How to install OpenSSH on Vista?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Michael Moser
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M

Michael Moser

I am trying to use the Unison file synchronization utility working
between a Vista and an XP system.

For this to work, I first need an SSH server running on the Vista
system. I searched and found the cygwin OpenSHH package.
After some trying and fiddling I managed to get it properly installed -
more or less. I managed to run the ssh-host-config batch file, which
defined a new local user-id "sshd" under which the service is supposed
to run.

But whenever I start the SSH-deamon it terminates again after about 5
seconds (but alas without any decent error message).
Does anyone have some experience with this? What is needed to get a
functioning SSH server installed on Vista? Is there some other, maybe a
bit easier to use and configure SSH server for Vista?

Michael
 
I have seen these before and had already followed them (i.e. I ran the
ssh-host-config as described in the 1st and also added the sshd to the
firewalls as described in the 2nd).
And while these helped in getting the stuff installed and added to the
list of services, alas, the service still terminates seconds after being
started (for no apparent reason).
 
Since I suspected UAC to be the culprit I restarted from square one and
re-installed things with CUA turned off.

There was a *slight* improvement this time in that the desktop icon
mentioned in the description was indeed created (it had been missing
after the previous install, so I had searched and started the cygwin.bat
file manually).

I then ran the ssh-host-config again as described but this time it
terminated itself right after the first question "Should privilege
separation be used?"

I.e. the subsequent messages didn't even show up, so I am not sure,
whether this is correctly configured or not.
I tried to start the sevice using different user-ids (system, my own and
the created "sshd") but it shows the same behavior in all: it starts but
about 5 seconds later it is gone again.

BTW: How does one *uninstall* this cygwin stuff? It seems to install
without any entry in the Program list, nor is there an uninstall ... in
its
start menu subdirectory. Do I just delete the directory? But that would
leave an orphaned services-entry behind...

This is a darn mess... :-(

Michael
 
Michael Moser said:
I am trying to use the Unison file synchronization utility working between
a Vista and an XP system.

For this to work, I first need an SSH server running on the Vista system.
I searched and found the cygwin OpenSHH package.
After some trying and fiddling I managed to get it properly installed -
more or less. I managed to run the ssh-host-config batch file, which
defined a new local user-id "sshd" under which the service is supposed to
run.

But whenever I start the SSH-deamon it terminates again after about 5
seconds (but alas without any decent error message).
Does anyone have some experience with this? What is needed to get a
functioning SSH server installed on Vista? Is there some other, maybe a
bit easier to use and configure SSH server for Vista?

Michael
Click to expand...

I ran copSSH (a windows installer package for OpenSSH/OpenSSH/cygwin) on a
Vista Ultimate box. I now run this on a Windows Home Server (WHS) machine.
Its nice because its actively maintained and is updated as
OpenSSH/OpenSSH/cygwin are updated. Download from...

http://www.itefix.no/phpws/index.ph...er_op=view_page&PAGE_id=12&MMN_position=22:22

I recommend completely uninstalling any instances of OpenSSH and cygwin
prior to doing this. You will need to activate users using the copSSH
activate program.

SSH links...

http://theillustratednetwork.mvps.org/Ssh/SecureShell.html

--

Al Jarvi (MS-MVP Windows Networking)

Please post *ALL* questions and replies to the news group for the
mutual benefit of all of us...
The MS-MVP Program - http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights...
 
BTW: How does one *uninstall* this cygwin stuff? It seems to install
without any entry in the Program list, nor is there an uninstall ... in
its
start menu subdirectory. Do I just delete the directory? But that would
leave an orphaned services-entry behind...

This is a darn mess... :-(

Michael
Click to expand...

Have you seen the cygwin FAQ uninstall entry?

http://cygwin.com/faq/faq.setup.html#faq.setup.uninstall-all

The big FAQ...

http://cygwin.com/faq.html

--

Al Jarvi (MS-MVP Windows Networking)

Please post *ALL* questions and replies to the news group for the
mutual benefit of all of us...
The MS-MVP Program - http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights...
 
Thanks! The hint re. copSSH was an excellent pointer!

I removed the entire OpenSSH/cygwin mess (which was a major task
including deleting directories, registry keys, and what not) and then
finally installed copSSH (whose installer was so friendly to repeatedly
alert me until it saw no more traces of earlier cygwin stuff).

The installation per se went all fine. The add'l user was defined, I
added myself as an allowed user and the service is now indeed up and
running (and esp. remains running!).

HOWEVER, I now seem to have a firewall problem.

Locally I can now use PuTTY to connect to the SSHD on localhost, i.e. I
get a logon and can log in. I also added sshd.exe to the list of allowed
programs, but when I try to access the SSHD from *another* system, then
I get no reaction whatsoever. There I also no alert or popup (on neither
side), even though I have set the Windoze firewall to alert me, when
anything new tries to connect.

Any idea, what I might be missing and why I can't access sshd via the
network?

Michael

PS.: connectivity between the machines is given - they can e.g. see and
access each other's shares etc.
 
Michael said:
...
HOWEVER, I now seem to have a firewall problem.

Locally I can now use PuTTY to connect to the SSHD on localhost, i.e.
I get a logon and can log in. I also added sshd.exe to the list of
allowed programs, but when I try to access the SSHD from *another*
system, then I get no reaction whatsoever. There I also no alert or
popup (on neither side), even though I have set the Windoze firewall
to alert me, when anything new tries to connect.

Any idea, what I might be missing and why I can't access sshd via the
network?

Michael

PS.: connectivity between the machines is given - they can e.g. see
and access each other's shares etc.
Click to expand...

Well - this turned out to be mainly caused by odd Window bug: the alert
window always popped up UNDER the Putty window ||-(

After I realized that I was able to bring that popup up and it read,
that Putty had found no suitable, common authentication scheme.
So I reversed some of the stronger SSHD settings that I had done based
on the second link
(http://theillustratednetwork.mvps.org/Ssh/SecureShell.html). After
relaxing the PassWordAuthentication setting I was finally able to log
in...

Michael
 
That was the one I was trying to think of... It's been a while since
I've used it...
 
cheesesteak said:
I had no trouble installing copSSH and doing and opening an ssh window
locally using putty. However, I need functionality from cygwin other
than ssh, and copSSH is not intended to work with the full-blown
cygwin.
Click to expand...
Have you seen this thread concerning adding additional cygwin functionality?

http://www.itefix.no/i2/node/10636

--

Al Jarvi (MS-MVP Windows - Desktop User Experience)

Please post *ALL* questions and replies to the news group for the
mutual benefit of all of us...
The MS-MVP Program - http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no
rights...
How to ask a question
http://support.microsoft.com/KB/555375
 
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