gitolite/doc/ssh-troubleshooting.mkd

# ssh troubleshooting

In this document:

  * <a href="#_common_ssh_asks_for_a_password">(common) ssh asks for a password</a>
  * <a href="#_problems_when_using_package_root_or_non_root_install_methods">problems when using package, root, or non-root install methods</a>
  * <a href="#_problems_when_using_the_from_client_install_method">problems when using the "from-client" install method</a>
      * <a href="#_sidebar_why_two_keys_on_client_for_the_admin">(sidebar) why two keys on client for the admin</a>
      * <a href="#_bypassing_gitolite_without_intending_to">bypassing gitolite without intending to</a>
      * <a href="#_basic_ssh_troubleshooting_for_the_admin">basic ssh troubleshooting for the admin</a>
  * <a href="#_problems_with_using_non_openssh_public_keys">problems with using non-openssh public keys</a>
  * <a href="#_windows_issues">windows issues</a>
  * <a href="#_details">details</a>
      * <a href="#_files_on_the_server">files on the server</a>
      * <a href="#_files_on_client">files on client</a>
  * <a href="#_some_other_tips_and_tricks">some other tips and tricks</a>
      * <a href="#_giving_shell_access_to_gitolite_users">giving shell access to gitolite users</a>
      * <a href="#_losing_your_admin_key">losing your admin key</a>
      * <a href="#_simulating_ssh_copy_id">simulating ssh-copy-id</a>

----

----

This document should help you troubleshoot ssh-related problems in installing
and accessing gitolite.

**This is about all the help I can give you in terms of the ssh aspect of
using gitolite.  If you're installing gitolite, you're a "system admin", like
it or not.  Ssh is therefore a necessary skill.  Please take the time to learn
at least enough to get passwordless access working.**

**I have spent more than my share of time helping people debug their
misconfigured servers, simply because they tried to blame gitolite for their
troubles.  This stops now.  I'd rather spend time on actual gitolite features,
code, and documentation.**

Other resources:

  * people who think this is too hard should take a look at this
    [transcript][] to **see how simple it *actually* is**.  This transcript
    uses the 'from-client' method of install.

  * someone also wrote a tutorial, see [here][tut].  This uses the 'non-root'
    method of install, to provide a different perspective.

  * I **strongly** recommend reading [doc/gitolite-and-ssh.mkd][doc9gas],
    which is a very detailed look at how gitolite uses ssh's features on the
    server side.  Most people don't know ssh as well as they *think* they do;
    even if you don't have any problems right now, it's worth skimming over.

  * there's a program called `sshkeys-lint` that you can run on your client to
    figure out which key is doing what.  Run it without arguments to get help
    on how to run it and what inputs it needs.

----

<a name="_common_ssh_asks_for_a_password"></a>

### (common) ssh asks for a password

**NOTE**: This section should be useful to anyone trying to get password-less
access working.  It is **not** specific to gitolite.

You have generated a keypair on your workstation (`ssh-keygen`) and copied the
public part of it (`~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub`, by default) to the server.

On the server you have appended this file to `~/.ssh/authorized_keys`.  Or you
ran something, like the `gl-setup` or `gl-easy-install` steps during a
gitolite install, which should have done that for you.

You now expect to log in without having to type in a password, but when you
try, you are being asked for a password.

This is a quick checklist:

  * make sure you're being asked for a password and not a pass*phrase*.  Do
    not confuse or mistake a prompt saying `Enter passphrase for key
    '/home/sitaram/.ssh/id_rsa':` for a password prompt from the remote
    server!

    When you create an ssh keypair using `ssh-keygen`, you have the option of
    protecting it with a passphrase.  When you subsequently use that keypair
    to access a remote host, your *local* ssh client needs to unlock the
    corresponding private key, and ssh will probably ask for the passphrase
    you set when you created the keypair.

    You have two choices to avoid this prompt every time you try to use the
    private key.  The first is to create keypairs *without* a passphrase (just
    hit enter when prompted for one).  **Be sure to add a passphrase later,
    once everything is working, using `ssh-keygen -p`**.

