Package desscription:
paramiko is a module for python 2.2 (or higher) that implements the
SSH2 protocol for secure (encrypted and authenticated) connections
to remote machines. unlike SSL (aka TLS), SSH2 protocol does not
require heirarchical certificates signed by a powerful central
authority. you may know SSH2 as the protocol that replaced telnet
and rsh for secure access to remote shells, but the protocol also
includes the ability to open arbitrary channels to remote services
across the encrypted tunnel -- this is how sftp works, for example.

http://www.lag.net/paramiko/