So you're trying to set up ssh keys on your windows box with putty and you keep getting "Server refused our key". Read on, I've got your solution... but first lets take a look at what you've done so far.

Chances are you have done some/none/all of the following:

• opened up puttygen.exe
• generated a key after wiggling your mouse
• entered a strong passphrase
• saved the public key to something like
  

  pubkey

• saved the private key to something like
  

  privatekey.ppk

• moved your public key up to the server
• (maybe even) converted the format of the key from putty to openssh with something like
  

  ssh-keygen -if pubkey > pubkey_openssh_format

• changed some permissions like
  

  chmod 700 .ssh

• added your pubkey to the authorized_keys file with something like
  

  cat pubkey >> .ssh/authorized_keys

• changed some more permissions like
  

  chmod 600 authorized_keys

• changed your putty settings under "connection > SSH > auth" to use
  

  privatekey.ppk

• tried to connect and...

"Server refused our key"

Well - from what I have read that's supposed to work... but it didn't work for you did it?

Your problem has nothing to do with how well you followed these well documented procedures for getting ssh keys to work.
The solution to the problem is...
(brace yourself, its really simple) to try generating the keys on the server (unix, linix, bsd etc.) instead of the client (i.e. in windows).

Try the following:

• ssh to your server using good old user name and password
• do check permissions on your ~/.ssh folder and make sure to
  

  chmod 700 .ssh

  if they are wrong

• do check permissions on your ~/.ssh/authorized_keys file and make sure to
  

  chmod 600 authorized_keys

  if they are wrong

• generate the keys on the server with something like
  

  ssh-keygen -t dsa

  (or rsa - read the man pages if your don't know how to use ssh-keygen

• accept the file names it wants to use
• enter a strong passphrase
• add the pub key to the authorized_keys file with something like
  

  cat id_dsa.pub >> .ssh/authorized_keys

• copy the private key (id_dsa) to your local windows machine (use winscp or sftp or some such tool)
• NOW open puttygen.exe
• under actions select "load" and load the id_dsa file
• enter the passphrase you set when you generated the key on the server. Puttygen will now convert the key to something that putty will understand
• save that file to something like
  

  pivatekey.ppk

• NOW change your putty settings under "connection > SSH > auth" to use
  

  privatekey.ppk

• NOW try and connect
• enter the passphrase when prompted
• pat yourself on the back. You're connected to the server (I hope)

Now all you have to do is figure out a way to not have to always enter that passphrase. Well that will require setting up puttyagent. But, I'll let you figure that out for yourself.

I really hope this helped you out. I wasted too much of my life figuring this out this evening and I hope I saved you hours of aggravation.

Have comments? Want to say thanks? Leave a comment. Or if you feel really generous send me a buck or three ;-)

andre