Cannot connect to OpenSSH 3.9p1 server with SFTP

[bovergaauw]

Hi,

I cannot connect to a server that runs OpenSSH_3.9p1, OpenSSL 0.9.7a Feb 19 2003, with SFTP. FileZilla 3 shows the following:

Status: Selected port usually in use by a different protocol.
Status: Connecting to <servername>:<port>...
Response: fzSftp started
Command: open "<login>@<servername>" <port>
Error: ssh_init: Name or service not known
Error: Could not connect to server
Status: Waiting to retry...

In FileZilla 2, I can connect to this server without problems, FileZilla shows the following:

Status: Connecting to <servername>:<port> ...
Status: Connected with <servername>:<port>, initializing SFTP connection...
Command: CONNECT <login>@<servername>:<port>
Response: Remote working directory is <directory>
Status: Connected

The main difference seems to be in the command line, I get the impression that FileZilla 3 now uses a command that the server (i.e. OpenSSH 3.9p1) does not interpret correctly. It is very unlikely for me to get the server administrator change the version of OpenSSH, and I presume that my server is not the only server out there that still runs this version of OpenSSH.

Best regards,

Bo

[Tim Kosse]

Please set debug level to 3 in the settings and attach a log to this report.

[bovergaauw]

Hi Tim,

This is the report after having set the debug level to 4 (which does not contain a whole lot more of information than the requested level 3):

Status: Selected port usually in use by a different protocol.
Status: Connecting to sftp.test.connaction.net:10029...
Trace: Going to execute /usr/local/bin/fzsftp
Response: fzSftp started
Trace: CSftpControlSocket::ConnectParseResponse(fzSftp started)
Command: open "mailer@…@sftp.test.connaction.net" 10029
Trace: CSftpControlSocket::ResetOperation(66)
Trace: CControlSocket::ResetOperation(66)
Error: Could not connect to server
Status: Waiting to retry...
Error: ssh_init: Name or service not known
Status: Connecting to sftp.test.connaction.net:10029...
Trace: Going to execute /usr/local/bin/fzsftp
Response: fzSftp started
Trace: CSftpControlSocket::ConnectParseResponse(fzSftp started)
Command: open "mailer@…@sftp.test.connaction.net" 10029
Trace: CSftpControlSocket::ResetOperation(66)
Trace: CControlSocket::ResetOperation(66)
Error: Could not connect to server
Status: Waiting to retry...
Error: ssh_init: Name or service not known
Status: Connecting to sftp.test.connaction.net:10029...
Trace: Going to execute /usr/local/bin/fzsftp
Response: fzSftp started
Trace: CSftpControlSocket::ConnectParseResponse(fzSftp started)
Command: open "mailer@…@sftp.test.connaction.net" 10029
Error: ssh_init: Name or service not known
Trace: CSftpControlSocket::ResetOperation(66)
Trace: CControlSocket::ResetOperation(66)
Error: Could not connect to server

Hope this helps.

Best regards,

Bo

[Tim Kosse]

Which version of FileZilla?

[bovergaauw]

Hi Tim,

I encountered the problem with FileZilla versions 3.0.2.1, 3.0.3 and 3.0.4, as downloaded from the FileZilla site for Linux, and running on SuSE 10.1 x86_64.

Best regards,

Bo

[Tim Kosse]

Can you connect to a different sftp server? Try connecting to filezilla-project.org with an arbitrary username and password. It should tell you permission denied or something like that, but that's already a lot farther than what's in your log.

[bovergaauw]

Hi Tim,

I configured a local server running OpenSSH_4.4p1, OpenSSL 0.9.7l 28 Sep 2006, with exactly the same port and a similar login name, and had no problems with it. I guess that OpenSSH 3.9p1/OpenSSL 0.9.7a has problems with the "open" command and that this was changed in later versions. The problem is, that OpenSSH 3.9p1 is still around on certain production servers, and I most likely will not be able to get this changed on the servers with which I encountered this issue.

Best regards,

Bo

[Tim Kosse]

The open command is just a client-side command.

[Tim Kosse]

Found the reason: "ssh_init: Name or service not known" happens if you're connecting to a host which does not exist.

[bovergaauw]

Hi Tim,

I'm one hundred percent sure that the host exists, as I can SFTP to it with FileZilla 2 and command-line sftp under Linux.

BTW, I just did a test again now that I'm running FileZilla version 3.0.4 (for my previous reports I used version 3.0.2.1, which was the version I reverted to after having encountered the same problem with the newer version, and I had been too lazy to upgrade again ...), and the ssh_init line has now disappeared from the log:

Status: Selected port usually in use by a different protocol.
Status: Connecting to sftp.test.connection.net:22009...
Trace: Going to execute /usr/local/bin/fzsftp
Response: fzSftp started
Trace: CSftpControlSocket::ConnectParseResponse(fzSftp started)
Command: open "tester@…" 22009
Trace: CSftpControlSocket::ResetOperation(66)
Trace: CControlSocket::ResetOperation(66)
Error: Could not connect to server
Status: Waiting to retry...

