Can't connect (via ssh) after a restart

[Jack Jackson]

Start sshd on the remote machine?


Craig Hagerman wrote:
> I have a problem with a Ubuntu box that I can't figure out.
> 
> Two days ago I was connected to a remote Ubuntu machine via ssh. I was
> also looking at mythweb on that machine in a browser. I did something
> in mythweb (tried to delete a program I think), and it did a seg
> fault. This has happened before. I just have to kill the process and
> restart. However, back in the terminal (ssh) I see some error message
> scrolling by, being repeated every 100th of a second. It had the
> machine locked up so that I can't give it any commands to kill the
> process or do anything.
> 
> So I gave my brother a call (he is there, I am thousands of miles
> away) and asked him to hit "reset" on the computer to kill the process
> and restart the machine. He did so. But ever since I have not been
> able to get in. I got him to hit the reset button twice, and after
> that twice had him hit the power button to completely turn the
> computer off and then turn it back on again. I KNOW that the machine
> is up and running because I have a script set to fire off a little
> message to my home server to tell me it is up and running and the
> current IP address. THOSE messages still come through every hour.
> However, when I try to ssh in I get "connection refused" messages. I
> have logged into the router on that remote system and port 22 IS still
> being forwarded to the correct machine.
> 
> So.... the computer is up and running, the webserver is working OK (I
> can see a place-holder web page I made), it is connected to the local
> network and internet OK (since it is able to send out hourly
> messages)... but for some strange reason I can no longer ssh in.
> (note the ubuntu machine is headless - no keyboard, no mouse, no monitor.)
> 
> Does anyone have any ideas what may have happened here? I have never
> heard of a service just simply disappearing on a restart. I did do an
> apt-get update (or maybe upgrade) sometime before, but I doubt this
> would affect sshd. I am at my wit's end trying to figure out what has
> happened and how to get in contact with the machine again. (My brother
> is completely useless around computers, so he will be no help.)
> 
> Craig
>