openssh unix dev - Jul 2001 - Changes 2.5.2p2 -> 2.9p2

Hi,

Appologies for a possibly inexact bug report but I've noticed a change
in behaviour from openssh version 2.5.2p2 to 2.9p2.

One of my many uses for openssh is setting up a secure tunnel from
my home machine to an external mail server and using fetchmail over
said tunnel. When done in this manner fetchmail actually starts up
openssh. 

When I moved from 2.5.2p2 -> 2.9p2 (both compiled form source) the
previously working process started failing. No config files were
changed at the time.

Fetchmail had this to say:

fetchmail: 5.3.3 querying imap.xxxxxx.xxx (protocol IMAP) at Sat, 07 Jul 2001
15:33:01 +1000 (EST)
ssh_askpass: exec(/usr/local/libexec/ssh-askpass): No such file or directory
fetchmail: pre-connection command failed with status 13
fetchmail: Query status=5 (SYNTAX)
fetchmail: terminated with signal 15

Reverting back to 2.5.2p2 and fetchmail worked again.

I understand that this is one of the many common uses of openssh
and wouldn't like to see it permanently broken.

Cheers,
Erik

PS: I'm not subscribed to this list so email me directly for more info.
-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Erik de Castro Lopo     nospam at mega-nerd.com      (Yes its valid)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
J. Headley: "God, root, what is difference ?"
G. Haverland: "God can change the byte order on the CPU, root
can't."

On Sun, 8 Jul 2001, Erik de Castro Lopo wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Appologies for a possibly inexact bug report but I've noticed a change
> in behaviour from openssh version 2.5.2p2 to 2.9p2.
>
> One of my many uses for openssh is setting up a secure tunnel from
> my home machine to an external mail server and using fetchmail over
> said tunnel. When done in this manner fetchmail actually starts up
> openssh.
>
> When I moved from 2.5.2p2 -> 2.9p2 (both compiled form source) the
> previously working process started failing. No config files were
> changed at the time.
>
> Fetchmail had this to say:
>
> fetchmail: 5.3.3 querying imap.xxxxxx.xxx (protocol IMAP) at Sat, 07 Jul
2001 15:33:01 +1000 (EST)
> ssh_askpass: exec(/usr/local/libexec/ssh-askpass): No such file or
directory
It looks like ssh is needing a passphrase to a public key here. You
should either add your public key to the agent or use a key with not
passphrase and a forced command on the imap server.

This following is what I use for exactly this scenario.

.fetchmailrc ---

poll mail.xxxx.xxx protocol IMAP plugin "ssh -i
/home/djm/.ssh/id_rsa_fetchmail %h /usr/local/libexec/imapd" password
whatever

mail.xxxx.xxx:~/.ssh/authorized_keys2 ---

command="/usr/local/libexec/imapd",no-port-forwarding,no-x11-forwarding,no-agent-forwarding,no-pty
ssh-rsa AAAAB3Nza..[my pubkey]..cjjk= djm at mindrot.org fetchmail key

-----------------------------

-d

-- 
| Damien Miller <djm at mindrot.org> \ ``E-mail attachments are the poor
man's
| http://www.mindrot.org          /   distributed filesystem'' - Dan
Geer