Hope this helps ... In any case, keep up the great work you're doing with FileZilla!!!

Best regards,

Bo

[bovergaauw]

Hi Tim,

I re-opened the bug-report, as I had not seen you closed it with your last comment. My response thereto explains that the ssh_init line does not appear with FileZilla 3.0.4, but that version does not allow me to SFTP to a server running OpenSSH 3.9p1/OpenSSL 0.9.7a.

Best regards,

Bo

[Tim Kosse]

Since the SFTP support in FileZilla is based upon PuTTY, please try the most recent build of PuTTY's psftp: ​http://www.tartarus.org/~simon/putty-snapshots/x86/psftp.exe

[bovergaauw]

Hi Tim,

I tested the psftp version you referenced under Windows, and installed the package putty-0.60-ccj5.x86_64.rpm under SuSE 10.1, and both allow me to SFTP to the server running OpenSSH 3.9p1/OpenSSL 0.9.7a without any problems.

Hope this helps.

Best regards,

Bo

[Tim Kosse]

Please also try the latest PuTTY development snapshot as 0.60 is older than the PuTTY source used with FileZilla.

[bovergaauw]

Hi Tim,

Just compiled psftp development snapshot 2007-12-05, with which I could connect to a server running OpenSSH 3.9p1/OpenSSL 0.9.7a without any problems.

Best regards,

Bo

[Tim Kosse]

Please try a username which does not contain any @ character.

[bovergaauw]

Hi Tim,

As I don't have control over these servers, I can only replace the "@" by a "#". This allows me to SFTP with psftp, but still no success with FileZilla 3.

Best regards,

Bo

[Tim Kosse]

In case you have some weird default PuTTY settings interfering with FileZilla, try deleting the ~/.putty directory (make a backup if needed)

If it still fails, please manually execute the following command:
fzsftp -v

Then, enter these three commands in fzsftp (replace username, host and port as needed):

open "someusername@…" 12345
-1-
-0-

[bovergaauw]

Hi Tim,

I deleted the ~/.putty directory, which did not solve the problem.

Then I executed the command fzsftp -v as described, which gave me the following results:

$ fzsftp -v
0fzSftp started
open "<login>@<servername>" <port>
2ssh_init: Name or service not known
$

I then ran psftp -v, which worked flawlessly, so I guess there is something broken inside fzsftp.

Best regards,

Bo

[Tim Kosse]

I'm clueless.

Try running it in a debugger, set a breakpoint on all lines containing the substring "strerror".

[bovergaauw]

Hi Tim,

I'm afraid I cannot help you any further, as I have never worked with a debugger (I'm not a programmer, just a power user ...).

If there is anything else I can do to help, please let me know.

Best regards,

Bo

[Tim Kosse]

What's the true username, host and port you're using? (Mark this tracker item as private if necessary)

[bovergaauw]

Hi Tim,

You can test the problem on the server filezilla.sales-tide.com, using port 10029 and username b.overgaauw@…. I marked this tracker item as private.

Hope this helps!

[Tim Kosse]

I didn't have any problems connecting to the server up to authentication which failed due to lack of a valid password (see logs below).

Unfortunately I don't think I can be of any more help with this issue. It appears to be something specific to your system.

Status: Connecting to filezilla.sales-tide.com:10029...
Trace: Going to execute /home/codesquid/svn/FileZilla3/compile/src/putty/fzsftp
Response: fzSftp started
Trace: CSftpControlSocket::ConnectParseResponse(fzSftp started)
Command: open "b.overgaauw@…@filezilla.sales-tide.com" 10029
Trace: Server version: SSH-2.0-OpenSSH_3.9p1
Trace: Using SSH protocol version 2
Trace: We claim version: SSH-2.0-PuTTY_Local:_Dec_18_2007_19:43:33
Trace: Doing Diffie-Hellman group exchange
Trace: Doing Diffie-Hellman key exchange with hash SHA-1
Trace: Host key fingerprint is:
Trace: ssh-rsa 1024 c4:f7:34:2d:79:1b:4c:3b:db:b2:85:f0:1a:e6:38:21
Trace: Initialised AES-256 SDCTR client->server encryption
Trace: Initialised HMAC-SHA1 client->server MAC algorithm
Trace: Initialised AES-256 SDCTR server->client encryption
Trace: Initialised HMAC-SHA1 server->client MAC algorithm
Trace: Pageant is running. Requesting keys.
Trace: Pageant has 0 SSH-2 keys
Command: Pass:
Trace: Sent password
Trace: Access denied
Error: Authentication failed.
Trace: CSftpControlSocket::ResetOperation(1094)
Trace: CControlSocket::ResetOperation(1094)
Error: Critical error
Error: Could not connect to server