SSH clients are marvelously configurable. Chapter 2 introduced remote logins and file copying but covered only the tip of the iceberg. You can also connect with multiple SSH identities, use a variety of authentication and encryption techniques, exercise control over TCP/IP settings, and generally tailor the feel and operation of SSH clients to your liking. You can even save common collections of SSH settings in configuration files for ease of use.

We’ll be focusing on outgoing SSH use, running SSH clients to connect to remote hosts, using the components highlighted in Figure 7-1. A related topic, not covered in this chapter, is how to control incoming SSH connections to your account. That sort of access control is a function of the SSH server, not the clients, and is covered in Chapter 8.