I don't know whether DSA or RSA is preferable, but SSH2 is definitely preferable to SSH1.Thanks, Peter, that helped a lot--I downloaded puttygen and am working with it now. Three more questions if anyone can help:
1) I guess we're to use SSH2 and not SSH1, but does it matter whether we use DSA or RSA? Is one much slower than the other? I'll use DSA--it apparently works for you and Joerg.
When I set mine up (at the same time as Joerg) I recall having to use authorized_keys2 (and biting off chunks of my keyboard discovering that.) Since then, I think the situation has changed and the use of authorized_keys2 is deprecated (or so I was told recently on a RH9 list.)2) Also, you placed your public key in "authorized_keys", not "authorized_keys2" like Joerg has. (Both of you are using DSA apparently.) Also, PuttyGen seems to indicate that "authorized_keys" is only for SSH1/RSA and "authorized_keys2" is for SSH2 (RSA or DSA version). Does this matter--shouldn't you have yours in "authorized_keys2"?
3) To use Putty on my work computer (besides my one at home--where I've just created the key), should I create another private/public key pair, and append the public key to my authorized_keys/keys2 file, or just transfer my private key to the second computer (via floppy disk, etc.)--what is the more usual/accepted practice?
When I was working with Putty to a Linux server, I found that it was easiest to generate the keys on the linux machine, move the private key to Windows, and use the import facility in Putty.
Work environments tend to be a bit insecure, especially it you are using pageant (or ssh-agent on linux) to save having to key in the passphrase. If you are accessing the repository from both your work and home machines though, it doesn't seem to make much sense to have different keys.
I used the key i have already used for accessing jfor's cvs repository at sourceforge. I created the key about 6 month ago with puttygen. I ran it on my local computer (win2000 prof.). But you cannot use the files which puttygen creates when you click on one of the save buttons. Instead i copy-and-pasted the content of the "Public key for pasting into OpenSSH authorized_keys2 file"-textbox.
Peter -- Peter B. West <http://www.powerup.com.au/~pbwest/resume.html>
