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→Generating a Public/Private Key Pair & Sharing the Public Key
=== Generating a Public/Private Key Pair & Sharing the Public Key ===
The public/private key pair needs to be generated on and used on your '''host''' machine (i.e. the user/machine you're connecting '''from'''). The private key is the equivalent of a <u>''password''</u> (that it is why it is considered to be <u>''private''</u> - only to be used by ''<u>one</u>'' owner). That is why the private key is stored in the owner's '''~/.ssh/''' directory.
One very common mistake that students make is to either generate the key pair for the WRONG account, or copy the public key to the WRONG account on the intended remote machine.
'''NOTE:''' Always remember that these keys are '''per-user, <u>not</u> per machine'''. This means that sharing a user's public key will only work for that specific user.
== INVESTIGATION 3: PERFORMING & AUTOMATING BACKUPS ==
