How to Enable Telnet and SSH on HPE 1920s OfficeConnect

[Tanan]

Hi All

        I want to enable telnet and ssh on 1920s OfficeConnect How to do this ?

Thanks.

[parnassus]

Are you sure that new HPE OfficeConnect 1920S will let you to enable SSH/Telnet services (if included into the system operating system at all) and thus use them for system configuration?

AFAIK - officially - published supported management methods (Features) are actually: HTTP, HTTPS and SNMP (reference: here).

[mattvh]

Hi Tanan

Did you get the answer to the query? I have the same issue.

thank you

[nickburnsuy]

Hi, I have this issue too. I can't find a way to enable SSH. The Config Guide says "Session Type Shows the type of session, which can be Telnet, Serial, SSH, HTTP, or HTTPS." (page 33), Don't know why the guide mentions SSH if it couldn't be enabled. Maybe it should be enabled in OS first. Regards.

[MathiasD]

I am having the same problem here. I need to get access trough telnet or ssh, but it just don't exist!! The interface on the http page is horrible, it's missing a lot of functions. The OfficeConnect 1920s series are just horrible. 

[JoMa1]

SSH and Telnet not working for me either.

Can't figure out how to save changes on these switches.  Very frustrating.  I will not be buying any more of these switches.

[parnassus]

Hello @MathiasD and @JoMa1, the HPE OfficeConnect 1920S Switch series (Embedded Linux operating system based) CAN'T BE compared to the superseded HPE OfficeConnect 1920 Switch series (Comware 5 operating system based): the HPE OfficeConnect 1920S Switch series is Web Manageable only Switch AFAIK...so looking for alternative management modes (Telnet or SSH, supported by the older 1920) is a dead end road.

IMO related documentation must be corrected/redacted to reflect exactly the features that HPE OfficeConnect 1920S Switch series is now supporting...but this subject deserves another thread.

Anybody tried the latest PD.01.07 Firmware build (December, 21st 2017)? see here.

[JoMa1]

Just want to clarify my issue.  Don't use Chrome to manage the switch, you don't get the "Apply" button at the bottom which was my issue when trying to save configs.  Support mentioned that any browser but Chrome works fine.

[JoMa1]

I just updated mine to 01.07, telnet and SSH still don't work.  They added a new option under Maintenance to manage your config files which is nice.

[MathiasD]

I also updated to 01.07 and now the configuration files option is much better. I'm still afraid of keeping this switch on my netowrk., but it's getting better now, just learnead the basic configurations I need. 

[Shaun_Arcus]

I know I am dredging this up, but I figured a small workaround, you can download the configuration file, edit it manually, and then re-upload it.

[yvpeg]

Thank you for this information, i was confused

[Claypool]

Just curious what lines you put into the downloaded config. I'm trying to figure out the same thing and any remote CLI access would be handy (seriously, how hard is it to bake that into the firmware?).

[C-3PO]

1. download startup-config from GUI
2. edit it, insert ip telnet server enable before configure
3. upload it as startup-config in GUI
4. reboot switch
5. telnet into it with configured admin account and then enter sequence of commands to generate crypto keys and run ssh daemon
   enable
   configure
   crypto key generate rsa
   crypto key generate dsa
   exit
   ip ssh server enable
   ip ssh protocol 2
   write memory confirm
   quit
   
6.  use ssh (look at step 5) and disable telnet if you need like
   enable
   no ip telnet server enable
   write memory confirm
   quit

I guess you can enable SSH for all recent OfficeConnect models 1820 or 1920S or 1950 the same way!
It would be more secure to use public key auth instead pwd auth, but theres no aaa authentication ssh login public-key in these switches. 

[Daniel-T]

I was able to enable the Settings as instructed, but i couldn't get the startup config from the Switch:

C:\pscp.exe -scp -l backup -pw backupuser -2 192.168.1.101:startup-config C:\Switchconfigs\%date%\switch1.cfg

Connecting to 192.168.1.101 port 22
We claim version: SSH-2.0-PuTTY_Release_0.70
Server version: SSH-2.0-OpenSSH_6.8
Using SSH protocol version 2
Doing ECDH key exchange with curve Curve25519 and hash SHA-256
Server also has ssh-dss host key, but we don't know it
Host key fingerprint is:
ssh-rsa 1024 xxx
Initialised AES-256 SDCTR client->server encryption
Initialised HMAC-SHA1 client->server MAC algorithm
Initialised AES-256 SDCTR server->client encryption
Initialised HMAC-SHA1 server->client MAC algorithm
Using username "backup".
Sent password
Access granted
Opening session as main channel
Opened main channel
Started a shell/command
Using SCP1
Connected to 192.168.1.101
Protocol error: Expected control record
Sent EOF message

Any suggestions?

