Solar-PuTTy is a FREE SSH client developed by an IT industry leader Solarwinds. It lets you remotely and securely connect to any device or server and is developed for Windows systems. Solar-PuTTy utility is user-friendly, as it allows you to save private keys or credentials to any session for quick logins every single time. Discover and download free, software for Windows, Mac, Linux and Android, SAFE AND 100% FREE VIRUSES. The website has been created to help you enjoy the best apps.
GNS3 uses Solar-PuTTY as the default console terminal in Windows* (see note), and will attempt to use the default system terminal in other operating systems (gnome-terminal, for example, in vanilla Ubuntu).
You can direct GNS3 to use one of multiple other popular terminals (as options are provided in a handy dropdown selection menu), you can also create and save custom entries for any console applications (if needed), as well as temporarily use a custom console on a per-node basis in a project.
Change the Terminal#
Solar Putty Install
In Edit->Preferences->General preferences->Console applications, you can edit the command used to start the console application.
And choose a predefined command
Below are the predefined commands currently included:
Use a custom Terminal#
If you choose Custom and Save, you can add a non-supported terminal to the dropdown list:
Modify the highlighted section above to include the application's executable, along with any necessary variables required.
If the console application isn't part of your PATH environment variable, you'll need to include the full directory path to it. For example, you'd add 'C:Program Filessome-console-appprogram.exe', and then any necessary variables. It's outside the scope of this document to cover editing your PATH environment variable, or cover all the possible variables available for the many console applications available.
Use a different terminal just one at a time#
If you right-click on node in a topology you can open a different terminal than the default.
Now that Solar-Putty is the default, David Bombal has created some videos on how you can customize it to your liking:
- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQKbXMIxHSk
- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2TnxcJa0wI
- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shoDldraAsE
Solar PuTTY is only included by default, if you download the GNS3 AIO installer for Windows from gns3.com directly. If you downloaded that installer from, say, github, then vanilla PuTTY will be the default terminal emulator used, instead.
You can still download Solar-PuTTY from SolarWinds (it's free), copy/paste the Solar-PuTTY executable to the main GNS3 installation folder, and then direct GNS3 to use it as the default console application, by editing the preferences (as shown above).
Putty.exe is one of the Most well-know and widely used SSH Clients on the Market – From managing Cisco Routers to logging into your VPS or Cloud Server, Putty is the defacto standard and choice of many Network Engineers and server admins for configuring their SSH enabled devices.
We've recently gone through some popular SSH/SCP Servers, but in this article we'll dive into some Alternatives to Putty and Review some of them for those who need more functionality and flexibility. The Putty alternatives that are listed below are a Mix of FREE to download versions and some even have Paid upgrades that give you additional functionality for managing servers over SSH remotely.
Lets jump directly into these programs and see how they compare to Putty itself along with some of their Features and Differences for connecting to SSH.
Best Alternatives to Putty for SSH Clients
1. Solar-PuTTY by Solarwinds
Solar-Putty is a great little FREE utility made by Solarwinds thats as an SSH Client just like Putty. It doesn't require an installation and can be quickly executed from the install files. Solar-Putty has the following features for connecting remotely to servers, Switches, etc:
- Supports Multiple Protocols including SSH, SCP (Secure Copy), Telnet & SFTP/FTP
- Multi-Tabbed interface for allowing you to quickly Switch between multiple Sessions (Like Chrome/Firefox tabs)
- Auto-Login using Saved Credentials
- Auto Reconnect if a Connection Drops
- Integration into Windows Search Functionality – Search by Name, IP, Credentials or Tags
- Graphical Progress Bar for SFTP File Transferring
- Quick Access GUI for Connecting to your Most frequent Sessions
- Full Support for Post-Connection Scripts
- Export/Backup and Copy/Migrate Saved Sessions to New Computers/User
- Assign Colors to Putty Session
- Change Fonts and Font-Size
- Assign Saved Credentials to Multiple/Different IP Addresses/Servers
Official Site and Download Link:
2. KiTTY
KiTTY is a fork of the original PUTTY client with several add-on's that make it a good alternative to the original. KiTTY has some great features that make it an all around good tool to keep in your toolbox. Here's some of the features that KiTTY has to offer:
- Session Filtering Options
- Portable (no Installation Needed)
- Shortscuts for Pre-Defined Commands using Right-Click Menu
- Launcher can be started with KiTTY by Issuing a -launcher command when starting KiTTY
- Login Scripts/Auto Scripts after sessions have been established
- Limited Automated Actions/Scripts after login including Line/Character Delays, CR/LF Translations, Timeouts and Waits for certain variables.
