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Free SSH Client for PocketPC and Smartphones (WM5)

by Oscar Sodani
November 26, 2006
I own a T-Mobile MDA, which is a so-called Smartphone. Like other Smartphones, It runs the Windows Mobile 5 (WM5) operating system, and can connect to the Internet at any time via T-Mobile's network. One of the first pieces of software I was eager to load onto it was a good, lightweight SSH client, so that I could remotely monitor my servers wherever I was.

I was very happy to find that PuTTY, my favorite freeware SSH client for Windows, had a PocketPC / WM5 version! It is called PocketPuTTY , and can be downloaded for free here.

The version I used was 0.1, a stable first release for the Windows Mobile 2003/5.0 operating system. I was able to download the ZIP file directly onto my phone and use the ZIP utility pre-installed in WM5 to extract the executable file. I ran the file via File Explorer - and up popped a very simple to use, very fast SSH client.

I was instantly able to connect to the Linux and Solaris servers I administer, as well as my home Linux computer. The response time was excellent via T-Mobile's network, and the keyboard on my Smartphone worked flawlessly.

If you are looking for a small, free SSH client for your PocketPC or Smartphone, I would highly recommend PocketPuTTY.