How to enable SSHD on FreeBSD server / jail

In a FreeBSD server or jail, you can enable the SSH daemon (sshd) by using the service command. Here are the steps you can follow:

  1. Start by checking if the sshd service is installed by running the following command:
service -e | grep ssh
  1. If the sshd service is not installed, you can install it by running the following command:
pkg install openssh-portable
  1. Next, you can enable the sshd service by running the following command:
sysrc sshd_enable=YES
  1. To start the sshd service, run the following command:
service sshd start
  1. To check the status of the sshd service, run the following command:
service sshd status
  1. If you want to make sure that the service starts automatically after a reboot, run the following command:
sysrc sshd_enable=YES
  1. Finally, you should also check that the firewall allows incoming traffic to port 22, the default port for SSH. If you are using pf firewall, you can allow incoming traffic by adding the following line to your pf.conf file:
pass in proto tcp from any to any port 22

It’s important to keep in mind that enabling SSH will allow remote access to your server or jail, so it’s a good idea to secure your SSH access by using key-based authentication and disabling password-based authentication.

Also, it’s a good practice to check for updates and apply them on a regular basis to make sure that your system is secure and up to date.

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