From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG  Thu Jun  2 16:45:59 2005
Return-Path: <owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG>
X-Original-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125])
	by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id CB3D916A41C
	for <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>;
	Thu,  2 Jun 2005 16:45:59 +0000 (GMT)
	(envelope-from freebsd-questions-local@be-well.ilk.org)
Received: from mail27.sea5.speakeasy.net (mail27.sea5.speakeasy.net
	[69.17.117.29]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 795E243D1D
	for <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>;
	Thu,  2 Jun 2005 16:45:59 +0000 (GMT)
	(envelope-from freebsd-questions-local@be-well.ilk.org)
Received: (qmail 28275 invoked from network); 2 Jun 2005 16:45:59 -0000
Received: from dsl092-078-145.bos1.dsl.speakeasy.net (HELO be-well.ilk.org)
	([66.92.78.145])
	(envelope-sender <freebsd-questions-local@be-well.ilk.org>)
	by mail27.sea5.speakeasy.net (qmail-ldap-1.03) with SMTP
	for <keramida@ceid.upatras.gr>; 2 Jun 2005 16:45:59 -0000
Received: by be-well.ilk.org (Postfix, from userid 1147)
	id D340030; Thu,  2 Jun 2005 12:45:57 -0400 (EDT)
Sender: lowell@be-well.ilk.org
To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
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>
From: Lowell Gilbert <freebsd-questions-local@be-well.ilk.org>
Date: 02 Jun 2005 12:45:57 -0400
In-Reply-To: <20050602161621.GB2778@orion.daedalusnetworks.priv>
Message-ID: <44mzq8lnay.fsf@be-well.ilk.org>
Lines: 20
User-Agent: Gnus/5.09 (Gnus v5.9.0) Emacs/21.3
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Cc: Giorgos Keramidas <keramida@ceid.upatras.gr>, "writes:"@be-well.ilk.org
Subject: Re: can't figure out ssh, read lots of docs...
X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5
Precedence: list
Reply-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
List-Id: User questions <freebsd-questions.freebsd.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions>, 
	<mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-questions>
List-Post: <mailto:freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>
List-Help: <mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions>, 
	<mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 02 Jun 2005 16:45:59 -0000

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.