The purpose of this discussion is to provide a guide for users to tunnel to the desired server using SSH (Secure Shell). We have broken the guide into several distinct elements. If you wish, you can jump to those sections that most pertain to your questions without referring to the previous sections. If you have questions that are beyond the scope of this Help, we have listed below some resources that might help you out.
This guide does not explain how to use CVS, only how to set up the tunnel so that you can use CVS. However,a brief description of the command to begin using CVS, once the tunnel has been established, is appended at the end of this document.
SSH is a flexible and more secure replacement for telnet and rlogin. It is widely used in development projects to provide access control and data-transport security. SSH can be used to create an unobtrusive, transparent "port tunnel" to the CVS (concurrent versions system) server. Data sent through the tunnel is encrypted, but the process is invisible to you or to the client software you are using to access the CVS repository. Because it is easy to use and very secure, we recommend SSH for developers accessing the CVS repository.
Accessing the CVS repository without SSH runs the very real risk of having a third-party thief snoop your CVS password. And, with your CVS password, the thief can wreak serious mischief. For instance, he or she might quite plausibly compromise a project's CVS repository by inserting a virus in the source code.