Re: Possible addition to SSH FAQ

[email protected] wrote:
> Possible addition to SSH FAQ
> http://www.openssh.org/faq.html#1.5
> 
> Entry 3.14b I copied by public key to authorized_keys and checked
> permissions but it still doesn't work.
> A: Check that no errant config files exists in .ssh/ that contains another
> or invalid 'IdentityFile' parameter.
> grep 'IdentityFile' ~/.ssh/config
> 
> just a thought

It's one I'm not fond of.

When it comes to doing things wrong, there are an almost unlimited
number of options...'specially when it comes to deliberate acts.

In your example, we are talking about an error of commission,
rather than an error of omission.  The 3.14 entry is a logical
result of accidentally skipping a required step in copying
one's key file, whereas you are creating files or entry into
files.  A deliberate act took place to cause that problem.  That's
not far from:

you misspelled the file name (my "favorite")
your key has a restriction on it your login doesn't match
you deleted the third character of the key
you deleted the fourth character of they key
  ...
you deleted the last character of the key
you changed the first character of the key
  ...

ok, the last few are a bit obnoxious, but I don't think the first
two are any less unlikely than your example.

Now... what MIGHT make a lot of sense would be a pointer to
finding the logs and other troubleshooting tips that might help
the administrator find the cause of whatever they did wrong,
however that's going vary widely by platform, I suspect.

Nick.