Bug#35704: libc6: ssh fails to allocate a pseudo tty

[Zack Weinberg <zack@rabi.columbia.edu>]

On Wed, 7 Apr 1999 11:28:04 -0600, Erik Andersen wrote:
>Package: libc6
>Version: 2.1.1-0.1
>
>I have just upgraded this machine to the latest and greatest version of
>unstable (potato) and find that ssh is now 1/2 broken.
>
>Making connections _from_ this box to other systems works fine.
>
>Making connections _to_ this box from any other system results in the
>following message:
>
>    Warning: Remote host failed to refused to allocate a pseudo tty.
>
>and a completely hung terminal -- requiring that I then log into another
>terminal on the box used to initiate the connection in order to kill it.
>Of course, this doesn't help me to fix my box when I screw up the console...
>(so I should be more careful with X -- but who hasn't screwed up their
>console a few times ;-)

This sounds like the problem where openpty() sees /dev/ptmx, tries to
use it, fails because /dev/pts isn't populated, and gives up.  I bet
your problem will go away if you either remove /dev/ptmx, or mount
devptsfs on /dev/pts.

Libc should probably be tweaked to fall back to the old pty devices if
/dev/ptmx exists but /dev/pts is empty.  I'll look into it.

zw