Bug#280610: ssh-agent man page insufficient for novices
Package: ssh
Version: 1:3.8.1p1-8
Severity: normal
The ssh-agent documentation was a little useless for me as a novice
using it for the first time, as it didn't explain that ssh-agent
does not help with password authentication (i.e. when key-based method
fails). So I wasted some time trying to figure out why I had to keep
relogging in into an account despite ssh-agent being able to 'see' my
password. It would be nice if the documentation could have an 'this is
not what you think it is' section :)
Additionally, the documentation for ssh-agent does not mention key
distribution issues. It should at least recommend looking at ssh-copy-id to
copy the public key to the server one wants to log in to.
It should also mention that one needs to copy or carry the private key
around, if one wants to login using the same identity to the same server
from different machines.
cheers,
dalibor topic
-- System Information:
Debian Release: 3.1
Architecture: i386 (i686)
Kernel: Linux 2.6.8.2.1.p4
Locale: LANG=C, LC_CTYPE=C
Versions of packages ssh depends on:
ii adduser 3.59 Add and remove users and groups
ii debconf 1.4.30.6 Debian configuration management sy
ii dpkg 1.10.23 Package maintenance system for Deb
ii libc6 2.3.2.ds1-16 GNU C Library: Shared libraries an
ii libpam-modules 0.76-22 Pluggable Authentication Modules f
ii libpam-runtime 0.76-22 Runtime support for the PAM librar
ii libpam0g 0.76-22 Pluggable Authentication Modules l
ii libssl0.9.7 0.9.7d-4 SSL shared libraries
ii libwrap0 7.6.dbs-6 Wietse Venema's TCP wrappers libra
ii zlib1g 1:1.2.1.1-7 compression library - runtime
-- debconf information:
ssh/insecure_rshd:
ssh/user_environment_tell:
ssh/forward_warning:
ssh/insecure_telnetd:
ssh/new_config: true
* ssh/use_old_init_script: true
ssh/SUID_client: true
ssh/ssh2_keys_merged:
ssh/protocol2_only: true
ssh/encrypted_host_key_but_no_keygen:
ssh/run_sshd: true
Reply to: