Fix for sshd service start failure problem

[Joseph E. Vornehm, Jr.]

For what it's worth, I think I've found a fix to a problem posted in October 
of 2002 in this thread:

http://www.cygwin.com/ml/cygwin/2002-10/msg00443.html

Here's my version of the problem: After running ssh-host-config (and 
noticing two errors from chown about the system account), the sshd Windows 
service won't start, even though manually executing /usr/sbin/sshd works 
fine.  I'm running the current openssh package, 3.7.1p2-2, on WinXP.  All my 
other Cygwin packages are current (as of today).  Here is the error message 
from sshd in the Windows application log (Event Viewer):

sshd : PID 4320 : starting service `sshd' failed: execv: 1, Operation not 
permitted.

The problem is that I didn't have the SYSTEM user listed in my /etc/passwd. 
  I noticed that ssh-host-config had some issues with some chown calls at 
the end of its run.  The application log message seems to come from the fact 
that the ownership is incorrect for the /var/empty directory (where sshd 
chroots to on startup, I gather).

Here was the easiest fix for me:

mypc$ mkpasswd -l | grep '^SYSTEM:' >> /etc/passwd
mypc$ cygrunsrv -R sshd
mypc$ rm /etc/ssh_host* /etc/ssh_config /etc/sshd_config
mypc$ ssh-host-config

By the way, don't forget to delete /var/run/sshd.pid, if it's still around. 
  (It shouldn't exist if sshd exits cleanly.)

I have some fuzzy memory that putting the SYSTEM user in /etc/passwd used to 
be a security issue in Cygwin.  Just for safety, I removed the SYSTEM entry 
from /etc/passwd again after I had run ssh-host-config.  Would anyone else 
care to comment one way or the other?

Please copy any replies to me directly, as I'm not subscribed to the list.

Joe V.


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