Lab Information
The system admins team of xFusionCorp Industries has set up some scripts on jump host that run on regular intervals and perform operations on all app servers in Stratos Datacenter. To make these scripts work properly we need to make sure the thor user on jump host has password-less SSH access to all app servers through their respective sudo users (i.e tony for app server 1). Based on the requirements, perform the following:
Set up a password-less authentication from user thor on jump host to all app servers through their respective sudo users.
Lab Solutions
🧭 Part 1: Lab Step-by-Step Guidelines
Objective
Configure password-less SSH authentication from:
thor (jump host)
to all app servers using their respective users.
Server User
stapp01 tony
stapp02 steve
stapp03 banner
This is done using SSH key authentication.
1️⃣ Login to Jump Host
ssh thor@jump_host.stratos.xfusioncorp.com
Password
mjolnir123
2️⃣ Generate SSH Key for thor
Check if a key already exists:
ls ~/.ssh
If no id_rsa exists, create one:
ssh-keygen
Press Enter for all prompts.
Resulting files:
~/.ssh/id_rsa
~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub
3️⃣ Copy Key to App Server 1
ssh-copy-id tony@stapp01
Password:
Ir0nM@n
Test it:
ssh tony@stapp01
You should not be asked for a password.
Exit:
exit
4️⃣ Copy Key to App Server 2
ssh-copy-id steve@stapp02
Password:
Am3ric@
Test:
ssh steve@stapp02
Exit:
exit
5️⃣ Copy Key to App Server 3
ssh-copy-id banner@stapp03
Password:
BigGr33n
Test:
ssh banner@stapp03
Exit:
exit
6️⃣ Verify Passwordless Access
Run:
ssh tony@stapp01 hostname
ssh steve@stapp02 hostname
ssh banner@stapp03 hostname
If configured correctly:
It should not ask for passwords
It should print the hostname.
🧠 Part 2: Simple Step-by-Step Explanation (Beginner Friendly)
What the lab is testing
This lab tests SSH key-based authentication, which is widely used in DevOps automation.
Example automation:
Jump Host → Script → App Servers
If scripts required passwords, automation would fail.
Why password-less SSH is needed
Scripts on the jump host must run commands on servers like:
stapp01
stapp02
stapp03
Without password prompts.
How SSH Key Authentication Works
Instead of a password, SSH uses two keys.
Key Location Purpose
Private Key Jump host Used to authenticate
Public Key App servers Used to verify access
Flow:
thor (private key)
↓
app server (public key)
If the keys match → login allowed.
What ssh-copy-id does
This command:
ssh-copy-id user@server
Automatically:
Copies the public key
Adds it to
~/.ssh/authorized_keys
on the remote server.
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