RE: [cobalt-users] Backing up using scripted ssh + rsync - Helpon ssh-agent

["Glenn Parsons" <gparsons@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Wow! Thanks again Jay!!! Oops (top posting)! see below.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: cobalt-users-admin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> [mailto:cobalt-users-admin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Jay Summers
> Sent: Wednesday, October 03, 2001 10:45 AM
> To: cobalt-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [cobalt-users] Backing up using scripted ssh + rsync -
> Helpon ssh-agent
>
>
> >
> > Hello All,
> >
> > I have posted this question before and got some interesting
> answers. Unless
> > I misunderstood the answers, I didn't get a satisfactory solution.
> >
> > I will be using rsync in conjunction with ssh authentication to
> back up my
> > servers using cron scripts. The problem lies in password-less
> > authentication.
> >
> > I DO understand that the public key for the client has to be on
> the server,
> > ssh-agent needs to be invoked as well as ssh-add.
> >
> > The real problem is where??? If I invoke ssh-agent and ssh-add
> in my backup
> > script there will be a prompt for my passphrase. This seems a catch22.
>
> This article explains how to setup ssh-agent and ssh-add and uses a
> bash-based ssh-agent front-end called keychain.
>
> http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/opensource/library/l-keyc2/?
dwzone=ope
nsource

I'm interested in trying this. Give us a report if you're successful. Good
luck.

HTH,
j

-- SNIP --

Hi Jay,

I read the first link that you sent and used it like the bible. Only problem
was it set me up with the basics and until I got to the last paragraph, I
did not realize that that was going to be an incomplete solution. Further, I
can tell you that there is little useful information out on this big, wide,
world Internet on getting ssh to work in a scripted, password-less mode WITH
a PASSPHRASE.

I want to thank you once again! I WILL be reading and working on this TODAY.
I will post my results late today or tomorrow.

I would like everyone to see a more complete description of how to use ssh
authentication with rsync. This is ultimately the cheapest, best backup and
mirroring solution that I have seen and would like to help demystify this
for everyone. After all, sharing security secrets with one and all is
ultimately more secure for me as well, as Code Red and Nimda should have
taught us all!

I'll post SOON!

Thanks,
Glenn