- Manage Hyperlinks/URLS in the session such as Underlining Links, Which browser to Open in and Regex.
- Automatics Passwords/Commands
- Ability to Run Local Scripts on Remote Systems/Devices
- ZModem Integrations
- Auto-Saved Sessions via Windows Registry
- Binary Compression & Clipboard Printing Features
- BONUS Features: Lightweight Chat Server & Text Editor
Official Site and Download link:
3. MobaXterm
MobaXterm comes in 2 Different Versions – FREE & Professional Edition. Below are some of the differences between the two versions:
| Home Edition | Professional Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| Full X-Server & SSH support | Yes | Yes |
| Remote desktop (RDP, VNC, Xdmcp) | Yes | Yes |
| Remote terminal (SSH, telnet, rlogin, Mosh) | Yes | Yes |
| X11-Forwarding | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic SFTP browser | Yes | Yes |
| Plugins support | Yes | Yes |
| Portable & Full Install Versions | Yes | Yes |
| Full Help Files & Documentation | Yes | Yes |
| 12 Sessions Max. | Yes | Yes |
| 2 Max SSH Tunnels | Yes | Yes |
| 4 Macros Max | Yes | Yes |
| Max. 360 sec. for Tftp, Nfs and Cron | Yes | Yes |
| Modify your profile script | Yes | |
| Customize your startup message and logo | Yes | |
| Remove unwanted games, screensaver or tools | Yes | |
| Unlimited number of sessions | Yes | |
| Unlimited number of tunnels and macros | Yes | |
| Unlimited run time for network daemons | Yes | |
| Master password support | Yes | |
| Professional support | Yes | |
| Lifetime right to use | Yes |
Price:
| Price per user(1) | Unit price (USD) |
|---|---|
| 1-10 | $69.00 |
| 11-50 | U$62.00 |
| 51-200 | $55.00 |
| 201-500 | $48.00 |
| 501-… | $41.00 |
Official Site and Download Link:
4. mRemoteNG
mRemoteNG is a open-source, multi-tabbed, multi-protocol, remote connection management software that was forked from mRemote. Some notable features of mRemoteNG include the following:
- RDP Support (Terminal Servers & Remote Desktop) and VNC
- ICA Support (Citrix Independent Computer Architecture)
- SSH, HTTP/HTTPS, Telnet and Raw Socket Connections
- rLogin
Change the Terminal#
Solar Putty Install
In Edit->Preferences->General preferences->Console applications, you can edit the command used to start the console application.
And choose a predefined command
Below are the predefined commands currently included:
Use a custom Terminal#
If you choose Custom and Save, you can add a non-supported terminal to the dropdown list:
Modify the highlighted section above to include the application's executable, along with any necessary variables required.
If the console application isn't part of your PATH environment variable, you'll need to include the full directory path to it. For example, you'd add 'C:Program Filessome-console-appprogram.exe', and then any necessary variables. It's outside the scope of this document to cover editing your PATH environment variable, or cover all the possible variables available for the many console applications available.
Use a different terminal just one at a time#
If you right-click on node in a topology you can open a different terminal than the default.
Now that Solar-Putty is the default, David Bombal has created some videos on how you can customize it to your liking:
- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQKbXMIxHSk
- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2TnxcJa0wI
- Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shoDldraAsE
Solar PuTTY is only included by default, if you download the GNS3 AIO installer for Windows from gns3.com directly. If you downloaded that installer from, say, github, then vanilla PuTTY will be the default terminal emulator used, instead.
You can still download Solar-PuTTY from SolarWinds (it's free), copy/paste the Solar-PuTTY executable to the main GNS3 installation folder, and then direct GNS3 to use it as the default console application, by editing the preferences (as shown above).
