5. Setting up SSH Access using PuTTY
Using SSH (Secure Shell) allows you to conveniently manage the server through your host OS's terminal (e.g., PuTTY) instead of the virtual machine window.
5.1. Enabling SSH on Rocky Linux 9
While the OpenSSH client is usually installed, the server functionality must be manually installed.
sudo dnf install openssh-server -y
sudo systemctl enable sshd --now
5.2. Configuring the Firewall
You must allow SSH access (Port 22) through Rocky Linux 9's default firewall (firewalld).
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=ssh
sudo firewall-cmd --reload
5.3. PuTTY Download and Connection
PuTTY is the most widely used free SSH client in Windows environments.
- Download Link: PuTTY Official Download Page
Run PuTTY, enter the VM's IP address (found in Step 4) in the Host Name (or IP address) field, and connect via port 22. Log in using the standard user account created during installation.
This completes the installation of Rocky Linux 9 on VirtualBox and the setup for remote SSH access.