying the switch's key in this way reduces the
chance that an unauthorized device can pose as the switch to learn your access
passwords. The most secure way to acquire the switch's public key for
Host Public
Key for the
Switch
Version 1 and Version 2 views
of same host public key