This article explains how to connect to your BinaryLane Cloud Server over SSH from Windows, macOS or Linux using a username and password. By the end you will have a command line session on your server and a way to confirm it worked.

If you deployed your server with an SSH key, connect using the key instead: How do I connect to my Cloud Server using my SSH key?


TABLE OF CONTENTS


Before you start


You will need:


  • Your server's public IP address, shown on the server's page in the BinaryLane control panel.
  • The root password, provided when the server was created. You can set a new one from the control panel if you no longer have it.
  • An SSH client. Windows, macOS and Linux all include one. PuTTY is an optional alternative on Windows.
  • Outbound access to TCP port 22 from your own network, and a server firewall that allows inbound SSH.


Check the host key on first connection
The first time you connect, your SSH client shows the server's host key fingerprint and asks you to confirm it. Accept it only if you are expecting to connect to a new server. If the fingerprint changes later on a server you have already used, stop and investigate before continuing.


Password logins may be disabled
If the server was deployed with an SSH key, password authentication may be turned off. In that case use the SSH key method linked above.
Your Cloud Server is self managed, so the SSH configuration on the server is yours to control.


Windows


Windows 10 and Windows 11 provide an OpenSSH client that runs in Windows Terminal, PowerShell or Command Prompt.

  1. Open Windows Terminal, PowerShell or Command Prompt.
  2. Confirm the client is available:

    ssh -V
    This returns a version string such as OpenSSH_for_Windows_9.5p2. If the command is not recognised, go to Settings > System > Optional features > Add an optional feature, then add OpenSSH Client.

  3. Connect to your server, replacing YOUR_SERVER_IP with your server's IP address:

    ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP
  4. Confirm the host key fingerprint when prompted. Type yes and press Enter.

  5. Enter the root password. Nothing appears on screen while you type it, which is normal.


To use a graphical client instead, see Connecting with PuTTY.


Linux


Most Linux distributions include the OpenSSH client.

  1. Open a terminal.
  2. Connect to your server:

    ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP
  3. Confirm the host key fingerprint when prompted. Type yes and press Enter.

  4. Enter the root password.


If your server was provisioned with a different username, replace root with that user.


macOS


macOS includes the OpenSSH client in the Terminal application.

  1. Open Terminal from Applications > Utilities, or search for it with Spotlight.
  2. Connect to your server:

    ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP
  3. Confirm the host key fingerprint when prompted. Type yes and press Enter.

  4. Enter the root password.


Connecting with PuTTY


PuTTY is a free, open source graphical SSH client for Windows. It is an alternative to the built in OpenSSH client rather than a requirement.

  1. Download PuTTY from the official PuTTY download page and install it.
  2. Start PuTTY.
  3. Enter your server's IP address in the Host Name (or IP address) field.
  4. Leave Port set to 22 and Connection type set to SSH.
  5. Select Open.
  6. A security alert appears stating that the server's host key is not cached. Select Accept to trust the key and store it for future connections, or Connect Once to continue without storing it.
  7. Enter root as the login name, then enter the root password.


To use PuTTY with an SSH key rather than a password, see SSH Keys: Connecting with Putty.


Success check


Once you are logged in, the prompt shows the account and the server's hostname, for example root@your-server:~#.

Confirm you are on the right server and logged in as the expected account:

whoami
hostname


whoami returns root, and hostname returns your server's hostname. If both match what you expect, the connection is working.

To end the session, run exit.


Troubleshooting


Permission denied, please try again

The password was rejected. Passwords are case sensitive. If you no longer have the password, set a new one from the control panel.

Permission denied (publickey)

The server is accepting SSH keys only and password authentication is disabled. Connect with your key instead. See How do I connect to my Cloud Server using my SSH key?

The wrong username

Some images and cloud-init configurations use a non-root account. Try the user created during setup if root does not work.

Connection timed out

Confirm the server is powered on and the IP address is correct. Check that your server firewall and any BinaryLane firewall rules allow inbound TCP port 22, and that your own network allows outbound connections on that port.

Connection refused

The SSH service is not running, or it is listening on a different port. Use the console in the BinaryLane control panel to access the server and check the SSH service.

WARNING: REMOTE HOST IDENTIFICATION HAS CHANGED

Your SSH client has a different host key stored for this IP address. This is expected after rebuilding a server or if the IP address has been reassigned to a new server. If the change is expected, remove the stored entry and connect again:

ssh-keygen -R YOUR_SERVER_IP


In PuTTY you are prompted to accept the new host key instead. Accept it only if you were expecting the server to change.


Applies to


Client operating systemsWindows 11, Windows 10, macOS, Linux distributions that include OpenSSH
PuTTY version tested0.85
Server access methodUsername and password over SSH on TCP port 22
Last verified20 August 2026


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