rdist6 won't let root use ssh transport

[Vivek Khera]

I use rdist regularly to manage a rack full of systems' configuration  
files.  FreeBSD 5 doesn't include the stock rdist anymore, so I'm  
migrating my processes to use the rdist6 port.  However, it seems  
that if you run rdist6 as root, it ignores the -P /usr/bin/ssh flag  
an tries to use rcmd directly, which fails since my target systems do  
not have that service running.  It works fine with ssh when running  
as non-root.

Here's the relevant difference in output from a run as root vs. a run  
as myself with the same arguments: "rdist6 -D -P /usr/bin/ssh -c /tmp/ 
update5 bkp-prv:"

run as me:
lorax: [readchild(bkp-prv, 20647, 3) got 289 bytes]
bkp-prv: doarrow(80a9220, bkp-prv, 0) start
bkp-prv: makeconn(bkp-prv)
bkp-prv: updating host bkp-prv
bkp-prv: Created notify temp file '/tmp//rdistx7HyCS'
bkp-prv: local user = vivek remote user = vivek
bkp-prv: Remote command = 'rdistd -S'
bkp-prv: Remote shell command = '/usr/bin/ssh'
lorax: [readchild(bkp-prv, 20647, 3) write done]
lorax: readchild(bkp-prv, 20647, 3) done: amt = -1 errno = 35
lorax: waitup() end


run as root:
lorax: [readchild(bkp-prv, 59981, 3) got 293 bytes]
bkp-prv: doarrow(80a9250, bkp-prv, 0) start
bkp-prv: makeconn(bkp-prv)
bkp-prv: updating host bkp-prv
bkp-prv: Created notify temp file '/tmp//rdistu9PVSb'
bkp-prv: local user = root remote user = root
bkp-prv: Remote command = 'rdistd -S'
bkp-prv: I am root, using rsh, therefore direct rcmd
lorax: [readchild(bkp-prv, 59981, 3) write done]
lorax: readchild(bkp-prv, 59981, 3) done: amt = -1 errno = 35
lorax: waitup() end

the root run then never finishes since the remote command never  
actually runs.  ssh as root works just fine otherwise, and also with  
the rdist from FreeBSD 4 as root.

rdist6 -V: Version 6.1.5 (RELEASE) - Protocol Version 6, Release 6.1,  
Patch level 5

Is there something I'm missing?  I don't see anything in the man page  
indicating that root can't run rdist6 with -P flag.


Vivek Khera, Ph.D.
+1-301-869-4449 x806