ssh tunnel (one more time)

ssh tunnel (one more time)

[Michael Piotrowski]

Hi,

I'm trying to use ssh with nntp-open-rlogin in the gnus-select-method
(instead of setting up a tunnel by starting ssh manually, as I'm
currently doing it):

   (setq gnus-select-method
         '(nntp "newsserver"
                (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
                (nntp-address "intermediate-host")
                (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
                (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
                (nntp-rlogin-parameters
                 ("-x" "telnet" "newsserver" "nntp"))))

When I start gnus with this select method, it hangs while trying to
fetch the list of newsgroups from the server.  However, when I start
gnus with gnus-no-server and then use `j' in the Group buffer
everything works as it should.

I know that the connection works.  I know that the select method is
ok, otherwise gnus-group-jump-to-group wouldn't work, right?  I seem
to remember that I once had it working with an older version of Gnus,
and it seems to work for other people, too.  Any ideas what the
problem could be?

Thanks in advance

-- 
Michael Piotrowski, M.A. <m.piotrowski@springer.de>
Electronic Technologies, Springer-Verlag Heidelberg

Re: ssh tunnel (one more time)

[Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen]

Michael Piotrowski <m.piotrowski@springer.de> writes:

>    (setq gnus-select-method
>          '(nntp "newsserver"
>                 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
>                 (nntp-address "intermediate-host")
>                 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
>                 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
>                 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
>                  ("-x" "telnet" "newsserver" "nntp"))))

Remove the "-x", and things will probably work better.

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
  larsi@gnus.org * Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen

Re: ssh tunnel (one more time)

[Andrew Markebo]

/ Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen <larsi@gnus.org> wrote:
| Michael Piotrowski <m.piotrowski@springer.de> writes:
| 
| >    (setq gnus-select-method
| >          '(nntp "newsserver"
| >                 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
| >                 (nntp-address "intermediate-host")
| >                 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
| >                 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
| >                 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
| >                  ("-x" "telnet" "newsserver" "nntp"))))
| 
| Remove the "-x", and things will probably work better.

Uhm:

     -x   Disables X11 forwarding.  This can also be specified on
          a per-host basis in a configuration file.

Why would removing -x fix the problem?

I have no problems with my config:

(nntp "news2.asus.com.tw"
      (nntp-address "salt") 
      (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
      (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
      (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
      (nntp-rlogin-parameters
       ("-x" "-C" "telnet" "-8" "news2.asus.com.tw" "nntp")))

I use it in foreign groups instead of the 'main' select-method.. 

Just another thought.. you need ssh-agent to be running, and a
password to be set for the intermediate-host (salt in my case)

	/Andy

Re: ssh tunnel (one more time)

[Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen]

Andrew Markebo <andy.eskilsson@telelogic.se> writes:

> Why would removing -x fix the problem?

Sorry; brain meltdown.

> Just another thought.. you need ssh-agent to be running, and a
> password to be set for the intermediate-host (salt in my case)

Well, salt has to have the required "authorized_keys".  

-- 
(domestic pets only, the antidote for overdose, milk.)
  larsi@gnus.org * Lars Magne Ingebrigtsen

Re: ssh tunnel (one more time)

[Randal L. Schwartz]

>>>>> "Michael" == Michael Piotrowski <m.piotrowski@springer.de> writes:

Michael> Hi,
Michael> I'm trying to use ssh with nntp-open-rlogin in the gnus-select-method
Michael> (instead of setting up a tunnel by starting ssh manually, as I'm
Michael> currently doing it):

Michael>    (setq gnus-select-method
Michael>          '(nntp "newsserver"
Michael>                 (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
Michael>                 (nntp-address "intermediate-host")
Michael>                 (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
Michael>                 (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
Michael>                 (nntp-rlogin-parameters
Michael>                  ("-x" "telnet" "newsserver" "nntp"))))

Michael> When I start gnus with this select method, it hangs while trying to
Michael> fetch the list of newsgroups from the server.  However, when I start
Michael> gnus with gnus-no-server and then use `j' in the Group buffer
Michael> everything works as it should.

Michael> I know that the connection works.  I know that the select method is
Michael> ok, otherwise gnus-group-jump-to-group wouldn't work, right?  I seem
Michael> to remember that I once had it working with an older version of Gnus,
Michael> and it seems to work for other people, too.  Any ideas what the
Michael> problem could be?

Something to always test would be going to a commandline and typing:

    ssh newsserver -x date

and making sure that the date and *only* the date comes out.

And once that works:

    ssh newsserver -x telnet newsserver nntp

should give you the NNTP connection message.

-- 
Name: Randal L. Schwartz / Stonehenge Consulting Services (503)777-0095
Keywords: Perl training, UNIX[tm] consulting, video production, skiing, flying
Email: <merlyn@stonehenge.com> Snail: (Call) PGP-Key: (finger merlyn@teleport.com)
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Quote: "I'm telling you, if I could have five lines in my .sig, I would!" -- me

Re: ssh tunnel (one more time)

[Andrew Markebo]

| 
| > Just another thought.. you need ssh-agent to be running, and a
| > password to be set for the intermediate-host (salt in my case)
| 
| Well, salt has to have the required "authorized_keys".  

Yep should have written something like "you should be able to do a ssh
intermediate-host without entering any password"..

	/Andy

Re: ssh tunnel (one more time)

[Michael Piotrowski]

First, thanks to everybody who replied--unfortunately, I haven't
solved the problem yet.

merlyn@stonehenge.com (Randal L. Schwartz) writes:

> Something to always test would be going to a commandline and typing:
> 
>     ssh newsserver -x date
> 
> and making sure that the date and *only* the date comes out.
> 
> And once that works:
> 
>     ssh newsserver -x telnet newsserver nntp
> 
> should give you the NNTP connection message.

