While setting up my linux server running Ubuntu in VMWare Fusion to perform automated backups, I found no matter what I could not get it to log onto my macs side with key-based SSH authentication. So after an archive and install and a few hours on the phone / over iChat with Jesse, we found the problem was something very simple–the permissions on my keys folder was 777 instead of 755. A few quick commands in the terminal and it was back in business… Computers are that way though–a problem that can last all day to solve takes about three seconds to fix.
2 responses to “Lessons Learned…”
It would be even better to chmod your keys to 700 (on the server and client), because you are the only person that needs to read/modify your keys. SSH will assume your role when it attempts to read it. Cool, eh?
*nix won’t read ANY key if its permissions permit others to read/compromise it.
You mac nerds amuse me. ARCHIVE AND INSTALL?
I imagine it went down something like this:
“zomg an operating system problem! ARCHIVE AND INSTALL!!!”
I think that’s funny. Really funny.