# sshd: could not load host keys

## e-nigma

Hi, Im pretty new to ssh, and I've just set-up ssh, or I think I did. But when I run 

```
# /etc/init.d/sshd start
```

 I always get this: 

```
root@gollum tux # /etc/init.d/sshd start

 * Starting sshd...

Could not load host key: /etc/ssh/ssh_host_key

Could not load host key: /etc/ssh/ssh_host_rsa_key

Could not load host key: /etc/ssh/ssh_host_dsa_key

Disabling protocol version 1. Could not load host key

Disabling protocol version 2. Could not load host key

sshd: no hostkeys available -- exiting.                                   [ !! ] 
```

I've already generated keys in /etc/ssh/:

```
root@gollum tux # ls -la /etc/ssh

total 136

drwxr-xr-x    3 root     root         4096 Apr 16 10:52 .

drwxr-xr-x   75 root     root         4096 Apr 16 10:50 ..

drwxr-xr-x    2 root     root         4096 Apr 16 10:53 authorized_keys

-rw-r--r--    1 root     root        88039 Apr 16 10:51 moduli

-rw-r--r--    1 root     root         1139 Apr 16 10:55 ssh_config

-rw-------    1 root     root          744 Apr 16 10:39 ssh_host_dsa_key

-rw-r--r--    1 root     root          601 Apr 16 10:39 ssh_host_dsa_key.pub

-rw-------    1 root     root          526 Apr 16 10:38 ssh_host_key

-rw-r--r--    1 root     root          330 Apr 16 10:38 ssh_host_key.pub

-rw-------    1 root     root          951 Apr 16 10:38 ssh_host_rsa_key

-rw-r--r--    1 root     root          221 Apr 16 10:38 ssh_host_rsa_key.pub

-rw-------    1 root     root         2411 Apr 16 10:57 sshd_config
```

sshd_config: 

```
root@gollum ssh # cat sshd_config

#       $OpenBSD: sshd_config,v 1.65 2003/08/28 12:54:34 markus Exp $

 

# This is the sshd server system-wide configuration file.  See

# sshd_config(5) for more information.

 

# This sshd was compiled with PATH=/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin

 

# The strategy used for options in the default sshd_config shipped with

# OpenSSH is to specify options with their default value where

# possible, but leave them commented.  Uncommented options change a

# default value.

 

Port 22

Protocol 2,1

ListenAddress 0.0.0.0

ListenAddress ::

 

# HostKey for protocol version 1

HostKey /etc/ssh/ssh_host_key

# HostKeys for protocol version 2

HostKey /etc/ssh/ssh_host_rsa_key

HostKey /etc/ssh/ssh_host_dsa_key

 

# Lifetime and size of ephemeral version 1 server key

KeyRegenerationInterval 1h

ServerKeyBits 768

 

# Logging

#obsoletes QuietMode and FascistLogging

SyslogFacility AUTH

LogLevel INFO

 

# Authentication:

 

LoginGraceTime 2m

PermitRootLogin yes

StrictModes yes

 

#RSAAuthentication yes

PubkeyAuthentication yes

AuthorizedKeysFile      .ssh/authorized_keys

 

# For this to work you will also need host keys in /etc/ssh/ssh_known_hosts

RhostsRSAAuthentication no

# similar for protocol version 2

HostbasedAuthentication no

# Change to yes if you don't trust ~/.ssh/known_hosts for

# RhostsRSAAuthentication and HostbasedAuthentication

IgnoreUserKnownHosts no

# Don't read the user's ~/.rhosts and ~/.shosts files

#IgnoreRhosts yes

 

# To disable tunneled clear text passwords, change to no here!

PasswordAuthentication yes

PermitEmptyPasswords no

 

# Change to no to disable s/key passwords

ChallengeResponseAuthentication yes

 

# Kerberos options

#KerberosAuthentication no

#KerberosOrLocalPasswd yes

#KerberosTicketCleanup yes

 

# GSSAPI options

#GSSAPIAuthentication no

#GSSAPICleanupCreds yes

 

# Set this to 'yes' to enable PAM authentication (via challenge-response)

# and session processing. Depending on your PAM configuration, this may

# bypass the setting of 'PasswordAuthentication'

UsePAM yes

 

AllowTcpForwarding yes

GatewayPorts no

X11Forwarding no

X11DisplayOffset 10

X11UseLocalhost yes

PrintMotd yes

PrintLastLog yes

KeepAlive yes

UseLogin no

UsePrivilegeSeparation yes

PermitUserEnvironment no

Compression yes

ClientAliveInterval 0

ClientAliveCountMax 3

UseDNS yes

PidFile /var/run/sshd.pid

MaxStartups 10

 

# no default banner path

#Banner /some/path

 

# override default of no subsystems

Subsystem       sftp    /usr/lib/misc/sftp-server
```

well,I hope someone can help me...

----------

## kpack

Did you generate the keys in /etc/ssh manually? I'm not positive, but I think the sshd init script does it for you automatically the first time you start the daemon. If you did it manually, did you assign a passphrase? If so, that may be your problem. Regenerate the keys with no passphrase.

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## e-nigma

Thanks, it worked. I just regenereted the keys without passphrase... Well I still get some warnigng about my keys when logging in, but It seems to work well

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## krusty_ar

Thank you! 

What are passphrasess good to anyway?

----------

