Issue with SSH "Not Connected"

[JCR]

Hello,

I am trying to login to SSH using the same username / password that enabled me to reach the Virtuozzo VPS control panel but I am getting the black window with "Not Connected". Do I need a special login? Thanks for any idea.

[Teej]

First thing to do is check your logs.

If you can't SSH and you don't have a secret htaccess-protected Apache HTTP redirect to the /var/log/ directory (so you can always pull raw logs via a web browser if you need them) you can use Plesk.

Virtuozzo->File Manager->/var/log/

You're looking for the file messages which might be on the 2nd page of the file-list.

To easily view it click the edit icon - the right-most of the three task icons. Alternatively you can download it by clicking the icon to the left of the filename.

You should see reports from sshd or other daemons that will help you diagnose the issue.

Make sure the Virtuozzo->Firewall->Input/Output SSH server input and SSH server output rules are enabled and correct.

Also, whilst we're talking about SSH, please ensure you take measures to protect your server from a brute-force dictionary attack on the SSH daemon.

Make sure you use strong secure random passwords especially for accounts that have elevated privileges, and change them often (monthly). I keep them written down on a slip of paper in a sealed envelope in the safe, just in case I forget them :)

I've set the SSH server * firewall rules so they only allow SSH connections to and from my local IP-address range here.
I did this because I saw from the logs that sshd was being constantly subjected to brute-force username/password dictionary attacks (I did the same for the FTP server).

If you don't have local static public IP addresses then at least set a sub-net range that covers those your ISP routinely gives you - you can always change them via the Plesk control panel if they change.

There is another sophisticated Firewall rule approach that is commonly used but so far I've not had any joy in making it work within the VPS. If I find a solution I'll add it here.

[JCR]

Teej,
Thanks again for the great explanation. Actually, I did not have the right username / password... Good that it did not work! The twist here is that I can use SSH from IE on a PC but not from Firefox or Safari on the Mac. I don't know why.
For the record, I emailed Gate support staff and got an answer within a reasonable period of time and they were helpful. :)

I could not find a File Manager on my system; most probably because I don't have a domain; I was planning to use only the IP address but maybe I should have one main domain. Maybe the domain is necessary to connect through an ftp browser. I was under the impression though that the domain was not necessary.

[Teej]

A domain-name isn't necessary to connect to any service except HTTP where the server is hosting virtual domains using the HTTP 1.1 host: extension - in simple terms that means it uses a single IP address for many domain names (could be thousands) and resolves the correct host by inspecting the HTTP Request Header's host field.

I registered and access the server via IP or domain-name depending on my mood.

Like you I had the same problem trying to connect using the browser-based SSH client (I hadn't thought it could be related to the fact I use Firefox - one more thing for me to debug!) but I switched to using a full SSH client (e.g: Putty for Windows).

The File Manager is in the Control Panel, or should be:
http://tjworld.net/media/Plesk-Virtuozzo-FM.jpg

[JCR]

hi Teej,

I tried to use SSH with Firefox on windows and it failed. Looks like IE and PC is the way to go.
I am still trying to find the file manager. On my view, instead to the "File Manager" icon, I have a "Resources" icon.

[JCR]

Let me amend what I have just posted. To get username and password, I had to phone the support staff because I did not have a password (most probably because I ordered over the phone and the step was skipped) and they gave me an admin/passwd login. Later, failing to connect through SSH, I emailed and got a root/passwd login. Different username! When using the admin, I don't see the File Manager but when using the root/passwd, I can see it.