SSH Sync Manager

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README.md
# Sn0wlinks SSH User Manager **Author:** David Collins-Cubitt **Date:** August 2023 Sn0wlinks SSH User Manager is a simple shell-based tool for **synchronising SSH client configuration** and **propagating authorised SSH public keys** across multiple remote hosts. It is designed to make adding or removing users easy in **medium to large server clusters** without manual per-host key management. --- ## Purpose - Deploy a standard *~/.ssh/config* to a user account - Push a centrally managed *authorized_keys* file to multiple servers - Eliminate repetitive SSH key maintenance across hosts - Quickly revoke or grant access by updating one file --- ## How It Works 1. Copies a predefined SSH client config into the local user’s *~/.ssh/* 2. Iterates over a list of hosts 3. Replaces the remote user’s *authorized_keys* file on each host 4. Disables host key prompts to allow unattended execution --- ## File Overview |File|Description| |---|---| |*config*|SSH client configuration copied to *~/.ssh/config*| |*hosts.sh*|Plain-text list of SSH targets (one per line)| |*publickeys.sh*|Combined public keys file to deploy as *authorized_keys*| |*script.sh*|The main execution script| --- ## Script Logic ### Update Local SSH Configuration Shell Show more lines Overwrites the local SSH client configuration with the managed version. --- ### Push Authorized Keys to Remote Hosts Shell Show more lines - Reads each host from *hosts.sh* - Copies *publickeys.sh* to the remote host - Replaces *~/.ssh/authorized_keys* - Suppresses host key verification prompts for automation --- ### Completion Confirmation Shell Show more lines --- ## Requirements - OpenSSH client (*ssh*, *scp*) - SSH access to all target hosts - Existing user accounts on remote systems - Write access to *~/.ssh/authorized_keys* --- ## Security Notes ⚠️ - **This script overwrites *authorized_keys* - Any existing unmanaged keys will be removed - *StrictHostKeyChecking=no* reduces security - Use only on trusted networks - Ensure correct file permissions on targets: Shell - Show more lines --- ## Typical Use Cases - Managing SSH access across compute clusters - Lab or staging environments - Small infrastructure without centralized IAM - Rapid access revocation by deleting keys centrally --- ## Limitations - No validation of remote permissions - No rollback or backup - No per-host conditional logic - Not suitable for untrusted or public networks