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ssh config file not working as I think the man page describes

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  ssh config file not working as I think the man page describes Chris Green <cl@isbd.net> - 2024-11-13 15:00 +0100
    Re: ssh config file not working as I think the man page describes Greg Wooledge <greg@wooledge.org> - 2024-11-13 15:30 +0100
    Re: ssh config file not working as I think the man page describes Chris Green <cl@isbd.net> - 2024-11-13 16:30 +0100

#274512 — ssh config file not working as I think the man page describes

I have quite a long ~/.ssh/config file.

I have been trying to rationalise it a bit and share bits that are
common to several systems.  So I have two sections referring to a
host that I call 'caracal', the first is:-

    #
    #
    # Mythic Beasts hosting
    #
    Host mb caracal
        HostName caracal.mythic-beasts.com
        User chrisisbd
        
... and at the end of ~/.ssh/config:-

    #
    #
    # Options shared by non-root systems
    #
    Host cheddar halon caracal mb hostinger oasis41
        PermitLocalCommand=yes
        LocalCommand rsync --update --delete -a ~/.cfg/ %h:.cfg/
        AddKeysToAgent=yes

    #
    #
    # 'global' options
    #
    Host *
    User chris
~
~

So, to my mind when I enter 'ssh caracal' at the command line the user
name used by ssh should be chrisisbd as that's the first value for
User that applies to caracal in the config file.  But this isn't what
happens, the user is set to 'chris':-

    chris$ ssh caracal
    chris@caracal.mythic-beasts.com's password: 

        
The man page for ssh_config says, right at the start: "For each
parameter, the first obtained value will be used.".  The caracal entry
in the config file has definitely been found as ssh is trying to
connect to caracal.mythic-beasts.com but the 'User chrisisbd' seems to
be overriden by the 'User chris' at the bottom of the config file.
Surely this isn't what the man page says?


There is also another minor ambiguity that I don't quite understand.
Near the top of the man page for 'Host' is says: "If more than one
pattern is provided, they should be separated by whitespace." but in
'PATTERNS' at the bottom it says: "A pattern-list is a comma-separated
list of patterns."  

-- 
Chris Green

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#274514

On Wed, Nov 13, 2024 at 13:56:11 +0000, Chris Green wrote:
> ... and at the end of ~/.ssh/config:-
>     #
>     # 'global' options
>     #
>     Host *
>     User chris
> ~
> ~

>     chris$ ssh caracal
>     chris@caracal.mythic-beasts.com's password: 

So put the "Host *" section at the top instead of at the bottom.

>         
> The man page for ssh_config says, right at the start: "For each
> parameter, the first obtained value will be used.".

Look at the context, though.  That sentence comes right after a list
of the files that are searched.  I would assume that it only refers to
parameters that occur in multiple files.

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#274515

Chris Green <cl@isbd.net> wrote:
> I have quite a long ~/.ssh/config file.
> 
> I have been trying to rationalise it a bit and share bits that are
> common to several systems.  So I have two sections referring to a
> host that I call 'caracal', the first is:-
> 
>     #
>     #
>     # Mythic Beasts hosting
>     #
>     Host mb caracal
>         HostName caracal.mythic-beasts.com
>         User chrisisbd
>         
> ... and at the end of ~/.ssh/config:-
> 
>     #
>     #
>     # Options shared by non-root systems
>     #
>     Host cheddar halon caracal mb hostinger oasis41
>         PermitLocalCommand=yes
>         LocalCommand rsync --update --delete -a ~/.cfg/ %h:.cfg/
>         AddKeysToAgent=yes
> 
>     #
>     #
>     # 'global' options
>     #
>     Host *
>     User chris
> ~
> ~
> 
> So, to my mind when I enter 'ssh caracal' at the command line the user
> name used by ssh should be chrisisbd as that's the first value for
> User that applies to caracal in the config file.  But this isn't what
> happens, the user is set to 'chris':-
> 
>     chris$ ssh caracal
>     chris@caracal.mythic-beasts.com's password: 
> 
>         
> The man page for ssh_config says, right at the start: "For each
> parameter, the first obtained value will be used.".  The caracal entry
> in the config file has definitely been found as ssh is trying to
> connect to caracal.mythic-beasts.com but the 'User chrisisbd' seems to
> be overriden by the 'User chris' at the bottom of the config file.
> Surely this isn't what the man page says?
> 
It turned out that it was working as it should!  What was confusing me
was that "LocalCommand rsync --update --delete -a ~/.cfg/ %h:.cfg/",
it was *that* using 'chris' rather than 'chrisisbd'.  It was a simple
enough thing to fix, change it to:-
    LocalCommand rsync --update --delete -a ~/.cfg/ %r@%h:.cfg/

%r is the 'remote user name' as was needed.

I.e the initial ssh was using 'chrisisbd' as it should, then the
LocalCommand was using 'chris' and failed.  When configured correctly
I only get asked for the passphrase once because of the AddKeysToAgent
setting.

Sorry for the noise.

-- 
Chris Green
·

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