Puttygen instructions

How to use scp or sftp command line with a key file

Running: Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server 5.2 (Tikanga)I need to be able to automate transferring a few files over from one server to another using scp or the sftp protocol.

I have received a text file which looks like a key file along with username and passphrase information for the target server in question.

Instructions were given to me to import the provided text file in puttyGen then save the imported key as a private key to be used by scp or sftp. My assumption is this is for windows utilities, which I am not using.

My frustration comes in trying to automate logging into this server via sftp or scp to automate some file transfers. I am asked for a password every time because the public and private key methods failed to find my keys.

How can I call scp or the sftp utilities and use the provided key file (the one I generated using puttyGen or the original one provided to me) to login to this server?

I've tried taking the generated ppk file from puttygen and adding it with the ssh-add command but that still did not work.