Re: [gentoo-user] Problems setting up sshd on an installation kernel

["Walter Dnes" <waltdnes@waltdnes.org>]

On Sun, Dec 06, 2009 at 02:48:36PM +0000, Alan Mackenzie wrote
> Hi, folks!
> 
> I'm trying to get sshd working on an embryonic Gentoo installation on my
> laptop.  The reason is that I want to ssh from my nice comfy desktop
> system into this laptop to do the rest of the installation stuff.
> 
> The installation kernel with which I'm having problems is:
> Linux livecd 2.6.30-gentoo-r8 #1 SMP Tue Nov 3 11:40:51 UTC 2009.
> 
> Having started sshd on my laptop, when I do
> 
>     ssh -lroot 192.168.2.101
> 
> from my desktop, I get prompted for my ssh key's pass phrase, which I
> enter.  Thereafter, nothing happens, and it continues to happen for a
> long, long time.

  Has your install gotten to the stage where you can chroot and emerge
and unmerge.  If so, I would suggest the following...
  1) unmerge pam.  *DO NOT LOGOUT OR REBOOT*
  2) put the line
sys-libs/pam
     in /etc/portage/package.mask Create the file if it doesn't exist.
  3) emerge shadow *BEFORE YOU LOG OUT OR REBOOT*.

  Pam is an extra-high-security option that makes sense on a public
server with lots of people being able to log in.  On a personal laptop
it is overkill.  There was a comedy album once that was called...
"Everything You Know Is Wrong".  That describes Pam.  The security
settings for various services are in totally different files and
locations than normal.

  Are you still booting from the install CD? The way you are running
sshd is not how the install manual suggests to do it.  The webpage...
http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/handbook/handbook-x86.xml?part=1&chap=2
shows that you can pass the kernel options...

dosshd passwd=temppassword

at bootup, where "temppassword" is a temporary password.  This allows
you to log in by typing the temporary password.

-- 
Walter Dnes <waltdnes@waltdnes.org>