OpenSSH problem - nd advice or pointer

[Richard Troy <rtroy at sciencetools dot com>]

Hi All,

I've been using Cygwin for a couple of years now and one of the best
features, in my view, is ssh (and sshd) as I use it extensively in this
mostly Linux environment. Honestly, there's a lot I just couldn't do
without the wonderful combination of cygwin and ssh... I/we use many
flavors of ssh here and there are a few mix-and-match problems, but so far
they've all been solveable with carefull attention to setup details.

I have just recently, however, stumbled upon a problem with the Cygwin
version that appears to be unique to cygwin's implementation, which is why
I'm asking for help here. ...I've read the archives and each one that I
chose to read said the same thing: Not our problem, go somewhere else. I'm
hopeful that someone here has experience and, if deemed inappropriate to
reply on the list would please write me privately. ...Here's the deal:

I've got the very latest Cygwin, from March 18, IIRC, and I want it to
talk as a client to a Linux box running RedHat 7.2, talking to an SSH
Version 2.0.13 sshd. If I just use password authentication, it works like
a champ, but I need to get it to login without prompting. I've set this up
many times - or at least a handfull of times - before on Linux to Linix
configurations, (at least three different flavors of SSH) but this is the
first time I've ever tried to set it up from a cygwin client. The problem
appears to be that the keys aren't recognized or aren't recognized
properly.

For the initial setup, the two machines are sitting side by side connected
via a switch, with the windows box using windows explorer and the linux
box serving it disk space via Samba. This facilitates moving the key files
around without issue. Later, the Windows box will be outside a firewall,
carried on business trips and that sort of thing. Using password
authentication isn't an option here because the use of ssh in this case
will be for an application, not (only) user login.

If I create my keys on the Linux side, no problem - they're used
flawlessly by Linux, even with different versions of ssh using the same
client directory tree. But when I move them over to the windows client
side - windows/cygwin - the file names change, for one thing, and there
are other details about the implementation that change too, for example,
the use of "identification" and "authorization". I've tried a great many
things, but copying the files from Windows to Linux is a royal pain in the
butt as the permissions are set screwy. ...But when I move the files from
Linux ("server side") to my .ssh directory (not just the .pub file(s)) and
rename them to what appears to be appropriate for Cygwin, but it's not
having any of it...

Below, find a transcript of the ssh -v output from just such a session.
Note that there's a null passphraise yet it asks for one!

PLEASE ADVISE! -- I really need some help here. --

Thanks much,
Richard

_______

OpenSSH_3.6.1p1, SSH protocols 1.5/2.0, OpenSSL 0x0090701f
debug1: Reading configuration data /etc/ssh_config
debug1: Rhosts Authentication disabled, originating port will not be trusted.
debug1: Connecting to denzel [192.168.2.16] port 22.
debug1: Connection established.
debug1: identity file /cygdrive/c/RT/.ssh/identity type -1
debug1: identity file /cygdrive/c/RT/.ssh/id_rsa type 1
debug1: identity file /cygdrive/c/RT/.ssh/id_dsa type -1
debug1: Remote protocol version 1.99, remote software version 2.0.13 (non-commer
cial)
debug1: match: 2.0.13 (non-commercial) pat 2.0.13*,2.0.14*,2.0.15*,2.0.16*,2.0.1
7*,2.0.18*,2.0.19*
debug1: Enabling compatibility mode for protocol 2.0
debug1: Local version string SSH-2.0-OpenSSH_3.6.1p1
debug1: SSH2_MSG_KEXINIT sent
debug1: SSH2_MSG_KEXINIT received
debug1: kex: server->client 3des-cbc hmac-md5 none
debug1: kex: client->server 3des-cbc hmac-md5 none
debug1: sending SSH2_MSG_KEXDH_INIT
debug1: expecting SSH2_MSG_KEXDH_REPLY
debug1: Host 'denzel' is known and matches the DSA host key.
debug1: Found key in /cygdrive/c/RT/.ssh/known_hosts:3
debug1: ssh_dss_verify: signature correct
debug1: SSH2_MSG_NEWKEYS sent
debug1: expecting SSH2_MSG_NEWKEYS
debug1: SSH2_MSG_NEWKEYS received
debug1: SSH2_MSG_SERVICE_REQUEST sent
debug1: SSH2_MSG_SERVICE_ACCEPT received
debug1: Authentications that can continue:
debug1: Next authentication method: publickey
debug1: Trying private key: /cygdrive/c/RT/.ssh/identity
debug1: Offering public key: /cygdrive/c/RT/.ssh/id_rsa
debug1: Authentications that can continue:
debug1: Trying private key: /cygdrive/c/RT/.ssh/id_dsa
debug1: PEM_read_PrivateKey failed
debug1: read PEM private key done: type <unknown>
Enter passphrase for key '/cygdrive/c/RT/.ssh/id_dsa':
debug1: Next authentication method: keyboard-interactive
debug1: Authentications that can continue:
debug1: Next authentication method: password

...




-- 
Richard Troy, Chief Scientist
Science Tools Corporation
rtroy at ScienceTools dot com, 510-567-9957, http://ScienceTools.com/


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