Tools for passwordless login

RsyncUI uses the standard SSH tools ssh-keygen and ssh-copy-id to help you establish passwordless login to remote servers via SSH key authentication.

SSH Key Methods

RsyncUI supports two approaches:

1. Default SSH keys: Uses the standard RSA key location (~/.ssh/id_rsa)
2. Custom SSH keys: Uses a user-specified location (e.g., ~/.ssh_rsyncosx/rsyncosx)

When using default keys, RsyncUI doesn’t add extra SSH parameters to rsync commands. Custom keys require additional parameters to tell rsync where to find them.

Step-by-Step: Creating Custom SSH Keys

Step 1: Create the SSH Directory

cd
mkdir .ssh_rsyncosx

Step 2: Generate the Key Pair

ssh-keygen -t rsa -N "" -f ~/.ssh_rsyncosx/rsyncosx

Parameters explained:

• -t rsa - Creates an RSA-based key pair
• -N "" - Sets no password (empty passphrase)
• -f ~/.ssh_rsyncosx/rsyncosx - Specifies where to save the keys

Step 3: Copy Public Key to Server

ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh_rsyncosx/rsyncosx.pub -p NN user@server

Replace:

• NN with your SSH port number (default is 22)
• user with your remote username
• server with your server address

Step 4: Set Correct Permissions

chmod 700 ~/.ssh_rsyncosx

Step 5: Configure RsyncUI

Add your custom SSH keypath and identity file in RsyncUI’s user configuration. RsyncUI will automatically apply these settings.

You can also set custom SSH parameters for individual tasks, which will override the global settings.