OpenSSH for AIX 4.3.3 unavailable?

Christian Holzapfel

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Nov 22, 2021, 10:45:47 AM11/22/21

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They say the internet never forgets, but...

I heard that

openssh-3.*.aix4.3.ppc.rpm
openssh-clients-3.*.aix4.3.ppc.rpm
openssh-server-3.*.aix4.3.ppc.rpm

once were available for download from IBM's AIX TOOLbox Cryptographic Content, after registration.
Today the site is down and the Cryptographic Content is unavailable. Archive.org is of no help there.

openssh-3.7.1.0.bff is available through
https://web.archive.org/web/20061209222024/http://www.bullfreeware.com/listaix43.html
but the openssh-clients- and -server- are not.

Are there copies still floating around?

Cheers,
Christian

Thomas Jahns

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Nov 23, 2021, 9:35:40 AM11/23/21

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In my experience, this site provided (and perhaps continues to provide) freeware
compiled for AIX:

https://www.perzl.org/aix/

unless you really need 4.3.3 at which point I'd recommend to use a serial
connnection through some more up-to-date hardware like a raspberry pi.

Thomas

Christian Holzapfel

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Nov 23, 2021, 9:50:16 AM11/23/21

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Hi Thomas,
glad to hear someone's still active here.
That's a useful site, definitely worth a dump.
But no OpenSSH unfortunately, and nothing for AIX 4.3.3. All starting at 5.1.

I'm aware of the security issues of these old SSH implementations, and I consider it for inhouse remote tinkering only - definitely not a sensitive application.

If I get desperate enough, I might give the Raspi a try...

Christian

Grant Taylor

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Nov 23, 2021, 11:14:36 AM11/23/21

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On 11/23/21 7:50 AM, Christian Holzapfel wrote:
> I'm aware of the security issues of these old SSH implementations,
> and I consider it for inhouse remote tinkering only - definitely not
> a sensitive application.

Do you /need/ to SSH /to/ AIX running on the RS/6000? Or could you SSH
to /something/ and have it initiate an unencrypted connection to AIX?

If the latter will work for you, consider something like the following:

# ssh -W ${AIX_IP}:${AIX_PORT} ${SSH_BASTION}

That will ssh to the SSH_BASTION and establish a TCP connection to
AIX_PORT on AIX_IP. Thus your /client/ computer initiates an SSH
connection to the SSH_BASTION and subsequently sees the connection
similar as if it had done a telnet all the way to the AIX machine. I
think this is a decent intermediate bridge solution that means a modern
client is only using standard SSH connections.

--
Grant. . . .
unix || die

Michael Kraemer @ home

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Nov 25, 2021, 1:10:33 PM11/25/21

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Christian Holzapfel wrote:
> They say the internet never forgets, but...
>
> I heard that
>
> openssh-3.*.aix4.3.ppc.rpm
> openssh-clients-3.*.aix4.3.ppc.rpm
> openssh-server-3.*.aix4.3.ppc.rpm
>
> once were available for download from IBM's AIX TOOLbox Cryptographic Content, after registration.

are you sure?
I don't remember openssh ever was available on the toolbox CDs.
For AIX 5+ it came on the Expansion pack CDs and eventually IBM
managed to put it on the OS media.
I run a 4.3.3 box with ssh client and server,
istr it is the Bull version.

Christian Holzapfel

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Nov 30, 2021, 1:30:34 PM11/30/21

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Hi guys,
turns out I was wrong.

Installing
zlib-1.1.4-3.aix4.3.ppc.rpm
prngd-0.9.23-3.aix4.3.ppc.rpm
openssl-0.9.6.7.bff
openssh-3.7.1.0.bff

is enough.

Thank you for your input...