This recipe describes how to access the pfSense console from any Linux, Mac, or Windows client computer.
SSH must be enabled and configured on our pfSense box. Linux and Mac users will have the SSH client installed by default. Windows users will have to download and install PuTTY.
Connect via SSH from a Linux/Mac client as follows:
Open a terminal window and run:
If you are using the default configuration, you'll then be prompted for a password.
If you are using RSA key authentication, you'll connect directly or be asked to enter the pass-phrase associated with your key. If you need to specify the location of your private key file, you can use the
-i
option as follows:ssh -i /home/matt/key/id_rsa [email protected]
If you've configured pfSense to use a different port, you can specify that using the
-p
option, as in the following example:ssh -p 12345 [email protected]
Connect via SSH from a Windows client with PuTTY as follows:
Open PuTTY and specify your hostname or IP address.
Specify an alternative port if necessary (default is port 22).
If you are using RSA key authentication, browse to your private key file from Connection | SSH | Auth | Private key file for authentication.
You'll connect and be prompted for a username.
You'll then be prompted for a password, or if RSA authentication is used, you'll connect directly or be prompted for your pass-phrase.
SSH allows access to the pfSense console menu from any computer that has an SSH client. You can even access the console from your phone if you install an SSH client on your mobile device.