Skip to main content

Key Manager Behavior with Multiple Identical Keys

SSH keys that are considered to be identical are recorded and displayed as a single entry. Key Manager considers keys to be identical when their following attributes match:

  • Host name

  • Key location

  • User name

  • Authorized-key options (order does not matter)

  • Authorized-key data

  • Key comment

From the authorized keys that are identical, Key Manager only displays the key that was discovered first.

Note that key location may introduce functional differences to authorized keys. Therefore, keys that differ by key location are recorded as separate entries in the Key Manager system.

Also note that while key comments do not introduce functional differences to authorized keys, Key Manager takes them into account when considering whether keys are identical. For example, if there are two keys that only differ by key comment, such keys are recorded as separate entries.

When you perform a management action on a key entry that represents multiple identical keys, that action is performed for all the keys represented by the entry.