Configuring and deploying Zowe Remote SSH

Use Zowe Remote SSH in Zowe Explorer to perform z/OS mainframe operations with minimal server-side configuration.

System requirements

• 16 MB of free space for deploying ZRS on z/OS Unix
• z/OS OpenSSH set up and configured for the user
• At minimum, user permissions for read, write, and execute (700) for deployment directory

Configuration methods

Create an SSH Zowe profile in your Zowe team configuration to connect to z/OS and deploy to the z/OS system.

Connecting with an SSH command

Create an SSH profile faster by using an SSH command to authenticate and deploy to the server. The user included in the command is used to search the local SSH configuration file for host directives that match the host in the command.

When there is a match, Zowe Remote SSH attempts public-private key authentication in three ways, in the following order:

1. Using the IdentityFile (private key path) option in the command, if provided.
2. Locating the first IdentityFile that follows naming conventions of common encryption algorithms. File names are searched in the order id_ed25519, id_rsa, id_ecdsa, and id_dsa.
3. Locating the IdentityFile from the SSH config entry that matches the submitted hostname.

If an IdentityFile is found and fails to authenticate, or no IdentityFile is found, you are prompted for basic credentials.

To use an SSH command to connect and deploy to the server:

1. In the Command Palette, search for Zowe-Explorer: Connect to Host....

2. Enter an SSH connection command in the Quick Pick:

   ssh <user@example.net>

   • <user@example.net>

     Specifies the user ID and hostname.

   Include an IdentityFile and/or port by including flags:

   ssh <user@example.net> -i "/Users/local/.ssh/id_rsa" -p 443

   • -i

     Specifies the IdentityFile to use for authentication.

   • -p

     Specifies the port number for the SSH connection.

3. Answer any prompts in the Quick Pick to provide any additional credentials required for authentication.

A new SSH profile is added to the corresponding Zowe team configuration file in your system and the Zowe Remote SSH binary is uploaded to your mainframe host to be used with this new profile.

You can now interact with this SSH profile in its Zowe Explorer tree view (Data Sets, USS, or Jobs) to start using ZRS.

Connecting with an existing SSH configuration file

Use an existing SSH configuration file to create a new ssh profile in your client-side team configuration.

To create a new SSH profile in your team configuration:

1. In the Command Palette, search for Zowe-SSH: Connect to Host....

2. Select a profile listed below the Migrate From SSH Config separator in the drop-down.

3. Answer prompts in the Quick Pick to provide any additional credentials required for authentication.

   The user's existing SSH host directive in their SSH configuration file remains unchanged. A new SSH profile is added to the corresponding Zowe team configuration file in your system and the Zowe Remote SSH binary is uploaded to your mainframe host to be used with this new profile.

   You can now interact with this SSH profile in its Zowe Explorer tree view (Data Sets, USS, or Jobs) to start using ZRS.

Connecting with an existing team configuration profile

Use an existing SSH profile from a Zowe team configuration file to deploy Zowe Remote SSH:

1. In the Command Palette, search for Zowe-SSH: Connect to Host....

2. Select a profile listed above the Migrate From SSH Config separator in the drop-down.

3. Answer prompts in the Quick Pick to provide any additional credentials required for authentication.

   The Zowe Remote SSH binary is uploaded to your mainframe host to be used with this new profile.

   You can now interact with this SSH profile in its Zowe Explorer tree view (Data Sets, USS, or Jobs) to start using ZRS.