.ssh/config file for windows (git)

Question

I've been looking for a solution on how I can use multiple ssh keys and I figured out, that it will work with a config file in the .ssh directory, but it doesn't work on windows.

My problem is that I'm using a private key to access a git server, so it looks like this: ssh://[e-mail]/directory , it works fine when I'm using TortoiseGit, 'cause there is a possibility to choose the private key.

But I want to use the git rep in my IntelliJ IDEA and there is just the option to use the git native shell and it also works, if I put the key, called id_rsa ,into the .ssh folder. Now I want to use multiple ssh keys (so my key will get the name "id_rsa_test", so how do I configure the .ssh/config file under Windows, that it works with a usual git server?

The most examples I found yet are just for the use with github.

Answer 1

These instructions work fine in Linux. In Windows, they are not working for me today.

I found an answer that helps for me, maybe this will help OP. I kissed a lot of frogs trying to solve this. You need to add your new non-standard-named key file with "ssh-add"! Here's instruction for the magic bullet: Generating a new SSH key and adding it to the ssh-agent. Once you know the magic search terms are "add key with ssh-add in windows" you find plenty of other links.

If I were using Windows often, I'd find some way to make this permanent. https://github.com/raeesbhatti/ssh-agent-helper.

The ssh key agent looks for default "id_rsa" and other keys it knows about. The key you create with a non-standard name must be added to the ssh key agent.

First, I start the key agent in the Git BASH shell:

$ eval $(ssh-agent -s)
Agent pid 6276

$ ssh-add ~/.ssh/Paul_Johnson-windowsvm-20180318
Enter passphrase for /c/Users/pauljohn32/.ssh/Paul_Johnson-windowsvm-20180318:
Identity added: /c/Users/pauljohn32/.ssh/Paul_Johnson-windowsvm-20180318 (/c/Users/pauljohn32/.ssh/Paul_Johnson-windowsvm-20180318)

Then I change to the directory where I want to clone the repo

$ cd ~/Documents/GIT/

$ git clone [e-mail]:test/spr2018.git
Cloning into 'spr2018'...
remote: Counting objects: 3, done.
remote: Compressing objects: 100% (2/2), done.
remote: Total 3 (delta 0), reused 0 (delta 0)
Receiving objects: 100% (3/3), done.

I fought with this for a long long time.

Here are other things I tried along the way

At first I was certain it is because of file and folder permissions. On Linux, I have seen .ssh settings rejected if the folder is not set at 700. Windows has 711. In Windows, I cannot find any way to make permissions 700.

After fighting with that, I think it must not be the problem. Here's why. If the key is named "id_rsa" then git works! Git is able to connect to server. However, if I name the key file something else, and fix the config file in a consistent way, no matter what, then git fails to connect. That makes me think permissions are not the problem.

A thing you can do to debug this problem is to watch verbose output from ssh commands using the configured key.

In the git bash shell, run this

$ ssh -T git@name-of-your-server

Note, the user name should be "git" here. If your key is set up and the config file is found, you see this, as I just tested in my Linux system:

$ ssh -T [e-mail]
Welcome to GitLab, Paul E. Johnson!

On the other hand, in Windows I have same trouble you do before applying "ssh-add". It wants git's password, which is always a fail.

$ ssh -T [e-mail]
[e-mail]'s password:

Again, If i manually copy my key to "id_rsa" and "id_rsa.pub", then this works fine. After running ssh-add, observe the victory in Windows Git BASH:

$ ssh -T [e-mail]
Welcome to GitLab, Paul E. Johnson!

You would hear the sound of me dancing with joy if you were here.

To figure out what was going wrong, you can I run 'ssh' with "-Tvv"

In Linux, I see this when it succeeds:

debug1: Offering RSA public key: pauljohn@pols124
debug2: we sent a publickey packet, wait for reply
debug1: Server accepts key: pkalg ssh-rsa blen 279
debug2: input_userauth_pk_ok: fp SHA256:bCoIWSXE5fkOID4Kj9Axt2UOVsRZz9JW91RQDUoasVo
debug1: Authentication succeeded (publickey).

In Windows, when this fails, I see it looking for default names:

debug1: Found key in /c/Users/pauljohn32/.ssh/known_hosts:1
debug2: set_newkeys: mode 1
debug1: rekey after 4294967296 blocks
debug1: SSH2_MSG_NEWKEYS sent
debug1: expecting SSH2_MSG_NEWKEYS
debug1: SSH2_MSG_NEWKEYS received
debug2: set_newkeys: mode 0
debug1: rekey after 4294967296 blocks
debug2: key: /c/Users/pauljohn32/.ssh/id_rsa (0x0)
debug2: key: /c/Users/pauljohn32/.ssh/id_dsa (0x0)
debug2: key: /c/Users/pauljohn32/.ssh/id_ecdsa (0x0)
debug2: key: /c/Users/pauljohn32/.ssh/id_ed25519 (0x0)
debug2: service_accept: ssh-userauth
debug1: SSH2_MSG_SERVICE_ACCEPT received
debug1: Authentications that can continue: publickey,gssapi-keyex,gssapi-with-mic,password
debug1: Next authentication method: publickey
debug1: Trying private key: /c/Users/pauljohn32/.ssh/id_rsa
debug1: Trying private key: /c/Users/pauljohn32/.ssh/id_dsa
debug1: Trying private key: /c/Users/pauljohn32/.ssh/id_ecdsa
debug1: Trying private key: /c/Users/pauljohn32/.ssh/id_ed25519
debug2: we did not send a packet, disable method
debug1: Next authentication method: password
[e-mail]'s password:

That was the hint I needed, it says it finds my ~/.ssh/config file but never tries the key I want it to try.

I only use Windows once in a long while and it is frustrating. Maybe the people who use Windows all the time fix this and forget it.

Answer 2

There is an option IdentityFile which you can use in your ~/.ssh/config file and specify key file for each host.

Host host_with_key1.net
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_rsa

Host host_with_key2.net
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_rsa_test

More info: http://linux.die.net/man/5/ssh_config

Also look at http://nerderati.com/2011/03/17/simplify-your-life-with-an-ssh-config-file/

Answer 3

If you use "Git for Windows"

>cd c:\Program Files\Git\etc\ssh\

add to ssh_config following:

AddKeysToAgent yes
IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_rsa
IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_rsa_test

ps. you need ssh version >= 7.2 (date of release 2016-02-28)