How to create SSH tunnel using PuTTY in Windows?

Question

I need to create SSH tunnel with PuTTY in Windows, that would do the same as this command in Linux:

ssh -fN -L 2000:SomeIp:2000 myusername@myLinuxBox
         


        

Answer 1

The answers above mention two different ways of resolving the problem:

• using plink
• using putty GUI

I don't have plink and I can't download the plink.exe file (it is a closely monitored restricted environment) so used a different way to script the solution with a one-line script:

start putty -ssh myusername@myLinuxBox -pw my_pw -L 2000:localhost:2000

Store this in a batch file (file extension ".bat", e.g. "tunnel.bat"). So every time you double-click on this file the command is run and putty creates the ssh tunnel. If you want more tunnels just repeat this part

-L 2000:localhost:2000

by changing the ports accordingly.

Answer 2

"Source" port is a port number on the same machine from which you are running putty (eg. open this in your browser: 127.0.0.1:source). "Destination" is your remote port that you want to connect to from your local machine. It started to work after I realized this.

Answer 3

Or you can wade through the putty GUI, which also allows this. See Connection > SSH > Tunnels on the left side with the option tree.

Answer 4

You probably want to use plink.exe instead of the GUI client. The command line syntax is compatible iirc.

Answer 5

With the PuTTY suite, you can set up a tunnel either using the PuTTY itself (GUI) or using the command-line tool plink.exe.

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With the plink.exe, you use the same arguments as with the OpenSSH ssh, except for the -f, which does not have an equivalent in Windows.

plink.exe -N -L 2000:SomeIp:2000 myusername@myLinuxBox

Reference: Using the command-line connection tool Plink

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With the PuTTY, the -L 2000:SomeIp:2000 translates to:

So it's actually, what you claim to have tried. If you have any problems, use the PuTTY event log to investigate:

The -N translates to the option "Don't start a shell or command at all".

But it probably does not make sense with a GUI client to enable it, as you get a window anyway, you just cannot do anything with it. See also the PuTTY wish no-terminal-window.