Before you can establish an SSH connection, you have to find the right software, i.e. a client that places a terminal on your desktop, if you are using Windows or Mac OS 9 (Mac OS X has SSH built in). Fortunately, there are several excellent clients (both free and not) that offer Windows and Mac OS users desktop terminals. The section below discusses them in detail. Of course, if you are using Linux (or some other Unix variant), then you can skip that section and go right to the section, Tunneling Using Cygwin that describes the key elements in establishing an SSH tunnel in a Unix-like environment.
Once you have obtained a client terminal, the process of establishing a tunnel to the server housing the CVS repository is fairly simple. The crucial element is making sure you connect to the right server and that you use the right port numbers in establishing your tunnel. Fortunately, that number has been standardized: 2401.