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Template:How to upload files from Linux

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You can upload your files using SFTP or RSync. To use these protocols to release files you must first generate and install a public/private key pair. This document describes how to set up these keys and how to access the forge file server using a variety of methods.

Contents

Generate and Install a Key Pair

  1. Type this command: ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 1024
    • Choose the default location for the key (just hit the Enter key).
    • Use an empty passphrase (just hit the Enter key twice).
    • This command displays your key fingerprint. This is not your public key.
  2. Type this command: cat ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub
    • This is your public key.
  3. Open the Special:Keyupload page (you must be logged in).
    • This page is always available from the left hand navigation of your user page.
  4. Copy and paste your public key into the Public Key text box or upload the id_rsa.pub file.
    • If you use the copy/paste method, make sure you do not copy any newlines into the text box. Your public key is a single line of text.
  5. Click Add. Cron runs every fifteen minutes. Your public key will be installed on all of the machines you need to access.
  • Notes:
    • You should create a unique public/private key pair for each computer you plan to use for CVS. You should never copy a private key from one computer to another. Your private key is just as valuable as your password and should be protected as such.
    • You may encrypt your private key with a passphrase if you wish. If you do, then you will probably want to use ssh-agent to store your private key in memory. Type man ssh-agent for details.

Access the Forge File Server with gFTP

  1. Make sure you have gftp installed on your system. If it is not available as a distribution package you can download the source from the gFTP website.
  2. Start gFTP.
  3. From the FTP menu select the Options menu item.
  4. Make sure that the Preserve file permissions option on the General tab is not checked.
  5. Select the SSH tab.
  6. Uncheck the 'Need SSH User/Pass' option.
  7. Click OK to save these settings.
  8. Set the Host field to forgeftp.novell.com
  9. Set the Port field to 22.
  10. Set the User field to your Novell Login username.
  11. Leave the password field blank.
  12. Change the drop down box, located next to the password field, from 'FTP' to 'SSH2'
  13. Press <Enter> or Click on the icon with two computers to the left of the Host field to log in to the forge file server.
  14. If this is the first time you have logged into the file system, you will see a dialog warning you that you may not be able to trust the server that you are connecting to. The fingerprint for forgeftp.novell.com is
RSA: d7:32:ea:0a:fa:24:bc:67:48:43:c8:28:aa:ef:cd:e7
DSA: 55:94:18:b3:4d:3b:4e:2f:22:af:21:c5:ab:50:7f:57

If this is the fingerprint you see in the warning dialog, click OK, otherwise click Cancel and please let us know.

  • Notes:
    • After connecting to the server you can bookmark you connect by selecting the Add Bookmark option from the Bookmarks menu

Access the Forge File Server with sftp

  1. Open a terminal.
  2. In the terminal type sftp username@forgeftp.novell.com:{{{1}}}
  3. An interactive session is started in which you can upload and download files using stardard FTP commands like get and put.
  4. All of the standard FTP commands are available. (ie. cd, get, put, mget, mput, pwd, mkdir, rmdir) Type help for a listing of available commands.
  5. Type quit when you are finished.
  6. If this is the first time you have logged into the file system, you will be prompted with a warning that you may not be able to trust the server that you are connecting to. The fingerprint for forgeftp.novell.com is
RSA: d7:32:ea:0a:fa:24:bc:67:48:43:c8:28:aa:ef:cd:e7
DSA: 55:94:18:b3:4d:3b:4e:2f:22:af:21:c5:ab:50:7f:57

If this is the fingerprint that is displayed for you, type yes, otherwise type no and please let us know.

  • Notes:
    • For more information about how to use sftp type man sftp in a terminal.

Access the Forge File Server with rsync

  1. Open a terminal.
  2. To upload a file to the forge file system type: rsync -azv local_path username@forgeftp.novell.com:{{{1}}}/remote_path
  3. To download a file from the forge file system type: rsync -azv username@forgeftp.novell.com:{{{1}}}/remote_path local_path
  4. If this is the first time you have logged into the file system, you will be prompted with a warning that you may not be able to trust the server that you are connecting to. The fingerprint for forgeftp.novell.com is
RSA: d7:32:ea:0a:fa:24:bc:67:48:43:c8:28:aa:ef:cd:e7
DSA: 55:94:18:b3:4d:3b:4e:2f:22:af:21:c5:ab:50:7f:57

If this is the fingerprint that is displayed for you, type yes, otherwise type no and please let us know.

  • Notes:
    • The -a switch which will perform recursive copy of all files in a directory. It will also do its best to perserve the file permissions and time stamps.
    • The -z switch which will compress all data that is transfered between the two computers. This will be extreamly helpful if you are on a slow connection
    • The -v switch makes the transaction verbose. In other words, it tells you what is going on as it transfers the files.
    • For more information about how to use rsync type man rsync in a terminal.

Access the Forge File Server with Nautilus

  1. Start Nautilus (You can click on the Computer icon on the Desktop for instance)
  2. From the File menu select Connect to Server.
  3. Select SSH as the service type.
  4. The server is forgeftp.novell.com.
  5. The folder is /{{{1}}}
  6. Input your username, and any name you want to use for the connection
  7. Click the Connect button and an icon will appear on your desktop representing this connection.
  8. Click the icon, you will be prompted for you password. After supplying your password you can drap and drop files into the window just like your local file system.

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