Yes, unfortunately the use of SSH keys (with passphrases) can be confusing. SSH is far more complex than Telnet --- there at least 4 authentication methods, some of which involve keys, and there are different types of keys too.
(To access bohrg1 and bohrg3, follow these notes, the section on Key/Passphrase Authentication in particular. N.B. Use DSA keys to access these machines, nor RSA keys.)
At the time of writing (2005/April/05) accounts on HPC machines connected to the Internet are increasingly being compromised, globally. Frequently this is done by first compromising the desktop machine from which a user logs in to the HPC machine; key-grabbing software is often installed on such compromised desktops. The use of keys with passphrases means that an HPC account cannot be compromised by this method.
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