Connecting to Devices

Quick Connect

The fastest way to connect to a device is using Quick Connect. Press Cmd+Shift+N (Mac) or Ctrl+Shift+N (Windows/Linux) to open the Quick Connect dialog.

Basic Connection

1. Enter the hostname or IP address
2. Enter your username
3. Select authentication method (password or key)
4. Click Connect

Quick Connect Syntax

You can also type connection strings directly in the Quick Connect field:

# Basic connection
user@hostname

# With port
user@hostname:2222

# SSH URL format
ssh://user@hostname:22

# With jump host
user@hostname via jumpuser@jumphost

Saved Sessions

Save frequently used connections as sessions for quick access. Sessions store all connection settings including authentication, terminal preferences, and auto-execute commands.

Creating a Session

1. Connect to a device using Quick Connect
2. Click the star icon in the tab, or right-click the tab and select Save Session
3. Enter a name for the session
4. Optionally organize into a folder
5. Click Save

Organizing Sessions

Sessions can be organized into folders for easier management:

• Create folders to group related devices (by location, function, etc.)
• Drag and drop sessions between folders
• Use tags for cross-folder organization
• Search sessions by name, tag, or host

Session Sync (Enterprise)

When connected to a Controller, sessions can be synced across all your devices:

• Sessions are stored on the Controller
• Available on any Terminal connected to the Controller
• Credentials remain on the Controller (never synced to Terminal)

Authentication Methods

NetStacks supports multiple SSH authentication methods:

Password Authentication

Simple username/password authentication. The password can be:

• Entered each time you connect
• Saved in the session (encrypted locally)
• Retrieved from the Controller credential vault (Enterprise)

SSH Key Authentication

Use SSH private keys for authentication. Supported key types:

• RSA (2048, 4096 bits)
• ECDSA (256, 384, 521 bits)
• Ed25519 (recommended)

Keys can be stored locally or in the Controller credential vault.

# Generate a new SSH key (Ed25519 recommended)
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"

# Or RSA if Ed25519 is not supported
ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your_email@example.com"

SSH Certificates (Enterprise)

When using the Controller, you can authenticate using SSH certificates instead of keys. This provides:

• Zero standing privileges - certificates expire automatically
• No need to distribute public keys to devices
• Centralized access control
• Audit trail of certificate issuance

Keyboard-Interactive

For devices that require multi-factor authentication or custom prompts, NetStacks supports keyboard-interactive authentication. The Terminal will display any prompts from the server and send your responses.

Jump Hosts & Proxies

Access devices through bastion/jump hosts when direct connectivity isn't available.

Configuring a Jump Host

1. Open session settings (right-click tab → Session Settings)
2. Navigate to Connection → Proxy
3. Select SSH Jump Host
4. Enter jump host connection details
5. Configure authentication for the jump host

Multiple Jump Hosts

Chain multiple jump hosts for complex network topologies:

# Connection path:
# Your PC → Jump1 → Jump2 → Target Device

Jump Host 1: bastion.external.com (port 22)
Jump Host 2: internal-jump.dmz.local (port 22)
Target: router.core.local (port 22)

SOCKS Proxy

NetStacks also supports connecting through SOCKS4/SOCKS5 proxies:

1. Open session settings
2. Navigate to Connection → Proxy
3. Select SOCKS Proxy
4. Enter proxy address and port
5. Configure authentication if required

Connection Options

Fine-tune your SSH connections with these options:

SSH Options

Terminal Options

Auto-Execute Commands

Run commands automatically when a session connects:

# Example: Auto-execute on Cisco IOS
terminal length 0
terminal width 200

# Example: Auto-execute on Linux
cd /var/log
alias ll='ls -la'