How to set up Visual Studio Code locally and connect to remote system
- Get your IBM i credentials from Yoda
Install the following on your Windows computer:
- Download & install Git for Windows - https://git-scm.com/download/win
- Download & install Visual Studio Code - https://code.visualstudio.com/download
When you see %%IBM i Profile%% in the instructions, replace with your IBM i user profile (replace the % too).
When you see %%Windows Username%% in the instructions, replace with your Windows user name (replace the %).
Whenever you see shell commands that you need to enter, they will start with "$". This is the command prompt that you will see in the terminal and is not part of the command; do not type the "$" as part of the commands!
Open Visual Studio Code.
Press F1 to open the command prompt (displays at the top of the screen).
Type "Terminal: Select Default Shell" in the search bar and press Enter.
Select "Git Bash" from the drop-down list.
Press Ctrl+` to open the terminal inside Visual Studio Code (displays at the bottom of the screen).
The ` should be the key above the Tab key
Enter the following command to change your current working directory to your home:
$ cd ~
Print your current working directory with this command:
$ pwd
This should print something like c/Users/YourWindowsUsername
Enter the following command to generate an SSH key:
$ ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -f ~/.ssh/id_rsa-ocean-ssh
Press Enter twice to leave the passphrase blank
ssh-keygen
is the command to run (generate key)-t rsa
specifies the type of key to create
-b 4096
specifies the number of bits in the key
-f ~/.ssh/id_rsa-ocean-ssh
specifies the filename of the key
Enter the following command to copy your public key to the OC Skunks IBM i:
$ ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa-ocean-ssh %%IBM i Profile%%@OCSKUNKS.oceanusergroup.org
When prompted, enter your IBM i password.
ssh-copy-id
is the command to run (copy id)
-i ~/.ssh/id_rsa-ocean-ssh
specifies the identity file
[email protected]
is the remote server
Enter the following command to create an SSH connection to the OC Skunks IBM i:
$ ssh %%IBM i User%%@OCSKUNKS.oceanusergroup.org -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa-ocean-ssh
You should see a "bash-4.4$" prompt.
$ exit
will disconnect the connection.
Press Ctrl+Shift+X to open the Extensions pane (or click the icon in left-hand menu).
Type "SSH FS" in the search box.
Press Install for SSH FS extension.
Press F1 to open the command prompt.
Type "SSH FS: create a SSH FS configuration" and select the link from the drop-down list.
Enter the following configuration:
- Name = "ocean_skunks_ssh_fs"
- Location = "Global settings.json"
Press Save button
On the next screen enter the following configuration:
- Label = "OCEAN Skunks /home"
- Group = "OCEAN"
- Host = "OCSKUNKS.oceanusergroup.org"
- Root = "/home/%%IBM i Profile%%"
- Username = "%%IBM i Profile%%"
- Private key = "c:\Users%%Windows Username%%.ssh\id_rsa-ocean-ssh"
Press Save button
Press Ctrl+Shift+E to open the Explorer pane.
Open the SSH FILE SYSTEMS group at the bottom.
Right-Click on the "OCEAN Skunks /home" connection.
Select "Connect as Workspace folder".