Connecting to containers and VMs
Modified: 21 Oct 2024 22:57 UTC
SSH, docker exec, and Microsoft Remote Desktop are all supported connection methods to "log in" to instances in Triton.
Detailed instructions
SSH is the primary means of connecting and authenticating for commmand line access to all container types with the exception of Docker and Windows instances.
- SSH to an instance from Mac OS X or Windows
- Connecting to Docker containers using
docker exec - Connecting to Windows instances
SSH key management
The propagation of SSH keys is handled differently depending on container type. The following table provides an overview of the differences.
| Container Type | Authentication Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| SmartOS | Uses SmartLogin | Authenticates against current list of keys in the account of the container owner. |
| Container Native Linux | Uses authorized_keys file |
Keys in the account of the container owner are copied at provision time. Changes to the keys in the account are not reflected. Can force an update to the authorized_keys file via a metadata item. |
| Hardware Virtualized Linux | Uses authorized_keys file |
Keys in the account of the container owner are copied at provision time. Changes to the keys in the account are not reflected. Can force an update to the authorized_keys file via a metadata item. |
| Hardware Virtualized Windows | Uses generated administrator password | Uses password generated for a given account via the *generate_passwords" option in the image configuration json. |
| Docker Containers | Communication is via TLS secured HTTP; no sshd by default |
Uses client certificate. |
Notes:
- All access should be done as the
rootuser unless otherwise noted. - Newer Ubuntu distributions use the
ubuntuuser for remote access. - Windows based distributions use the
administratoraccount and the normal windows login process; Windows containers do not use SSH keys.
