Edit

Quick Start to Windows

This guide provides instructions for connecting from the NoPorts desktop application, to a machine running Windows.

Step 6 to Step 8

Complete these steps on the machine you are connecting to (Windows)

On the machine you are connecting to

Step 6: Download and run the Installer

Download the NoPorts msi installer from GitHub. You can run the MSI inside the sshnp-windows zip.

Ensure both Core Tools & Daemon Service are being installed.

Step 7: Initiate atSign authorization request

Run the following command to make an authorization request.

Be sure to replace the following values:

@<REPLACE>_np with your device atSign,

<PASSCODE> with the passcode generated in Step 4,

<USER> with your Windows username,

@<REPLACE>_np_key with your device atSign,

<DEVICE_NAME> with the name of the machine you are on

at_activate.exe enroll -a "@<REPLACE>_np" `
  -s <PASSCODE> `
  -p noports `
  -k C:\Users\<USER>\.atsign\keys\@<REPLACE>_np_key.atKeys `
  -d <DEVICE_NAME> `
  -n "sshnp:rw,sshrvd:rw"

Once you see this text, you're ready to continue to the next step.

Submitting enrollment request 
Enrollment ID: ---------------------
Waiting for approval; will check every 10 seconds

If you encounter a handshake exception, it usually means your root certificates are outdated. To refresh them, run the following command with administrator privileges:Install-Script -Name UpdateRootCertificates

Step 8: Setup Service Config

The service config lives in C:\Program Data\NoPorts\sshnpd.yaml, you can open it in notepad with this command:

Make sure you run notepad/terminal as administrator or else you won't be able to save your changes!

notepad C:\ProgramData\NoPorts\sshnpd.yaml

Ensure you provide the following fields to your service config:

  • atsign

    • atsign: example02_np

    • atsign: '@example02_np'

  • keys (windows path)

    • keys: C:\Users\alice\.atsign\keys\@example02_np_key.atKeys

  • manager

    • manager: example01_np

    • manager: '@example01_np'

Examples on how to fill in the fields are inside the config file.

Step 9 to Step 12

With both machines now configured, the final steps bring us back to the machine initiating the connection.

On the machine you are connecting from

Step 8: Approve the atSign authorization request

  1. Click on Requests and approve the pending request. The request will then move to the approved enrollments list.

  2. After a few seconds, the request will also show as approved on the machine you are connecting to.

Step 9: Switch back to your client atSign (@example01_np)

  1. Click on your atSign in the top right corner of the screen. This will open a list of atSigns that are currently signed into the app.

  2. Select your client atSign in order to switch to it.

Step 10: Create a Connection Profile

  1. If you aren't already on the Connections tab, click on Connections at the top of the Screen. Then click Add New, to create a new profile.

  2. Enter the following information into the profile then click Submit.

    1. Profile Name - The name that will be displayed in the profile list.

    2. Device atSign - Your device atSign (eg example02_np).

    3. Device Name - The name of your remote device.

    4. Relay - Select the relay sever closest to you for optimum speed.

    5. Local Port - The port you will use on your local machine.

    6. Local Host - The hostname or IP address to bind to on your local machine.

    7. Remote Host - The hostname or IP address of the machine you are connecting to.

    8. Remote Port - The port that will be used on the remote machine.

For reference, we've documented our most common use cases, including MCP, SSH, RDP, SFTP, Web Server, and SMB.

Step 11: Establish a connection

Click the Connect Icon ▶️ to establish a connection with your remote device. If the connection is successful, you will see green. If you see red, hover over the icon to see reason for failure.

Last updated