authomatic ssh-add

[anonymous]

Hallo,

I would like to propose an enhancement related to the work with ssh-agent. To be able to connect to subversion server, I must add a key into ssh-agent from command line (using ssh-add path_to_key), and only after that the kdesvn can be started.

Would it be possible to define the ssh key used, and to add it to ssh-agent automatically (asking for password through a KDE dialog) if the key is not already handled by the agent? And possibly to show a warning dialog if ssh-agent is not running?

Would it also be hanfull to have such mechanism incorporated directly somewhere in kde-libs (not only in kdesvn), for other applications to benefit from it as well?

Thank you very much,
Dan T. <rozelak@…>

[alwin]

In normal kdesvn opens a dialogbox. It is possible, that on your system a ask-pass dialog is missing. In next version kdesvn will use it own askpass and if ssh-agent isn't running it try to start it.

[anonymous]

Which kdesvn version do you mean? I am running 1.0.2 (KDE 3.5.10) and the ask-pass dialog you mentioned is missing. ssh-agent is running, but a "standard" X-window dialog is opened asking for a password to the svn server (not for a password for the ssh key). So I have to add my ssh key into ssh-agent manually from command line.

So, how can I configure kdesvn (or ssh?) in order to add the key automatically?

Thanks a lot,

10. Matousek

[rozelak@…]

Yes, that is exactly what I asked before. I don't know if it is not related to ssh rather than kdesvn.

I have ~/.ssh/config looking like (only part is shown):

# SVN server - key authorisation
Host             = XX.XX.YY.ZZ
IdentityFile     = ~/.ssh/svn.openssh

and ssh-agent is running (without identities set by default). When I do 'ssh no_svn_server', a "normal" password prompt is shown, and by setting the password I am logged to server. No problem now.

When I do 'ssh XX.XX.YY.ZZ', I am asked to enter passphrase for key '~/.ssh/svn.openssh and logged in then (also expected, still no problem). However, the key is not added to ssh-agent, so if I try to log to XX.XX.YY.ZZ again, I am asked to set passphrase for the key again. The same behaviour is with kdesvn (only the X dialog, instead the console, is asking for the password for the key), asking for the password repeatedly. Everything works correctly of course, if the key is added to ssh-agent manually by 'ssh-add ~/.ssh/svn.openssh'.

Nevertheless, the desired behaviour is to start kdesvn, set the password to the key (if not already handled by ssh-agent) and to work (identity will be stored to ssh-agent 'somehow'). If the kdesvn is started later again, the key already stored is used.

Sorry, if I ask wrongly, but is kdesvn adding the key to ssh-agent itself (in the unknown version you mentioned)? And if not, could you, please, hint us how to configure ssh to work as desired?

Thank you very much,
Dan T. <rozelak@…>

[alwin]

next version (1.4.0) may store ssh-agent passwords in kwallet so it should ask only once