Editing configuration files is actually extremely simple once you know how to work with them. These files are simply text documents containing a list of settings and their associated values--one setting and its corresponding value are usually on the same line.

To change the value, simply erase the text and replace it with the new one. In some cases, the line will be preceded by a hash sign (#), meaning that it won't be taken into account by SSH. Simply remove the sign after you've changed the value so that the change you've made can be read and taken into account. Such a line is a default, meaning that it is normally the value your SSH server adopts. However, uncommenting it will make things clearer for you and may help you avoid an unexpected configuration glitch.

By François Joseph de Kermadec at O'Reilly.

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