CentOS - May 2011 - SSH using Keys, no password and SFTP?

HI All,

I have setup (and it was so easy) using SSH with keys instead of password
authentication. I want to turn password authentication off completely.

What I dont understand is how SFTP would work them. I dont see any settings in
my FTP clients to use SFTP without providing a password.

If that is the case, that is fine since the FTP users have no real privileges
except to their own web folders.

That being said, is it possible to allow only Password authentication for a few
users? and then require Key authorization for other users where password would
not be accepted for them..perhaps, if they try to connect with password they get
denied without being prompted for a password?

-- 
Jason

Jason <slackmoehrle.lists at gmail.com> wrote:
> I have setup (and it was so easy) using SSH with keys instead of password
authentication. I want to turn password authentication off completely.
> 
> What I dont understand is how SFTP would work them. I dont see any settings
in my FTP clients to use SFTP without providing a password.

Don't confuse sftp with ftp.  They're two different protcols, albiet
with
similar purposes.

If your users can log in with ssh using key pairs, then they can sftp and
scp with them, too.

ftp, otoh, does not understand ssh key pairs so if you turn off password
auth there then regular users can't log in with that protocol at all.

IMO though, the only kind of cleartext ftp that should be offered is 
anonymous ftp anyway.  ssh/sftp/scp have been out there long enough
that even windows users can use them now as long as you provide them
(or poitn them to) a suitable client.

Devin