can't figure out ssh, read lots of docs...

[Lowell Gilbert]

Giorgos Keramidas <keramida at ceid.upatras.gr> writes:

> On 2005-06-02 10:38, Lowell Gilbert <freebsd-questions-local at be-well.ilk.org> wrote:

> > The original poster wanted to do automated backups via scp.  This kind
> > of application *requires* empty passphrases
> 
> Nope.  scp works fine with a pass-phrase too, if one uses ssh-agent
> properly, regardless of the remote user being root or not.

You're recommending leaving an ssh-agent instance running unattended
instead of having a passphrase-less key?  That just means you have to
protect the agent's socket as carefully as you would have to protect
the unencrypted key file.  

I guess what I should have said was that such an application requires
an unencrypted key sitting around.  You are right: there *are* ways to
give access to the key other than empty passphrases.  The only real
disadvantage of the agent approach is that the key becomes
inaccessible when the system reboots.