That's exactly what's driving me nuts; it works on the command line,
but not in .gnus:

   $ ssh intermediate-host -x -C telnet -8 news2.asus.com.tw nntp
   Trying 192.72.126.3...
   Connected to news2.asus.com.tw.
   Escape character is '^]'.
   200 asustek2.asus.com.tw InterNetNews NNRP server INN 1.7.2 08-Dec-1997 ready (posting ok).
   LIST
   215 Newsgroups in form "group high low flags".
   asus.support.english.multimedia 0000012755 0000000001 y
   asus.support.english.mainboard 0000006851 0000000001 y
   asus.support.english.notebook 0000000917 0000000001 y
   asus.support.english.server 0000000423 0000000001 y
   asus.support.chinese.multimedia 0000003918 0000000001 y
   asus.support.chinese.mainboard 0000002418 0000000001 y
   asus.support.chinese.notebook 0000000652 0000000002 y
   asus.support.chinese.server 0000000070 0000000005 y
   asus.support.english.mainboard.p2lx 0000001307 0000000001 y
   asus.support.english.mainboard.p2bx 0000019674 0000000001 y
   asus.support.english.mainboard.p5 0000011143 0000000001 y
   asus.support.chinese.mainboard.p2lx 0000000402 0000000001 y
   asus.support.chinese.mainboard.p2bx 0000002141 0000000001 y
   asus.support.chinese.mainboard.p5 0000003016 0000000001 y
   .
   QUIT
   205 .
   Connection closed by foreign host.
   $ 

So, the following select method should work as well, especially if it
works for everybody else, right?

   (setq gnus-select-method
         '(nntp "news2.asus.com.tw"
                (nntp-address "intermediate-host") 
                (nntp-open-connection-function nntp-open-rlogin)
                (nntp-rlogin-program "ssh")
                (nntp-end-of-line "\n")
                (nntp-rlogin-parameters
                 ("-x" "-C" "telnet" "-8" "news2.asus.com.tw" "nntp"))))

-- 
Michael Piotrowski, M.A. <m.piotrowski@springer.de>
Electronic Technologies, Springer-Verlag Heidelberg

Re: ssh tunnel (one more time)

[Andrew Markebo]

Just a small note, I had to change my intermediate host from a Solaris
machine to a Linux machine and I am starting to have problems..

It works wonderfully on the commandline, but from within gnus.. it
just hangs.. I will try to do some port debugging.. 

Sometimes it gets info from one group.. and halts.. 

	/Andy

Re: ssh tunnel (one more time) Solution?

[Andrew Markebo]

I did a sniff on the connection between the intermediate computer and
the newsserver, and voila you can see what happened below, switching
from telnet to the utility tcpconnect, found in the tcputils package
at:
	ftp://ftp.lysator.liu.se/pub/unix/tcputils/

Made it all work again. Seems to be some problems with the Linux
telnet.

	/Andy

What I did was entered comp.periphs.printers, catchup and waited a
while, then tried to enter another group and something went wrong.. 

[...]
:53:31 GMT      <19990713135331.12220.00002755@ng-fs1.aol.com>          1365    12      Xref: 
news.ifm.liu.se comp.periphs.printers:160695
< 160696        HP Deskjet Auction      "Marc Rodstein" <mrodstein@avweb.com>   Tue, 13 Jul 19
99 13:51:38 -0400       <z6Li3.278$o86.38@ns1.megalink.net>             1030    8       Xref: 
news.ifm.liu.se comp.periphs.printers:160696
< .
            #wait a small while, try to enter alt.security.scramdisk

> GROUP ÿôÿý
> lt.security.scrÿôÿýmdisk
< 411 No such group ÿôÿýlt.security.scrÿôÿýmdisk
> ÿûÿû

Gnus Hangs.. 

Re: ssh tunnel (one more time) Solution?

[Stainless Steel Rat]

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Hash: SHA1

* Andrew Markebo <andy.eskilsson@telelogic.se>  on Tue, 13 Jul 1999
| Made it all work again. Seems to be some problems with the Linux
| telnet.

I've never seen such.  But then, I use nc for this kind of thing.
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Comment: For info see http://www.gnupg.org

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-- 
Rat <ratinox@peorth.gweep.net>    \ If Happy Fun Ball begins to smoke, get
Minion of Nathan - Nathan says Hi! \ away immediately. Seek shelter and cover
PGP Key: at a key server near you!  \ head.

Re: ssh tunnel (one more time) Solution?

[Michael Piotrowski]

Andrew Markebo <andy.eskilsson@telelogic.se> writes:

> I did a sniff on the connection between the intermediate computer and
> the newsserver, and voila you can see what happened below, switching
> from telnet to the utility tcpconnect, found in the tcputils package
> at:
> 	ftp://ftp.lysator.liu.se/pub/unix/tcputils/
> 
> Made it all work again. Seems to be some problems with the Linux
> telnet.

Hey, that did the trick for me, too--thanks a lot for your efforts!
My intermediate host is also running Linux, so it very much seems that
the Linux telnet is the problem.  It might be a new "feature"--back
then when it worked via this machine it was still running an older
version of Linux.

Greetings

-- 
Michael Piotrowski, M.A. <m.piotrowski@springer.de>
Electronic Technologies, Springer-Verlag Heidelberg