April 22, 2009

SSH Sever Upgrade

On May 31, 2009, CIT will upgrade the version of the SSH server used to transmit files to or from Titan using either a scp or sftp client.

In order to allow you to test your scripts with the new server, we are currently running the new version on port 8022 on titan.nih.gov. Our testing has revealed a significant change to the way a client cd command is processed by the server. After May 31st, the new version will run on the production port 9022, and the old version will no longer be available.

A change in processing client cd commands

With the new version of the SSH server, you must end the MVS ‘directory’ specified on the cd command with a period (.).

Each portion of an MVS ‘directory’ is actually a qualifier. The SSH server has always supported using complete qualifiers on the cd command but did not force users to end the qualifier(s) with a period. The new version specifically requires you to use an end period to indicate that the qualifier is a complete qualifier.

For example, for a data set named userid.hlq1.hlq2, the command

cd /__userid.hlq1

will no longer be accepted by the new version. Instead, the user must specify that the qualifier is a complete qualifier by using

cd /__userid.hlq1.

as the command.

You can find a more complete example at: http://datacenter.cit.nih.gov/titan-net/SSH.htm.

Need help or have questions?

If you need help or have any questions regarding this upgrade, just submit a service request via the NIH Help Desk’s website (http://ithelpdesk.nih.gov/support/) or give them a call at 301-496-HELP (301-496-4357), 866-319-4357 (toll free), or 301-496-8294 (TTY).