Server Guide - Windows Networking

[Brian Shumate]

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Hi Bhuvan,

I installed the openssh-server package on my laptop to investigate  
Ubuntu's OpenSSH behavior as I was a bit amazed to here that  
ssh_config is the configuration file for the sshd server in Ubuntu-   
this would be highly non-standard.  Unless this has all changed with  
the Dapper Drake release, I believe you may be incorrect on a few  
points:

1) We are documenting the OpenSSH *server* here, correct?   
sshd_config is the standard configuration file for the the OpenSSH  
server, sshd.  This appears to be the case in Ubuntu as well.   
However, ssh_config is actually the configuration file for the  
*client* apps, such as ssh itself, and scp.  This has been the  
standard for as long as I've been using OpenSSH.

   1.5) Am I supposed to be writing about the *client* applications  
then too in the *server* guide?  That is the only reason I can see to  
mention ssh_config.

2) In light of my re-affirmation that sshd_config is the  
configuration file for the server component of OpenSSH, I believe man  
sshd_config is still correct as it stands now.

3) Thanks Will do!

4) I don't find this to be the case.  In the OpenSSH server for  
Breezy, which I have just installed, I changed the default port from  
22, to 2222, and then attempted a connection on port 2222 from  
another machine on my network.  As expected, the connection was  
refused.  However, upon restarting the ssh server (with the quite  
odd /etc/init.d/ssh) the server then accepted my connection on port  
2222.   Again, for as long as I have been using OpenSSH (about five  
years now) most, if not all configuration changes to the server  
configuration file require a restart of the server, unless it is  
running in non-standalone more / out of inetd, or  xinetd.  Ubuntu  
(in Breezy at least) does not seem to use a version of OpenSSH which  
is significantly different from the standard distribution, and  
therefore behaves the same way.  It appears all I do need to do for  
this point, is to change the reference from /etc/init.d/sshd for  
restarting the server to /etc/init.d/ssh instead, since this is what  
Ubuntu appears to use for an sshd init-script.  I suppose one could  
mention performing a killall -HUP sshd, which would force sshd to  
reload its configuration file, but I tend to favor doing things the  
conventional way.  While this behavior is not explicitly documented  
in the ssh manual pages, the standard behavior for most Unix/Linux  
daemons has always been to require a restart / HUP signal to force  
reloading of configuration information.

5) I will try to go ahead and fix this.  I thought it seemed a bit  
odd, but I am more suited to write the content rather than the  
structure of a section at this point, so I played along. ;-)

6) Thanks! Will do!

I don't mean to pick nits here, but I've had considerable experience  
with the parts I am trying to document in an SA capacity, and while I  
would be shocked to see Ubuntu is radically different (read non- 
standard) in its use of OpenSSH, I think it is using it just as most  
every other supported platform does, which is in line with the  
initial explanations I wrote.

If anyone else cares to chime in with corrections, or suggestions for  
improvement, I welcome the feedback!  Or, if things have radically  
changed from what I am observing on my Breezy machine to what will be  
released as Dapper Drake, then I'll cheerfully re-write as appropriate.

Thanks for the input!

- -Brian

On Dec 8, 2005, at 6:55 AM, Bhuvaneswaran wrote:

>> Therefore, I wrote the OpenSSH Configuration subsection accordingly.
>> If I'm way off the mark there, and a server installation requires
>> enabling sshd, and creating an initial /etc/ssh/sshd_config file, I
>> can readjust as necessary.
>
> Thankx once again. Great work once again, we appreciate your work. But
> this time, i've couple of corrections. They are as follows:
>
> 1) The configuration file is /etc/ssh/ssh_config
> 2) The manual page is 'man ssh_config'
> 3) You can format the configuration parameters (Port,
> RSAAuthentication) using itemizedlist & listitem tags. Refer the same
> file for more usage details.
> 4) Restart the server after explaining these configuration parameters
> (Port, RSAAuthentication). You need not restart after specifying each
> configuration parameter
> 5) The topics should be, Introduction, Installation & Configuration.
> Currently, it's Configuration, Installation & Configuration. It's my
> fault tough.
> 6) You can explain installation section as well (apt-get install
> openssh-client openssh-server).
>
> In addition, i recommend to do an installation yourself. It would
> assist you to fine-tune your own write-up. Submit the revised patch
> once you complete, thankx.
>
> --
> Regards,
> Bhuvaneswaran
> www.symonds.net/~bhuvan/
> GPG: 0x7A13E5B0

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