How to install OpenSSH on Vista?

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

A few quick points:

http://koyeung.blogspot.com/2007/07/...-on-vista.html
http://www.petri.co.il/setup-ssh-server-vista.htm

See if one of these links help with the ssh server on Vista...
---
Jeffrey Randow
jeffreycentex@gmail.com
Windows Networking MVP 2001-2006
http://www.networkblog.net



On Mon, 17 Dec 2007 23:37:48 +0100, "Michael Moser"
<michael-nospam.moser@nospam.freesurf.ch> wrote:

>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).

Jeffrey Randow wrote:
> A few quick points:
>
> http://koyeung.blogspot.com/2007/07/...-on-vista.html
> http://www.petri.co.il/setup-ssh-server-vista.htm
>
> See if one of these links help with the ssh server on Vista...
> ---
> Jeffrey Randow
> jeffreycentex@gmail.com
> Windows Networking MVP 2001-2006
> http://www.networkblog.net

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" <michael-nospam.moser@nospam.freesurf.ch> wrote in message
news:%23xIC11PQIHA.5264@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>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 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.php...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.or...cureShell.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...

"Michael Moser" <michael-nospam.moser@nospam.freesurf.ch> wrote in message
news:OeiJzNWQIHA.4684@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>

<--- SNIP --->

>
> 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
>

Have you seen the cygwin FAQ uninstall entry?

http://cygwin.com/faq/faq.setup.html....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.


> 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.php...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.or...cureShell.html

Michael Moser wrote:
> ...
> 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.

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.or...cureShell.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...
---
Jeffrey Randow
jeffreycentex@gmail.com
Windows Networking MVP 2001-2006
http://www.networkblog.net

On Tue, 18 Dec 2007 05:38:54 -0600, "Sooner Al [MVP]"
<SoonerAl@somewhere.net.invalid> wrote:

>"Michael Moser" <michael-nospam.moser@nospam.freesurf.ch> wrote in message
>news:%23xIC11PQIHA.5264@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>>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 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.php...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.or...cureShell.html

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.

I have attempted to follow the instructions posted at'How to install
OpenSSH sshd server and sftp server on a Windows 2000 or Windows XP or
Windows Vista' (http://pigtail.net/LRP/printsrv/cygwin-sshd.html) and
http://pigtail.net/LRP/printsrv/vista-cygwin.txt, and have succeeded in
getting sshd to run. However, when I try to connect locally using
Code:
--------------------
ssh -vvv localhost
--------------------
(or more explicit formulations) I get the following:

Code:
--------------------
OpenSSH_5.1p1, OpenSSL 0.9.8h 28 May 2008
debug1: Reading configuration data /etc/ssh_config
debug2: ssh_connect: needpriv 0
debug1: Connecting to localhost [127.0.0.1] port 22.
debug1: Connection established.
debug1: identity file /home/cheesesteak/.ssh/identity type 0
debug3: Not a RSA1 key file /home/cheesesteak/.ssh/id_rsa.
debug2: key_type_from_name: unknown key type '-----BEGIN'
debug3: key_read: missing keytype
<previous line repeated 24 more times>
debug2: key_type_from_name: unknown key type 'Proc-Type:'
debug3: key_read: missing keytype
debug2: key_type_from_name: unknown key type 'DEK-Info:'
debug3: key_read: missing keytype
debug3: key_read: missing whitespace
debug2: key_type_from_name: unknown key type '-----END'
debug3: key_read: missing keytype
debug1: identity file /home/cheesesteak/.ssh/id_rsa type 1
debug1: identity file /home/cheesesteak/.ssh/id_dsa type -1
ssh_exchange_identification: Connection closed by remote host
--------------------


During a previous attempted installation, I had only asked for an RSA2
key. Since it it complained about RSA1, I asked for both RSA1 and RSA2
keys to be set up but obviously that did not help.

Suggestions appreciated!

CS


--
cheesesteak