Bug 73431

Summary: ssh-agent started by /etc/X11/prefdm can't be found by ssh-add
Product: [Retired] Red Hat Linux Reporter: Tom Wood <woodt>
Component: opensshAssignee: Tomas Mraz <tmraz>
Status: CLOSED WONTFIX QA Contact:
Severity: medium Docs Contact:
Priority: medium    
Version: 7.3   
Target Milestone: ---   
Target Release: ---   
Hardware: i386   
OS: Linux   
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Fixed In Version: Doc Type: Bug Fix
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Clone Of: Environment:
Last Closed: 2005-02-04 10:47:11 UTC Type: ---
Regression: --- Mount Type: ---
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oVirt Team: --- RHEL 7.3 requirements from Atomic Host:
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Description Tom Wood 2002-09-04 17:23:25 UTC 
From Bugzilla Helper:
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Description of problem:
When starting ssh-agent with /etc/X11/prefdm modified to "exec
/usr/bin/ssh-agent `which [gkx]dm` ...", the ssh-agent isn't accessible to
ssh-add from an terminal window after logging in.

Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):


How reproducible:
Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1.Modify /etc/X11/prefdm to "exec ssh-agent" the [gkx]dm as appropriate.
2.From any xterm-like command line client such as xterm, konsole, etc., run
"ssh-add"
3.ssh-add then fails with "Could not open a connection to your authentication
agent."
	

Actual Results:  ssh-add didn't find the ssh-agent.  ssh-agent is running as
verified by ps and a search for its socket.

Expected Results:  ssh-add should have prompted me for a password.

Additional info:

The socket that ssh-agent uses is created in /tmp/ssh-XXxxxxxx/agent.<pid> as
per the man page for ssh-agent.

Dropping to runlevel 3 allows me to run the ssh-add.

This was attempted as the root user.

Repeated attempts to get this going by bouncing back and forth between init 3
and init 5 have left orphaned socket files.  This may or may not be a security
issue.
Comment 1 Tom Wood 2002-10-18 19:19:23 UTC 
This bug is now over a month old and is still NEW.  Why the delay?
Comment 2 H. Peter Anvin 2002-12-11 19:32:38 UTC 
In RedHat 8.0 at least ssh-agent is automatically run by /etc/X11/xdm/Xsession.
 This might be a better way to do it then hacking prefdm (especially since it
seems to work, which means RH finally has an integrated solution for the
ssh-agent problem.)
Comment 3 Tomas Mraz 2005-02-04 10:47:11 UTC 
RH 7.3 is no longer supported.
Comment 4 Tom Wood 2005-02-06 01:47:07 UTC 
Smooth move, Red Hat.  Wait until 29 months after I first file this
bug to respond.