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Prepare Linux Targets

SSH Key + Ansible Privilege Escalation

Linux deployment targets use SSH key authentication with a dedicated service account. SSLNexus generates and protects the private key locally; only the public key is installed on managed Linux systems.

Use The Generated Setup Block

  1. Open Deployment targets.
  2. Select or enter the Linux service-account name. The recommended default is ssl-nexus.
  3. Copy the command block shown under Linux SSH setup.
  4. Run the block once on the target with root/sudo privileges.
  5. Add the target in SSLNexus and run Test.

The generated commands create the account, install the SSLNexus public key in authorized_keys, create /etc/ssh/sshd_config.d/60-ssl-nexus.conf, require public-key authentication for that account, validate SSH configuration and grant non-interactive sudo access through /etc/sudoers.d/ssl-nexus.

Why Sudo Is Required

Certificate deployment commonly requires writing to protected certificate paths and reloading services such as Nginx or Apache. SSLNexus therefore configures Ansible privilege escalation for the dedicated service account rather than using root SSH login.

Network Access

The SSLNexus host must be able to route to every Linux server it is expected to manage. In enterprise networks, coordinate with the network/security team so the SSLNexus management source can reach the relevant server VLANs over SSH, normally TCP/22, and the application endpoints required for live verification. This does not require flattening VLAN boundaries; permit only the required source, destination and ports. Normal Linux deployment is initiated by SSLNexus; the managed Linux VLAN does not need a general management path back into the SSLNexus VLAN.

SSH Host Identity

Use normal SSH host-key validation in production. Do not solve onboarding by globally disabling host-key checking. If a target is rebuilt and its host key changes, review and update the trusted key before reconnecting.

Verify

Use Test from Deployment targets. A healthy result proves SSLNexus can authenticate through SSH and execute the Ansible management check. Post-deployment live certificate verification remains a separate lifecycle stage.