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Date:      02 Jun 2005 12:45:57 -0400
From:      Lowell Gilbert <freebsd-questions-local@be-well.ilk.org>
To:        freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Cc:        Giorgos Keramidas <keramida@ceid.upatras.gr>, "writes:"@be-well.ilk.org
Subject:   Re: can't figure out ssh, read lots of docs...
Message-ID:  <44mzq8lnay.fsf@be-well.ilk.org>
In-Reply-To: <20050602161621.GB2778@orion.daedalusnetworks.priv>
References:  <200506011449.45455.FreeBSD@InsightBB.com> <429E0B57.2070701@scls.lib.wi.us> <20050601203839.GH21127@gentoo-npk.bmp.ub> <20050601235056.GA1597@gothmog.gr> <44u0kgesd4.fsf@be-well.ilk.org> <20050602161621.GB2778@orion.daedalusnetworks.priv>

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Giorgos Keramidas <keramida@ceid.upatras.gr> writes:

> On 2005-06-02 10:38, Lowell Gilbert <freebsd-questions-local@be-well.ilk.org> wrote:

> > The original poster wanted to do automated backups via scp.  This kind
> > of application *requires* empty passphrases
> 
> Nope.  scp works fine with a pass-phrase too, if one uses ssh-agent
> properly, regardless of the remote user being root or not.

You're recommending leaving an ssh-agent instance running unattended
instead of having a passphrase-less key?  That just means you have to
protect the agent's socket as carefully as you would have to protect
the unencrypted key file.  

I guess what I should have said was that such an application requires
an unencrypted key sitting around.  You are right: there *are* ways to
give access to the key other than empty passphrases.  The only real
disadvantage of the agent approach is that the key becomes
inaccessible when the system reboots.



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