tools/SSH Manager

SSH Manager

SSH Manager is a small PowerShell tool that opens an interactive menu with predefined servers and connects to the selected host through ssh.exe.

This version uses mocked server names and safe example domains. It is intended for portfolio, documentation, and internal-tooling demonstrations without exposing real company infrastructure.

Purpose

The script helps operations and DevOps teams avoid typing long SSH commands repeatedly. It groups servers by environment, displays a clean numbered menu, and launches the SSH connection for the selected host.

Features

• Environment menu ordered as DEV, QAS, PRD.
• Server menu sorted alphabetically by a short server name.
• Zero-padded numbering such as 01, 02, 03.
• Aligned server-name column for easier reading.
• Support for standard SSH username/password flows.
• Optional SSH user prompt when -SshUser is not provided.
• Support for private key authentication.
• Support for OpenSSH certificate authentication.
• Certificate discovery from a file path or from a directory.
• Mocked hostnames that can be replaced with real internal hosts.

Requirements

• Windows PowerShell or PowerShell 7.
• OpenSSH Client installed on Windows.

Check if SSH is available:

ssh.exe -V

If it is missing, enable OpenSSH Client in Windows Optional Features.

Basic Usage

Run the script:

.\ssh-manager.ps1

Run with a custom SSH user:

.\ssh-manager.ps1 -SshUser devops

If -SshUser is not provided, the script asks for the SSH username after a server is selected:

.\ssh-manager.ps1

Using a Private Key

Use the -IdentityFile option to connect with a private key:

.\ssh-manager.ps1 -SshUser devops -IdentityFile C:\Users\paulo\.ssh\id_ed25519

The script passes the file to SSH using:

ssh.exe -i <identity-file>

Using an OpenSSH Certificate

If your environment uses OpenSSH user certificates, provide both the private key and the certificate file:

.\ssh-manager.ps1 `
  -SshUser devops `
  -IdentityFile C:\Users\paulo\.ssh\id_ed25519 `
  -CertificateFile C:\Users\paulo\.ssh\id_ed25519-cert.pub

The script passes the certificate to SSH using:

ssh.exe -o CertificateFile=<certificate-file>

You can also pass a directory. In that case, the script searches for the first file matching one of these endings:

• -cert.pub
• .pem
• .crt
• .cer

Example:

.\ssh-manager.ps1 `
  -SshUser devops `
  -IdentityFile C:\Users\paulo\.ssh\id_ed25519 `
  -CertificateFile C:\Users\paulo\.ssh\certificates

Each server can also define its own CertificatePath. When -CertificateFile is not provided, the script tries to resolve a certificate from the selected server's CertificatePath.

Customizing Servers

Edit the $servers array in ssh-manager.ps1.

Each server uses this format:

@{
    Environment = "PROD"
    Name        = "Production - arlapi-prd-01.example.com"
    Domain      = "api-prd-01.example.com"
    Host        = "203.0.113.31"
    Hostname    = "arlapi-prd-01"
    CertificatePath = ".\certificates"
    Port        = 22
}

The menu uses:

• Environment to group servers.
• Name to show a human-friendly label.
• Domain as a readable DNS label in the menu.
• Host as the SSH target. It can be a DNS name or an IP address.
• Hostname to build the short aligned server-name column.
• CertificatePath as an optional per-server certificate file or certificate directory.
• Port as the SSH port.

Short Server Name Column

The script creates a short server name for display by removing:

• The arl prefix.
• The .corp.cat.com suffix.
• The .ecorp.cat.com suffix.
• The .lrd.cat.com suffix.
• The .example.com suffix used by this mocked version.

The short-name column is padded to the width of the longest name in the selected environment, keeping the menu aligned.

Execution Policy

If PowerShell blocks script execution, run PowerShell as Administrator and use:

Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope LocalMachine

Or allow scripts only for the current user:

Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

Security Notes

• Do not store private keys, passwords, tokens, or real host inventories in public repositories.
• Prefer SSH keys or OpenSSH certificates over password-based access.
• Keep real server lists in private repositories or secure configuration stores.
• Review SSH certificate validity and rotation policies before automating access.