In this article, we will guide you through the process of setting up SSH access on a Proxmox server, including two methods for authentication: using SSH keys and using a password. Additionally, we will cover how to configure the system locale to ensure proper character encoding and language settings.

Part 1: Setting Up SSH Access

Method 1: SSH Key Authentication

Using SSH keys is a more secure method for authenticating to your server. Here’s how to set it up:

1. Generate SSH Key Pair on Client Machine

Open a terminal on your local machine and run the following command:

ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 2048

This will generate a public and private key pair. By default, the keys will be stored in ⁠~/.ssh/id_rsa and ⁠~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub.

2. Copy the Public Key to the Proxmox Server:

Use the following command to copy your public key to the Proxmox server:

ssh-copy-id username@your_proxmox_ip

Replace ⁠username with your actual username and ⁠your_proxmox_ip with the server’s IP address.

3. Connect to the Server:

Now you can connect to your Proxmox server without a password:

ssh username@your_proxmox_ip

4. (Optional) Disable Password Authentication:

For enhanced security, you can disable password authentication. Edit the SSH configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Find the line ⁠PasswordAuthentication yes and change it to:

PasswordAuthentication no

Restart the SSH service:

sudo systemctl restart sshd

Method 2: Password Authentication

If you prefer to use password authentication, follow these steps:

1. Edit the SSH Configuration:

Open the SSH configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Ensure the following line is set to ⁠yes:

PasswordAuthentication yes

2. Restart the SSH Service:

Apply the changes by restarting the SSH service:

 sudo systemctl restart sshd

3. Connect to the Server:

Use the following command to connect to your Proxmox server:

ssh username@your_proxmox_ip

You will be prompted to enter your password.

Part 2 : Configuring Locale Settings

Proper locale settings are crucial for ensuring that your system can handle character encoding correctly. Here’s how to configure the locale on your Proxmox server:

1. Check Current Locale Settings:

Run the following command to see your current locale settings:

locale

2. Install Locales Package:

If you don’t have the locales package installed, you can install it with:

sudo apt-get install locales

3. Generate the Desired Locale:

To properly generate and select your locales (e.g., French or English), run the interactive reconfigure tool:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure locales

Use the arrow keys to navigate, the Spacebar to select your preferred locales (e.g., fr_FR.UTF-8 UTF-8 and en_US.UTF-8 UTF-8), then press Tab to select OK and hit Enter. Finally, select your default system locale on the next screen.

Alternatively, you can generate a specific locale directly:

sudo locale-gen fr_FR.UTF-8

4. Edit Locale Configuration:

Open the locale configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/default/locale

Ensure it contains the following lines:

LANG=fr_FR.UTF-8
LANGUAGE=fr_FR:fr
LC_ALL=fr_FR.UTF-8

5. Update Locale Settings:

Apply the changes by running:

sudo update-locale

6. Verify Locale Configuration:

Check the locale settings again to ensure they are correct:

locale

7. Restart the Server or Session:

For the changes to take effect, either restart your server or log out and log back in.

Troubleshooting: Fixing “-bash: warning: setlocale” Errors

When connecting via SSH, you might encounter warnings like this:

-bash: warning: setlocale: LC_CTYPE: cannot change locale (UTF-8): No such file or directory
-bash: warning: setlocale: LC_COLLATE: cannot change locale (fr_FR.UTF-): No such file or directory

This happens because your local SSH client automatically forwards its own language environment variables to the remote Proxmox server, but the server doesn’t have those specific configuration files generated or encounters a malformed string.

You can fix this using one of two methods:

Fix 1: Generate Missing Locales on the Server (Recommended)

Make sure the server supports the locales your client is trying to send. Run:

sudo dpkg-reconfigure locales

Select the matching locale from the list (e.g., fr_FR.UTF-8 UTF-8), validate, and restart your SSH session.

Fix 2: Stop SSH Client from Forwarding Locales

If you prefer not to alter the server settings, you can instruct your local machine’s SSH client to stop sending your local environment variables to remote hosts.

On your local machine (Mac or Linux client), edit the SSH configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/ssh/ssh_config

Locate the following line and comment it out by adding a # at the beginning:

# SendEnv LANG LC_*

Save the file and reconnect. The warning will disappear.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can successfully set up SSH access on your Proxmox server using either SSH keys or password authentication. Additionally, configuring the locale—and knowing how to troubleshoot setlocale warnings—will ensure that your server handles character encoding and language settings correctly. With these configurations in place, your Proxmox server will be user-friendly.

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