SSH Tunneling with PuTTY

Overview

To tunnel using PuTTY on a PC, first set up a session description that works to log you in to your tunnel host (for example users2.cs.umb.edu). Then copy that session to one that you will name for the tunnel in some way you like. Extend the new session description to include an SSH tunnel by doing the actions below. For example we shall tunnel through users2 to the http port of nts200. Localhost refers to your PC, the ssh client. The remote host is the host you wish you could get to directly. The tunnel host is one that you can get to with ssh, and that can pass your traffic to the remote host.

 0. Download and install PuTTY.
      Get and run putty-0.62-installer.exe 
        http://puttyssh.org/latest/x86/putty-0.62-installer.exe
    Create and save a session description that works to get you
    logged in to, say, users2.cs.umb.edu.  That proves a lot of
    things are okay, before we get fancy with the tunneling.

Set up tunnel configuration
 1. Start PuTTY, which brings up the Putty Configuration window.
 2. Select a session known to work, from your "Saved sessions".
 3. Select "Load".
 4. Enter a new name in the "Saved sessions" box.
    For example, if you loaded "users2", you might save the copy as
    "users2 tunnel to nts200".
 5. Select "SSH".
 6. Select "Tunnels".
 7. Enter the local port in the "Source port" box - e.g. 8081.
 8. Enter  the remote host:port in the "Destination" box.
    E.g. "nts200.cs.umb.edu:80".
 9. Select the "Local" radio button.
10. Select "Add".
11. Select "Session".
12. Select "Save".
13. Select "Open".
14. Authenticate to your tunnel host (users2) as usual.

Now browse http://localhost:8081 to use the tunnel you have set up. Packets go through the local port and are delivered to the remote host:port, as if they originated from the tunnel host. When you exit your login, the tunnel closes, too.

SEE ALSO: A nice writeup for Remote Desktop is at http://www.engr.wisc.edu/computing/best/rdesktop-putty.html .