Re: ssh config file not working as I think the man page describes

[Chris Green <cl@isbd.net>]

Chris Green <cl@isbd.net> wrote:
> I have quite a long ~/.ssh/config file.
> 
> I have been trying to rationalise it a bit and share bits that are
> common to several systems.  So I have two sections referring to a
> host that I call 'caracal', the first is:-
> 
>     #
>     #
>     # Mythic Beasts hosting
>     #
>     Host mb caracal
>         HostName caracal.mythic-beasts.com
>         User chrisisbd
>         
> ... and at the end of ~/.ssh/config:-
> 
>     #
>     #
>     # Options shared by non-root systems
>     #
>     Host cheddar halon caracal mb hostinger oasis41
>         PermitLocalCommand=yes
>         LocalCommand rsync --update --delete -a ~/.cfg/ %h:.cfg/
>         AddKeysToAgent=yes
> 
>     #
>     #
>     # 'global' options
>     #
>     Host *
>     User chris
> ~
> ~
> 
> So, to my mind when I enter 'ssh caracal' at the command line the user
> name used by ssh should be chrisisbd as that's the first value for
> User that applies to caracal in the config file.  But this isn't what
> happens, the user is set to 'chris':-
> 
>     chris$ ssh caracal
>     chris@caracal.mythic-beasts.com's password: 
> 
>         
> The man page for ssh_config says, right at the start: "For each
> parameter, the first obtained value will be used.".  The caracal entry
> in the config file has definitely been found as ssh is trying to
> connect to caracal.mythic-beasts.com but the 'User chrisisbd' seems to
> be overriden by the 'User chris' at the bottom of the config file.
> Surely this isn't what the man page says?
> 
It turned out that it was working as it should!  What was confusing me
was that "LocalCommand rsync --update --delete -a ~/.cfg/ %h:.cfg/",
it was *that* using 'chris' rather than 'chrisisbd'.  It was a simple
enough thing to fix, change it to:-
    LocalCommand rsync --update --delete -a ~/.cfg/ %r@%h:.cfg/

%r is the 'remote user name' as was needed.

I.e the initial ssh was using 'chrisisbd' as it should, then the
LocalCommand was using 'chris' and failed.  When configured correctly
I only get asked for the passphrase once because of the AddKeysToAgent
setting.

Sorry for the noise.

-- 
Chris Green
·