PuTTY Portable is a Telnet Client and SSH Server for Windows that is packed with features and can be transported anywhere on a USB stick or external storage device. Whats more, it's completely free. Firstly however, note that the developer issues a warning on the program website that PuTTY Portable may not be legal in your country so check the law before you use it!

Basically, PuTTY Portable allows you to connect to another computer remotely using the Telnet and SSH protocols. So for example, you can install it on a Windows machine and it will connect to a Unix machine. This is great if you are administrator as you can use PuTTY Portable to take full control of the machine and work at it remotely.

In the PuTTY window that's opened, you can send messages to the other machine and vice versa. This leads to one of the major annoyances when using PuTTY Portable - the program does not remember the credentials for successive logins. This is understandable for security reasons, but could end up being very annoying if you use PuTTY Portable to regularly connect to an external client.

If you need to control a remote computer and need a client that supports SSH, then PuTTY Portable is a superb option considering that it's totally free and portable.

Download PuTTY Portable 0.62 in Softonic

Protecting data from interception is a difficult task with so many holes and vulnerabilities in Windows for trojans and hackers to exploit.

SecureCRT uses very strong encryption with a broad range of authentication options that can be used to protect passwords, user accounts, data, and computer systems. SecureCRT also provides secure remote access, file transfers, and data tunneling within an organisation or company. SecureCRT also offers session management and customization features, for those that need to work in multiple sessions.

SecureCRT emulates a number of major terminal consoles such VT100, VT102, VT220, ANSI, SCO ANSI, Wyse 50/60, Xterm, and even Linux. SecureCRT can also help you automate routines so that you don't have to worry about executing them manually.

SecureCRT is a great terminal manager and secure authenticator that can help protect your most sensitive data.

Download SecureCRT 7.0.1 in Softonic

- Highly configurable and elegant user interface - Multi Platform support (available for Mac OS and Windows) - Powerful script language with more than 100 commands - Wide range of emulations (ranging from simple vt100 to IBM TN3270)

Intended mostly for power users and system/network adminsitrators who need to access remote servers, routers, etc.

Download ZOC Terminal SSH and Telnet Client 6.4 in Softonic

PuTTY is a popular SSH and Telnet client that helps you establish secure connections over the Internet and doesn't even require installation.

It's especially aimed for programmers and network administrators, which means that newcomers won't find it easy to use. The program features a simple, straightforward interface with no included documentation.

Despite its apparent simplicity, PuTTY is highly configurable and includes many options to tweak connections, sessions, SSH security features and even the window's appearance.

Download PuTTY 0.62 in Softonic

The CryptoTerm provides connections through: Telnet, Serial RS-232, Modem and safe, encrypted SSH(1,2), SSL 3. 0 and TLS 1. 0 protocols. It guarantees unambiguous end-user authentication with the help of: certificates, public/private keys, PKCS#11 devices, NTLM and Kerberos protocols.

CryptoTerm provides accurate terminal emulations: XTERM, ANSI, SCOANSI, VT100, VT220, VT220-8, VT320, VT320-8, WYSE60 (WYSE60 COLOR), LINUX, HP and TN3270 (3278-2, 3278-3, 3278-4, 3278-5, printer 3287-1 and IND$FILE transfer protocol).

The CryptoTerm provides the API functions and implements the COM+ interface to the program in the 3270 emulation, thus offering a possibility to use the emulator mechanisms in the external programs (Word, Excel).

Consequently, you may simply grant access to the information stored on the Mainframe class computers to other applications. The settings of the CryptoTerm terminal emulator (coding characters, connecting method, remote system name, default printer, printing to a file etc.

) are stored in the configuration files. This enables to create the pattern files and copy them to the computers of the remaining users. CryptoTerm is FREE for personal, home use.

Download CryptoTerm 1.3 in Softonic

TunnelierPortable is a portable client SSH and proves to have all the functions that you need to connect, in a safe way, with other machines through the network.

TunnelierPortable's portability is its key asset. The program requires no prior installation and can be accessed directly from a pendrive, a CD or any other storage medium, allowing you to get on the network very quickly.

Download TunnelierPortable 4.37 in Softonic

Tunnelier lets you emulate bvterm, xterm and vt100 protocols, establish FTP, SFTP connections and can take care of dynamic forwarding over Proxy and SOCKS.

Download Tunnelier 4.39 in Softonic

CRT is a robust, configurable 32-bit terminal emulator designed for Internet and intranet use with support for Telnet, rlogin, serial, and other protocols. CRT is ideal for connecting to remote systems running UNIX and VMS as well as the many BBSs and databases that are now available via the Internet.

CRT's Windows interface is easy to use and offers pinpoint control of session behavior with extensive customization options. The Quick Connect feature connects to UNIX, VMS, and Windows servers by entering only a hostname. Emulation support includes VT100, VT102, VT220, basic Wyse 50/60, ANSI and SCO ANSI, Linux console, and Xterm.

All of CRT's emulations support ANSI color. Other features include support for SOCKS and generic firewalls, transparent printing, and ZModem file transfers. With the Activator utility, manage sessions from the system tray instead of the taskbar.

Or use session folders to manage hundreds of sessions. Dialer support for Windows 95/98 and NT through Windows TAPI allows saving dialup connections in session information. CRT's ActiveX scripting support lets you automate remote tasks with VBScript, JScript, PerlScript, or other Windows scripting engines.

Download CRT 6.0.3 in Softonic

Linux users have long been familiar with PuTTY but Windows users have had to wait longer to enjoy the benefits of this remarkably simple but effective program mainly because it's tricky to use.

PuTTY Tray however is an attempt to bring PuTTY to the masses with a range of huge interface improvements and an excellent GUI. As the developers say, PuTTY is a free implementation of Telnet and SSH for Windows & Unix platforms and it comes bundled with an XTERM emulator. This version of PuTTY is much more Windows friendly however allowing you to minimize to system tray and this includes as many sessions as you want. The program includes a tray icon which animates whenever a bell is received and this version allows the long overdue option of hyperlinking. As added bonus with PuTTY Tray over PUTTY is that it's so small, it can be carried around on a USB stick for use anywhere.

If you're using PuTTY Tray to monitor a server, you'll need it visible at all times which is why this version includes a "Display at all times" option. The one thing it could probably do with utilising however is tabs. If you've got several windows open, they soon fill up your task bar and adding tabs would make things a whole lot cleaner.

Fans of PuTTY cannot fail to be impressed by PuTTY Tray and the fact that this version is far more accessible, means it may well attract even more fans.

Download Putty Tray 0.60 in Softonic

ZOC is a powerful and well-established terminal emulator and telnet client, well known for its outstanding user interface. ZOC lets you access character based hosts using telnet, modem, Secure Shell (SSH/SSH2), ISDN and most other means of communication. It can be used to connect to Unix/Linux hosts and shell accounts, BBS's, IBM mainframes (via TN3270 or TN5250) or internet muds.

ZOC's extensive features and functions, including a typed command history, scrollback, multiple window support and others, make it the ideal tool for people needing to access Unix shell accounts from a Windows platform. With ZOC's support for the Linux (Xterm) emulation, complete with full colors, meta-keys and local printing, Linux admins will feel as though they are sitting at their native consoles.

Download ZOC 4.14 in Softonic