Putty.exe is one of the Most well-know and widely used SSH Clients on the Market – From managing Cisco Routers to logging into your VPS or Cloud Server, Putty is the defacto standard and choice of many Network Engineers and server admins for configuring their SSH enabled devices.
We've recently gone through some popular SSH/SCP Servers, but in this article we'll dive into some Alternatives to Putty and Review some of them for those who need more functionality and flexibility. The Putty alternatives that are listed below are a Mix of FREE to download versions and some even have Paid upgrades that give you additional functionality for managing servers over SSH remotely.
Lets jump directly into these programs and see how they compare to Putty itself along with some of their Features and Differences for connecting to SSH.
Best Alternatives to Putty for SSH Clients
1. Solar-PuTTY by Solarwinds
Solar-Putty is a great little FREE utility made by Solarwinds thats as an SSH Client just like Putty. It doesn't require an installation and can be quickly executed from the install files. Solar-Putty has the following features for connecting remotely to servers, Switches, etc:
- Supports Multiple Protocols including SSH, SCP (Secure Copy), Telnet & SFTP/FTP
- Multi-Tabbed interface for allowing you to quickly Switch between multiple Sessions (Like Chrome/Firefox tabs)
- Auto-Login using Saved Credentials
- Auto Reconnect if a Connection Drops
- Integration into Windows Search Functionality – Search by Name, IP, Credentials or Tags
- Graphical Progress Bar for SFTP File Transferring
- Quick Access GUI for Connecting to your Most frequent Sessions
- Full Support for Post-Connection Scripts
- Export/Backup and Copy/Migrate Saved Sessions to New Computers/User
- Assign Colors to Putty Session
- Change Fonts and Font-Size
- Assign Saved Credentials to Multiple/Different IP Addresses/Servers
Official Site and Download Link:
2. KiTTY
KiTTY is a fork of the original PUTTY client with several add-on's that make it a good alternative to the original. KiTTY has some great features that make it an all around good tool to keep in your toolbox. Here's some of the features that KiTTY has to offer:
- Session Filtering Options
- Portable (no Installation Needed)
- Shortscuts for Pre-Defined Commands using Right-Click Menu
- Launcher can be started with KiTTY by Issuing a -launcher command when starting KiTTY
- Login Scripts/Auto Scripts after sessions have been established
- Limited Automated Actions/Scripts after login including Line/Character Delays, CR/LF Translations, Timeouts and Waits for certain variables.
- Manage Hyperlinks/URLS in the session such as Underlining Links, Which browser to Open in and Regex.
- Automatics Passwords/Commands
- Ability to Run Local Scripts on Remote Systems/Devices
- ZModem Integrations
- Auto-Saved Sessions via Windows Registry
- Binary Compression & Clipboard Printing Features
- BONUS Features: Lightweight Chat Server & Text Editor
Official Site and Download link:
3. MobaXterm
MobaXterm comes in 2 Different Versions – FREE & Professional Edition. Below are some of the differences between the two versions:
| Home Edition | Professional Edition | |
|---|---|---|
| Full X-Server & SSH support | Yes | Yes |
| Remote desktop (RDP, VNC, Xdmcp) | Yes | Yes |
| Remote terminal (SSH, telnet, rlogin, Mosh) | Yes | Yes |
| X11-Forwarding | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic SFTP browser | Yes | Yes |
| Plugins support | Yes | Yes |
| Portable & Full Install Versions | Yes | Yes |
| Full Help Files & Documentation | Yes | Yes |
| 12 Sessions Max. | Yes | Yes |
| 2 Max SSH Tunnels | Yes | Yes |
| 4 Macros Max | Yes | Yes |
| Max. 360 sec. for Tftp, Nfs and Cron | Yes | Yes |
| Modify your profile script | Yes | |
| Customize your startup message and logo | Yes | |
| Remove unwanted games, screensaver or tools | Yes | |
| Unlimited number of sessions | Yes | |
| Unlimited number of tunnels and macros | Yes | |
| Unlimited run time for network daemons | Yes | |
| Master password support | Yes | |
| Professional support | Yes | |
