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Subversion with public key authentication

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James Peacock

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Feb 20, 2011, 9:27:11 AM2/20/11
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I am attempting to use the subversion port at
http://www.cp15.org/networking with the svn+ssh connection method and
public key authentication. I get the error:

> No supported authentication methods left to try!
> svn: Unable to start SSH: Socket error while authenticating

Presumably because the svn client it isn't using the correct private
key. Note, I can connect to the server using the OpenSSH port's 'ssh'
and, after converting the private key, using the Putty post's 'plink',
so I do have the correct key.

But, I can't figure out how to tell the Putty SSH in svn which private
key to use.

Any ideas?

James

Theo Markettos

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Feb 20, 2011, 11:05:43 AM2/20/11
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James Peacock <j.peaco...@googlemail.com> wrote:
> Presumably because the svn client it isn't using the correct private
> key. Note, I can connect to the server using the OpenSSH port's 'ssh'
> and, after converting the private key, using the Putty post's 'plink',
> so I do have the correct key.
>
> But, I can't figure out how to tell the Putty SSH in svn which private
> key to use.

The easiest way to set up extra options to PuTTY is to create a saved
session with a particular name in the GUI, and then supply that as the
hostname. ie 'plink example' will first check if there's a profile called
'example', and if not try to connect to a machine called 'example'. That
means you don't have to supply lots of extra options to commands like svn
that aren't expecting them.

In my SSH ports (which are so out of date it isn't funny) I put the
configuration files in Choices:Crypto.*
In the Unix versions of PuTTY, they go in ~/.putty, which translates to
!UnixHome.home.putty

Depending on how Christian has adapted PuTTY, I'd have a look in those
places.

You might be able to persuade my RISC OS GUI PuTTY port to get as far as
creating a saved session, otherwise either make the profile on another Unix
machine, or grab a saved session file from somewhere else and edit it.

Theo

James Peacock

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Feb 20, 2011, 1:22:11 PM2/20/11
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Theo Markettos wrote:

> James Peacock <j.peaco...@googlemail.com> wrote:
>> Presumably because the svn client it isn't using the correct private
>> key. Note, I can connect to the server using the OpenSSH port's 'ssh'
>> and, after converting the private key, using the Putty post's 'plink',
>> so I do have the correct key.
>>
>> But, I can't figure out how to tell the Putty SSH in svn which private
>> key to use.
>
> The easiest way to set up extra options to PuTTY is to create a saved
> session with a particular name in the GUI, and then supply that as the
> hostname. ie 'plink example' will first check if there's a profile called
> 'example', and if not try to connect to a machine called 'example'. That
> means you don't have to supply lots of extra options to commands like svn
> that aren't expecting them.

That would be ideal.

It works for plink, which seems to look in ~/.putty. It doesn't work
for svn, which I think looks in Choices:Crypto.PuTTY (that's where it
writes the sshhostkeys file to). I have a profile called 'yyy' in:

ADFS::HardDisc4.$.!Boot.Choices.!UnixHome.home./putty.sessions.yyy
ADFS::HardDisc4.$.!Boot.Choices.Crypto.PuTTY.sessions.yyy

*svn co svn+ssh://svn@yyy/riscos
svn: Unable to start SSH: Host does not exist

James

Theo Markettos

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Feb 20, 2011, 3:23:07 PM2/20/11
to
James Peacock <j.peaco...@googlemail.com> wrote:
> That would be ideal.
>
> It works for plink, which seems to look in ~/.putty. It doesn't work
> for svn, which I think looks in Choices:Crypto.PuTTY (that's where it
> writes the sshhostkeys file to). I have a profile called 'yyy' in:
>
> ADFS::HardDisc4.$.!Boot.Choices.!UnixHome.home./putty.sessions.yyy
> ADFS::HardDisc4.$.!Boot.Choices.Crypto.PuTTY.sessions.yyy
>
> *svn co svn+ssh://svn@yyy/riscos
> svn: Unable to start SSH: Host does not exist

Hmmm... I would have a poke around the source and see where it's looking:
http://svn.cp15.org/libraries/sshlib/

This appears to be the relevant file:
http://svn.cp15.org/libraries/sshlib/unix/rostore.c

Theo

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