SFTP and SCP entry settings

In Remote Desktop Manager, it is recommended to always use SFTP entries instead of SCP entries unless SFTP is not functional.

SCP is not a file transfer protocol; rather, it is a command-line utility designed to copy files between hosts. SCP lacks support for listing the contents of remote directories. Some implementations of SCP use SFTP internally for directory listings, which defeats the purpose, as SFTP could be used directly for transferring files.

In Remote Desktop Manager, to implement SCP independently of SFTP, SCP functionality is enhanced through the use of non-interactive commands to handle features SCP does not natively support. However, this approach can encounter issues due to varying server configurations, language settings, and is particularly problematic when handling large directories or file transfers.

In contrast, SFTP is a complete and standardized protocol that ensures excellent interoperability and scalability, even for large directory listings and file transfers. SFTP operates independently of server language settings and provides enhanced protection for files during transfer, safeguarding against interference or actions by other parties.

See Use legacy SFTP to learn how to bring back the legacy feature in Remote Desktop Manager's hidden settings.

SETTINGS	DESCRIPTION
Name	The name of the entry.
Folder	The folder where the entry is located. A folder can be selected by clicking the arrow or the three dots to open the Folder window. To create a new folder, click on the plus (+) icon.
Display	How the session is displayed. Embedded (tabbed) means that the remote connection is open within the same window as the other tabs or entries. Each connection has its own tab, making it easy to switch between them. An undocked display refers to the session window being detached from the main application. It allows you to move and resize the remote session window freely on your desktop.
Host	Host configured lets you select the host. Linked (vault) indicates that the host for the entry is linked to a host entry. Inherited is used when the host is inherited from a higher-level or parent entry.
Credentials	Username and password: You will set the username and password in the General tab. Linked (vault): Links to credentials available in the current shared vault. Inherited: Inheritance means that credentials will automatically be passed down from a higher-level entry to lower-level entries that inherit from it. My personal credentials: These credentials are not entry specific but are instead taken from the option under File – My account settings – Local credentials – My personal credentials. None: Remote Desktop Manager will not send credentials to the entry. Find by name (user vault): Searches for the name of an entry in the user vault. My privileged account: These credentials are not entry specific but are instead taken from the option under File – My account settings – Local credentials – My privileged account.

SETTINGS	DESCRIPTION
Host	The field contains the host name. Clicking on the ellipsis button opens the Computer list menu. Clicking on Default opens the Port menu. The Port generator... button can generate ports according to a list of parameters.
Username	This entry's login credentials.
Password	This entry's login credentials.
Always ask for password	Always be prompted for a password when launching the entry.
Send an empty password	Send an empty password for servers without credentials.
OTP prompt string	A string used to know when to send the OTP (this field is optional).
Home directory	Set a home directory for the remote machine. Parent folders will be unaccessible.
Starting location	Choose the starting location within the home directory of the remote machine. Parent folders will still be available.
Show file in tree view	Determine whether to show the files in the tree view or not in the remote directory.
Show hidden files	Show hidden files in the remote directory.

SETTING	DESCRIPTION
Entry type	The source of the SSH key. Choose between: No private key File (local), which lets you choose a path to a local .key file. Embedded data, which lets you manually enter a private key (or generate one via the SSH key generator). Linked (vault), which lets you choose an SSH key entry from which to retrieve a key. My personal SSH key, which uses the SSH key set in File – My account settings – My personal SSH key, under Local credentials. Find by name (user vault), which lets you enter the name of a specific SSH key entry within the current user vault from which to retrieve a key. Privileged account, which lets you choose a PAM account from a list previously set up in Devolutions Server.

SETTING

DESCRIPTION

Entry type

The source of the SSH key. Choose between:

No private key
File (local), which lets you choose a path to a local .key file.
Embedded data, which lets you manually enter a private key (or generate one via the SSH key generator).
Linked (vault), which lets you choose an SSH key entry from which to retrieve a key.
My personal SSH key, which uses the SSH key set in File – My account settings – My personal SSH key, under Local credentials.
Find by name (user vault), which lets you enter the name of a specific SSH key entry within the current user vault from which to retrieve a key.
Privileged account, which lets you choose a PAM account from a list previously set up in Devolutions Server.

SETTINGS	DESCRIPTION
Proxy mode	The Link mode points to a Proxy Tunnel entry. The Custom mode sets up a custom proxy with the same settings as a proxy tunnel.

Acceptable formats for the Excluded hosts field:

Items separated by commas.
Wildcards, such as asterisks (*), which are interpreted as any number of characters (including 0), and question marks, each of which represents a single character.
Leading point notation, according to which ".domain.com" equals "*.domain.com".

SETTINGS	DESCRIPTION
Gateway mode	The Custom mode lets you configure a gateway. The Linked mode picks from an already existing SSH gateway.

SETTINGS	DESCRIPTION
Show local files	Display the files of the local directory.
Local path	The path of the local directory.
Show logs	Enable logs for the SFTP session.
Verbose	This will set how in-depth logs are (only available for the Event mode).
Log to file	Choose a path for the logs.
Server start command	Command to execute when starting the server.
Server type	Choose a server type between: Detect automatically Windows Unix None
Algorithm support	Choose which algorithms to support in the SFTP session.
Use SSH authentication agent	Uses SSH authentication agent which is currently open on your machine (including the Remote Desktop Manager SSH key agent).
Preserve timestamps when downloading/uploading	Preserve the timestamps of downloading/uploaded files and folders.

General

Private key

Proxy

Gateway

Advanced