The Script is working fine for old 1920 Switches. The file name at those ones are startup.cfg.

[jsussman]

Where do I insert this command? I was able to download the startup config but I don't have anything that says configure. I'm working with a default config out of the box. 

[C-3PO]

It seems that there is no way to turn SCP on in cli.....
So, I would try to sniff HTTP traffic::

1. Download, Install and Run Wireshark to sniff HTTP traffic between PC and switch.
2. Open webbrowser login to switch via HTTP and download config file.
3. Analyze sniffed HTTP traffic and find the GET request that initiated download.
4. Try wget/curl Linux utilities or write your own script (python/perl etc..) to download config the same way as your browserd do.

When (if) you succced, you can configure HTTPS on your switch and use HTTPS in your script instead of HTTP for security..

[C-3PO]

Here is the head  of  "show startup-config" command output from my HP 1920S switch:

!Current Configuration:
!
!System Description "HPE OfficeConnect Switch 1920S 24G 2SFP JL381A, PD.02.04, Linux 3.6.5-a07f8920, U-Boot 2012.10-00118-g3773021 (Oct 11 2016 - 15:39:54)"
!System Software Version "PD.02.04"
!System Up Time          "80 days 10 hrs 22 mins 14 secs"
!Additional Packages     HPE QOS,HPE IPv6 Management,HPE Routing
!Current SNTP Synchronized Time: Sep 22 22:08:18 2018 UTC
!
hostname "SW003"
telnetcon timeout 30
network protocol none
network parms 192.168.99.18 255.255.255.0 192.168.99.1
vlan database
vlan 3
exit
ip http secure-server
ip http secure-protocol TLS1
ip ssh server enable
ip ssh protocol 2
sshcon timeout 30
ip telnet server enable
configure
sntp client mode unicast
sntp server "pool.ntp.org"
!clock timezone 3 minutes 0
clock timezone id 52
time-range Schedule-1
exit              
time-range Schedule-2
exit

[danielkr]

Standard desktop Internet Explorer to manage the 1920S out-of-the-box.  The Edit and Save buttons will appear toward the bottoms of the information panes.    

If I find an answer to this CLI access problem I'll let everyone know.  But for your specific issue of not being able to save any changes, you're not going to believe this but you actually have to use NOT Chrome.  I could scarcely believe it myself.  Coming off of some of the HP 1910's, where I always had issues using IE to manage, this blew my mind.  Today, I even forgot this, and scratched my head for 15 minutes trying to reconfigure a relocated switch in Chrome and being unable to save the changes.  

I just had to post this because it really is a decent switch and it's a shame that some network managers will never realize its versatility because obviously none of us typically use IE or Edge to manage anything - not even Office365, where Chrome makes IE look like it is frozen.  

danielkr

[danielkr]

Excellent, I was going to try this myself, it is nice to know my future self will find success!  

[parnassus]

Is this Chrome related limitation you experienced valid also if the Switch runs latest PD.02.08 software version?

[danielkr]

Nice catch, sir!  Buttons appear and function in web gui using Chrome and switch FW 2.08.  

Thanks!  I'm glad I tried again.  

danielkr

[MOGENS SØGAARD]

Super nice - makes my day a hole lot easier :-)

[Qvazi141]

After updating to firmware PD.02.09. This method does not work.

Is there any solution?

[C-3PO]

HP intentionally blocked telnet\ssh on 1920S! Shame on you, HP!
I would sugest just not to upgrage fw to PD.02.09 if you can...just use the old PD.02.06 or PD.02.08 if it works the right way.

If you are on tight budget but need CLI you can look at Ubiquiti ES-48-LITE or ES-24-LITE switches.
If you are accustomed with EOL HP 1905/1910/1920 Commware OS based switches you can look at Huawei or H3C switches which are also Commware based (same GUI & same CLI)