    The second is to use `ssh-agent` (or `keychain`, which in turn uses
    `ssh-agent`) or something like that to manage your keys.  Other than
    discussing one more potential trouble-spot with ssh-agent (see below),
    further discussion of ssh-agent/keychain is out of scope of this document.

  * make sure the right private key is being offered.  Run ssh in very
    verbose mode and look for the word "Offering", like so:

        ssh -vvvv user@host pwd 2> >(grep -i offer)

    If some keys *are* being offered, but not the key that was supposed to be
    used, you may be using ssh-agent; see next bullet.

    If you don't see any offers being made at all, then you probably don't
    have any protocol 2 keys in your `~/.ssh` (names are `id_rsa` or `id_dsa`,
    with corresponding `.pub` files).

  * If `ssh-add -l` responds with either "The agent has no identities." or
    "Could not open a connection to your authentication agent.", then you can
    skip this bullet.

    However, if `ssh-add -l` lists *any* keys at all, then something weird
    happens.  Due to a quirk in ssh-agent, ssh will now *only* use one of
    those keys, *even if you explicitly ask* for some other key to be used.

    In that case, add the key you want using `ssh-add ~/.ssh/mykey` and try
    the access again.

  * ssh is very sensitive to permissions.  An extremely conservative setup is
    given below, but be sure to do this on **both the client and the server**:

        cd $HOME
        chmod go-rwx .
        chmod -R go-rwx .ssh

  * actually, every component of the path to `~/.ssh/authorized_keys` all the
    way upto the root directory must be at least `chmod go-w`.  So be sure to
    check `/` and `/home` also.

  * while you're doing this, make sure the owner and group info for each of
    these components are correct.  `ls -ald ~ ~/.ssh ~/.ssh/authorized_keys`
    will tell you what they are.

  * if all that fails, log onto the server as root, `cd /var/log`, and look
    for a file called `auth.log` or `secure` or some such name.  Look inside
    this file for messages matching the approximate time of your last attempt
    to login, to see if they tell you what is the problem.

----

<a name="_problems_when_using_package_root_or_non_root_install_methods"></a>

### problems when using package, root, or non-root install methods

This section applies if you installed using any of the [first 3 methods][o3]
of install.

In these 3 modes, installation is done on the server, by logging in as some
other user and doing and `su - git`.  The admin's workstation has only one key
that is known to the server's authkeys file, and this key invokes gitolite.
**Note** that this key is not supposed to get you a shell; it is supposed to
invoke gitolite.

As a result, it's a lot easier to debug.  Just run `ssh git@server info`.  If
this get you the [gitolite version and access info][repout], everything is
fine.  If it asks you for a password, see the very first section of this
document for help.

If it gets you the GNU info command output, you have shell access.  This
probably means you had passwordless shell access to the server *before* you
were added as a gitolite user, and you sent that same key to your gitolite
admin to include in the admin repo.  This won't work -- the same key appears
twice in the authkeys file now, and since the ssh server will always use the
first match, the second occurrence (which invokes gitolite) is ignored.

You'll have to (create and) use a different keypair for gitolite access.

<a name="_problems_when_using_the_from_client_install_method"></a>

### problems when using the "from-client" install method

This section applies if you installed using the [from-client method][fc].

This method of install is unique in that the admin will have 2 distinct keys
to access the server.  The default key (`~/.ssh/id_rsa`) is used to get a
shell prompt and to run commands; for example, `gl-easy-install` uses this key
to do all its server-side work.

In addition, there is a named key created just to invoke gitolite instead of
starting a shell.  The name is whatever you gave as the third argument to the
`gl-easy-install` command (for example, `~/.ssh/sitaram.pub` in my case).

Finally, a `host gitolite` para is added to `~/.ssh/config`:

    host gitolite
         user git
         hostname server
         identityfile ~/.ssh/sitaram

so that you can use `gitolite:reponame` as the URL to make ssh use the named
key.

All this applies *only* to the admin.  Normal users will only have one key and
do not need any of this.

<a name="twokeys"></a>

<a name="_sidebar_why_two_keys_on_client_for_the_admin"></a>

#### (sidebar) why two keys on client for the admin

>   There are two types of access the admin will make to the server: a normal
>   login, to get a shell prompt, and gitolite access (clone/fetch/push etc).
>   The first access needs an authkeys line *without* any "command="
>   restrictions, while the second requires a line *with* such a restriction.

>   And we can't use the same key for both because there is no way to
>   disambiguate them; the ssh server will always (*always*) pick the first
>   one in sequence when the key is offered by the ssh client.

>   So the next question is usually "I have other ways to get a shell on that
>   account (like `su - git` from some other account), so why do I need a key
>   for shell access at all?"

>   The answer to this is that the "easy install" script, being written for
>   the most general case, needs shell access via ssh to do its stuff.  If you
>   have access otherwise, you really should use one of the other 3 install
>   methods to install gitolite.  Please see the [install doc][install] for
>   details.

<a name="_bypassing_gitolite_without_intending_to"></a>

#### bypassing gitolite without intending to

These problems happen to the person who has **utterly failed** to read/heed
the message that shows up at the end of running the `gl-easy-install` command.
Both these problems are caused by using the wrong key, thus **bypassing
gitolite completely**:

  * you get `fatal: 'reponame' does not appear to be a git repository`, and
    yet you are sure 'reponame' exists, you haven't mis-spelled it, etc.

  * you are able to clone repositories but are unable to push changes back
    (the error complains about the `GL_RC` environment variable not being set,
    and the `hooks/update` failing in some way).

Let us recap the message that appears on a successful run of the "easy-install"
program; it looks something like this (with suitable values substituted for
`<user>`, `<server>`, and `<port>`):

    IMPORTANT NOTE -- PLEASE READ!!!
        *Your* URL for cloning any repo on this server will be
            gitolite:reponame.git

        *Other* users you set up will have to use
            <user>@<server>:reponame.git
        However, if your server uses a non-standard ssh port, they should use
            ssh://<user>@<server>:<port>/reponame.git

        If this is your first time installing gitolite, please also:
            tail -31 src/gl-easy-install
        for next steps.

The first error above happens if you use `git@server:reponame` instead of
`gitolite:reponame`.  All your repos are actually in a subdirectory pointed to
by `$REPO_BASE` in the rc file (default: `repositories`).  Gitolite internally
prefixes this before calling the actual git command you invoked, but since
you're bypassing gitolite completely, this prefixing does not happen, and so
the repo is not found.

The second error happens if you use `git@server:repositories/reponame.git`
(assuming default `$REPO_BASE` setting)  -- that is, you used the full unix
path.  Since the "prefixing" mentioned above is not required, the shell finds
the repo and clones ok.  But when you push, gitolite's **update hook** kicks
in, and fails to run because some of the environment variables it is
expecting are not present.

<a name="_basic_ssh_troubleshooting_for_the_admin"></a>

#### basic ssh troubleshooting for the admin

Otherwise, run these checks:

1.  `ssh git@server` should get you a command line *without* asking for a
    password.

    If it asks you for a password, then your `id_rsa` keypair changed after
    you ran the easy install, or someone fiddled with the
    `~/.ssh/authorized_keys` file on the server.

    If it prints the gitolite version and access info (see
    [doc/report-output.mkd][repout]), you managed to overwrite the `id_rsa`
    keypair with the `sitaram` keypair, or something equally weird.  This is
    because a gitolite key, when used without any actual command, defaults to
    running gitolite's internal "info" command.

    **NOTE** starting with [version 5.6][openssh56], openssh will "Kill
    channel when pty allocation requests fail".  This means that, instead of
    seeing the version and access info as described above, you may only get a
    message about pty allocation failure, followed by "connection closed".

2.  `ssh gitolite info` should print some gitolite version and access info.
    If you get the output of the GNU info command instead, you probably reused
    your `id_rsa` keypair as your `sitaram` keypair, or overwrote the
    `sitaram` keypair with the `id_rsa` keypair.

There are many ways to fix this, depending on where and what the damage is.
The most generic way (and therefore time-taking) is to re-install gitolite
from scratch:

  * make a backup of your gitolite-admin repo clone somewhere (basically your
    `keydir/*.pub` and your `conf/gitolite.conf`).  If necessary get these
    files from the server's `~/.gitolite` directory.
  * log on to the server somehow (using some other account, using a password,
    su-ing in, etc) and delete `~/.ssh/authorized_keys`.  Rename or move aside
    `~/.gitolite` so that also looks like it is missing.
  * back on your workstation, make sure you have 2 keypairs (`id_rsa` and
    `sitaram`, along with corresponding `.pub` files).  Create them if needed.
    Also make sure they are *different* and not a copy of each other :-)
  * install gitolite normally:
      * run `ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub git@server` to get passwordless
        access to the server.  (Mac users may have to do this step manually)
      * make sure `ssh git@server pwd` prints the `$HOME` of `git@server`
        **without** asking for a password.  Do not proceed till this works.
      * run easy install again, (in my case: `cd gitolite-source;
        src/gl-easy-install -q git server sitaram`)
  * go to your gitolite-admin repo clone, and copy `conf/gitolite.conf` and
    `keydir/*.pub` from your backup to this directory
  * copy (be sure to overwrite!) `~/.ssh/sitaram.pub` also to keydir
  * now `git add keydir; git commit; git push -f`

That's a long sequence but it should work.

<a name="_problems_with_using_non_openssh_public_keys"></a>

### problems with using non-openssh public keys

Gitolite accepts public keys only in openssh format.  Trying to use an "ssh2"
key (used by proprietary SSH software) results in:

    WARNING: a pubkey file can only have one line (key); ignoring YourName.pub

To convert ssh2-compatible keys to openssh run:

    ssh-keygen -i -f /tmp/ssh2/YourName.pub > /tmp/openssh/YourName.pub

then use the resulting pubkey as you normally would in gitolite.

<a name="_windows_issues"></a>

### windows issues

On windows, I have only used msysgit, and the openssh that comes with it.
Over time, I have grown to distrust putty/plink due to the number of people
who seem to have trouble when those beasts are involved (I myself have never
used them for any kind of git access).  If you have unusual ssh problems that
just don't seem to have any explanation, try removing all traces of
putty/plink, including environment variables, etc., and then try again.

If you can offer an *authoritative* account of the complications involved, and
how to resolve them and get things working, I'd be happy to credit you and
include it, either directly here if it is short enough or just an external
link, or in contrib/ if it's a longer piece of text.

<a name="_details"></a>

### details

Here's how it all hangs together.

<a name="_files_on_the_server"></a>

#### files on the server

  * the authkeys file; this contains one line containing the pubkey of each
    user who is permitted to login without a password.

    Pubkey lines that give shell access look like this:

        ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC[snip]uPjrUiAUew== /home/sitaram/.ssh/id_rsa

    On a typical server there will be only one or two of these lines.

    Note that the last bit (`/home/sitaram/.ssh/id_rsa`) is purely a *comment*
    field and can be anything.  Also, the actual lines are much longer, about
    400 characters; I snipped 'em in the middle, as you can see.

    In contrast, pubkey lines that give access to git repos hosted by gitolite
    look like this:

        command="[some path]src/gl-auth-command sitaram",[some restrictions] ssh-rsa AAAAB3NzaC[snip]s18OnB42oQ== sitaram@sita-lt

    You will have many more of these lines -- one for every pubkey file in
    `keydir/` of your gitolite-admin repo, with the corresponding username in
    place of "sitaram" in the example above.

    The "command=" at the beginning ensures that when someone with the
    corresponding private key logs in, they don't get a shell.  Instead, the
    `gl-auth-command` program is run, and (in this example) is given the
    argument `sitaram`.  This is how gitolite is invoked, (and is told the
    user logging in is "sitaram").

<a name="_files_on_client"></a>

#### files on client

  * default keypair; used to get shell access to servers.  You would have
    copied this pubkey to the gitolite server in order to log in without a
    password.  (On Linux systems you may have used `ssh-copy-id` to do that).
    You would have done this *before* you ran the easy install script, because
    otherwise easy install won't run!

        ~/.ssh/id_rsa
        ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

  * gitolite keypair; the "sitaram" in this is the 3rd argument to the
    `src/gl-easy-install` command you ran; the easy install script does the
    rest

        ~/.ssh/sitaram
        ~/.ssh/sitaram.pub

  * config file; this file has an entry for gitolite access if you install
    usine the "from-client" method.  (See above for example "host gitolite"
    para in the ssh config file).

    This is needed because this is the only way to force git to use a
    non-default keypair (unlike command line ssh, which can be given the `-i
    ~/.ssh/sitaram` flag to do so).

<a name="_some_other_tips_and_tricks"></a>

### some other tips and tricks

<a name="_giving_shell_access_to_gitolite_users"></a>

#### giving shell access to gitolite users

We've managed (thanks to an idea from Jesse Keating) to make it possible for a
single key to allow both gitolite access *and* shell access.

This is done by copying the pubkey (to which you want to give shell access) to
the server and running either

    cd $HOME/.gitolite  # assuming default $GL_ADMINDIR in ~/.gitolite.rc
    src/gl-tool shell-add ~/foo.pub

or

    gl-tool shell-add ~/foo.pub

The first method is applicable if you installed using the **from-client**
method, while the second method is for any of the other three (see
doc/1-INSTALL.mkd, section on "install methods", for more on this)

**IMPORTANT UPGRADE NOTE**: previous implementations of this feature were
crap.  There was no easy/elegant way to ensure that someone who had repo admin
access would not manage to get himself shell access.

Giving someone shell access requires that you should have shell access in the
first place, so the simplest way is to enable it from the server side only.

<a name="_losing_your_admin_key"></a>

#### losing your admin key

If you lost the admin key, and need to re-establish ownership of the
gitolite-admin repository with a fresh key, take a look at the
`src/gl-dont-panic` program.  You will need shell access to the server of
course.  Run it without arguments to get instructions.

<a name="_simulating_ssh_copy_id"></a>

#### simulating ssh-copy-id

don't have `ssh-copy-id`?  This is broadly what that command does, if you want
to replicate it manually.  The input is your pubkey, typically
`~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub` from your client/workstation.

  * it copies it to the server as some file

  * it appends that file to `~/.ssh/authorized_keys` on the server
    (creating it if it doesn't already exist)

  * it then makes sure that all these files/directories have go-w perms
    set (assuming user is "git"):

        /home/git/.ssh/authorized_keys
        /home/git/.ssh
        /home/git

[Actually, `sshd` requires that even directories *above* `~` (`/`, `/home`,
typically) also must be `go-w`, but that needs root.  And typically
they're already set that way anyway.  (Or if they're not, you've got
bigger problems than gitolite install not working!)]

[doc9gas]: http://sitaramc.github.com/gitolite/doc/gitolite-and-ssh.html
[install]: http://sitaramc.github.com/gitolite/doc/1-INSTALL.html
[o3]: http://sitaramc.github.com/gitolite/doc/1-INSTALL.html#methods
[fc]: http://sitaramc.github.com/gitolite/doc/1-INSTALL.html#fc
[urls]: http://sitaramc.github.com/gitolite/doc/1-INSTALL.html#URLs_for_gitolite_managed_repos
[repout]: http://sitaramc.github.com/gitolite/doc/report-output.html
[transcript]: http://sitaramc.github.com/gitolite/doc/install-transcript.html
[openssh56]: http://www.openssh.org/txt/release-5.6
[tut]: http://sites.google.com/site/senawario/home/gitolite-tutorial