Re: passwordless ssh login not working

[Pigeon <jah.pigeon@ukonline.co.uk>]

On Sat, Feb 08, 2003 at 11:31:12PM -0800, Vineet Kumar wrote:
> * Pigeon (jah.pigeon@ukonline.co.uk) [030208 20:16]:
> > > > debug3: Not a RSA1 key file /root/.ssh/id_rsa.
> > (and the same for id_dsa)
> > 
> > Looking in these files, I find they don't look right compared to the
> > id_?sa.pub files. The .pub files contain "ssh-rsa fv487t509n0etcetcetc=
> > root@pigeon" all as one long line. The private key files contain
> > "-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY-----" followed by the key as 12 separate
> > lines and an "-----END......" line.
> > 
> > So, I take my text editor to the private key files and change them to
> > the same format as the public key files. It still doesn't work, but
> > the error message changes:
> > 
> > debug3: Not a RSA1 key file /root/.ssh/id_rsa.
> > key_read: uudecode ptu5087509nrounrin975tetcetcetc= root@pigeon
> >  failed
> > 
> > Does that mean anything to anyone?
> 
> Yup.  Your ssh is expecting ~/.ssh/id_rsa to contain a version 1 rsa
> key, as would be generated by using "ssh-keygen -t rsa1".  That's the
> kind of key ssh would use when trying to connect with protocol version
> 1.

Well, that's odd. /etc/ssh/sshd_config is telling the host to accept
Protocol 2 only, and I was using "ssh-keygen -t rsa" to create a
version 2 key file - well, that was my intention.

> Does 'ssh -2 remotehost' work?  If so, try setting 'Protocol 2' (or
> 'Protocol 2,1') in your ~/.ssh/config or /etc/ssh/ssh_config .

No, the result is identical with or without the -2.

> So you should either generate a version 1 key (in ~/.ssh/identity, for
> convention's sake) or connect using protocol version 2.

Interesting again. I did this, changed /etc/ssh/sshd_config to specify
Protocol 1 only, and generated an rsa1 host-key pair in /etc/ssh. Now, it
works! Thank you! But the protocol 2 still doesn't work. It is very
strange.

> If I'm incorrect about why it's failing, some more of that -vvv output
> and/or your ssh_config would help.

The whole lot of the -vvv output is in my first post. My ssh_config
(local ssh client config, as opposed to sshd_config = remote host
config, if I've got it right) is empty (effectively) - it's the
default one that woody installs, and every line is commented out.

But now the proto1 version works, I'm happy. I've got passwordless ssh
login, which is what I wanted. Odd though that proto2 doesn't work.

Thanks again,

Pigeon