openssh-server: Manual page sshd_config is missing KeepAlive description

[Jeldert]

Binary package hint: openssh-server

The package openssh-server has a manual page for it's config file: sshd_config
man sshd_config doesn't have a description for the KeepAlive option.

It's not a major issue, but since the KeepAlive option is in the sshd_config file by default it should be nice to have a description for it.

[Tim Butler (timbutler)]

I can confirm that this is the case, but a low priority / wishlist.

I do think it's important to have however, as it's something that I had to search on the internet about to fix.

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

The option is called TCPKeepAlive now; see http://bugs.debian.org/349896. I suggest changing this in your configuration file. The version I'll merge from Debian shortly fixes the configuration file for new installs, although unfortunately I've never had a good mechanism for updating the configuration file on upgrades.

[Tim Butler (timbutler)]

Thanks for the update Colin, I was unaware that it had changed. I'm wondering if it would be helpful to at least display this in the help files for users looking for the option and / or possibly log it to syslog that the option is now depreciated?

Eg:

man: "Keepalive: Depreciated, please see TCPKeepAlive below"

syslog: "[OpenSSH] Option KeepAlive is now depreciated, please read the help files and replace this with TCPKeepAlive".

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

I've committed a documentation fix to the Debian package, so we'll get this at the next merge; thanks for the suggestion. For now I think I'll avoid anything more invasive like syslogging the deprecation.

[Colin Watson (cjwatson)]

Merged as part of openssh 1:4.3p2-4ubuntu1:

openssh (1:4.3p2-3) unstable; urgency=low

  * Document KeepAlive->TCPKeepAlive renaming in sshd_config(5) (closes:
    https://launchpad.net/bugs/50702).
  * Change sshd user's shell to /usr/sbin/nologin (closes: #366541).
    Introduces dependency on passwd for usermod.
  * debconf template translations:
    - Update French (thanks, Denis Barbier; closes: #368503).
    - Update Dutch (thanks, Bart Cornelis; closes: #375100).
    - Update Japanese (thanks, Kenshi Muto; closes: #379950).

 -- Colin Watson <email address hidden> Thu, 27 Jul 2006 00:12:36 +0100