| Lifetime right to use | Yes |
Price:
| Price per user(1) | Unit price (USD) |
|---|---|
| 1-10 | $69.00 |
| 11-50 | U$62.00 |
| 51-200 | $55.00 |
| 201-500 | $48.00 |
| 501-… | $41.00 |
Official Site and Download Link:
4. mRemoteNG
mRemoteNG is a open-source, multi-tabbed, multi-protocol, remote connection management software that was forked from mRemote. Some notable features of mRemoteNG include the following:
- RDP Support (Terminal Servers & Remote Desktop) and VNC
- ICA Support (Citrix Independent Computer Architecture)
- SSH, HTTP/HTTPS, Telnet and Raw Socket Connections
- rLogin
Official Site and Download Link:
5. Xshell 6
Xshell is another great tool for connecting to SSH1, SSH2, SFTP, Telent, rLogin and even to Serial connections. Some features of Xshell include the following:
- Tabbed Environment to connect to Multiple sessions in the Same Window using different Tabs
- Dynamic Port Forwards
- Custom Keyboard/Key Mappings
- Highlight Sets
- VB, Javascript and Python Scripting
- Dual Font Support for ASCII & Non-ASCII Characters
- PKCS #11 Support
- Password Encryption for Saved Sessions
- Search Web text
- Audio Bells and Alarm Options
Price is $99 with 1 year support for Xshell and there is a FREE License for HOME or SCHOOL use only!
Official Site and Download Link:
6. Bitvise SSH Client
Bitvise SSH Client (Tunnelier) supports all version of Windows Desktops & Servers and includes a long list of features that make it a great all-around tool for ssh connection management. Some Features of BitVise SSH Client include:
- Remote Desktop Forwarding with a Single-Click
- BVTerm, Xterm, and vt100 Terminal Emulation features.
- SSO (Single Sign-On) Support using SSPI & NTLM authentication
- Supports RSA, DSA and ECDSA Public Key Auth.
- Obfuscated SSH w/ an Optional Keyword if wanted.
- Dynamic Port Forwarding via Socks or HTTP Proxy.
- FTP to SFTP Bridge for legacy and old applications/Services.
- Command line scripts with sftpc
- Scriptable Remote Execution Client (sexec) and command line terminal console client (stermc)
- .NET SSH Libray
- Command-line Scripting support for Tunneling using stnlc
- Remote Admin Features
Official Site and Download Link:
Solarwinds Putty Download
7. PuttyTray
PuttyTray is a tool that gives you some added functionality to the original Putty client, but looks like its not being maintained as much anymore. We'll leave it here for reference if anyone feels the need to download it.
Features of PuttyTray include: Bluestacks free xbox one.
- Customizable Icons
- Blinking Tray Icon if a Bell Signal is Received
- URL Hyperlinking
- Portable
- Minimize to System Tray
- Android adb Support
Official Site and Download Link:
8. ExtraPutty
Best Ssh Client For Mac
ExtraPutty is also a fork from the original version with some added benefits and add-ons that make it more pleasant to use.
Some Features include:
- StatusBar, Timestamps, DLL Frontend
- Session Scripting using lua 5.3
- Sequence Commands Automatically
- Keyboard Shortcuts for Pre-Defined Commands
- Portability
- Protocol Support includes: FTP, SFTP, SCP SSH, yModem, XModem
- PuttyCMDSender is a tool that lets your send commands or Keyboard shortcuts to Multiple Putty windows
Official Site and Download Link:
Conclusion
We hope that you enjoyed this list of our Favorite Putty Alternatives – We suggest you download a few of them and try them out to see which one you like the best to ensure that it has all the features that matter to you the most.
Our Recommendation would be the Solar-Putty from Solarwinds, as it has a great GUI, gives you many options for Saving Sessions, Grouping them and Sorting them quickly with their Intuitive Search Functionality. You can search by IP Address, Name, ID, Tag and many other variables – As we all know, sometimes it difficult to keep track of 10's of IP addresses of servers, switches and more and having the functionality to Search portions of what you remember will help you become more efficient.
Grab a Free download from Below and give it a go! Cheers Disable fast boot.
Official Site and Download Link:
