Subject line says it all. I couldn't find an on-line bug database to check whether this has already been reported. I'm testing openssh-2.1.1p2 on Linux. Perhaps this isn't a bug, but it's certainly an incompatibility with "SSH Version 2.0.13", which I want to replace, and I can't find another way of achieving what I currently do with: $ ssh -C -f user at host -L 12345:host:110 sleep 100000000 Of course, I'd rather do something like: $ ssh -C -f user at host -L 12345:host:110 -N But that gets: "Cannot fork into background without a command to execute." So I think that's perhaps a separate bug: I think -f -N ought to work. Please copy replies to me. I'm not subscribed. I'd be happy to test a patch. Edmund