Explain how to trouble-shoot gpg --sendkeys (no default keyserver)

[Thorsteinn A. Malmjursson]

On this page: http://developer.ubuntu.com/packaging/html/getting-set-up.html - part of the setup instructions are incorrect or outdated.

The section on setting up your GPG key includes details on how to send your public key to the keyserver, using the command:
gpg --send-keys <KEY ID>

This does not work, and causes the following error:
gpg: no keyserver known (use option --keyserver)
gpg: keyserver send failed: bad URI

After speaking with sagaci on #ubuntu @ freenode IRC, I was given the correct instruction, which works perfectly. It is:

gpg --send-keys --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com <KEY ID HERE>

Could you please update the Packaging setup guide to reflect this information, so that others following it may not fall into the same pit I did :)

Thank you.

[Andrew Starr-Bochicchio (andrewsomething)]

Shouldn't this really be a bug against gnupg? There is supposed to be
a default keyserver.

-- Andrew Starr-Bochicchio

   Ubuntu Developer <https://launchpad.net/~andrewsomething>
   Debian Contributor
<http://qa.debian.org/developer.php?login=a.starr.b%40gmail.com>
   PGP/GPG Key ID: D53FDCB1

[Daniel Holbach (dholbach)]

I don't know why it fails. I didn't drill down into this issue.

[Andrew Starr-Bochicchio (andrewsomething)]

I just tested this in a clean precise chroot. keys.gnupg.net seems to be set a the default key server without any user input needed.

$ gpg --search-keys D53FDCB1
gpg: searching for "D53FDCB1" from hkp server keys.gnupg.net
(1) Andrew Starr-Bochicchio <email address hidden>
 Andrew Starr-Bochicchio <email address hidden>
 Andrew Starr-Bochicchio <email address hidden>
   4096 bit RSA key D53FDCB1, created: 2010-09-24
Keys 1-1 of 1 for "D53FDCB1". Enter number(s), N)ext, or Q)uit > 1
gpg: requesting key D53FDCB1 from hkp server keys.gnupg.net
gpg: key D53FDCB1: public key "Andrew Starr-Bochicchio <email address hidden>" imported
gpg: no ultimately trusted keys found
gpg: Total number processed: 1
gpg: imported: 1 (RSA: 1)
$ gpg --send-keys D53FDCB1
gpg: sending key D53FDCB1 to hkp server keys.gnupg.net

Can anyone reproduce this?

[Daniel Holbach (dholbach)]

Same here, in a clean chroot:

$ gpg --recv-keys
gpg: directory `/home/daniel/.gnupg' created
gpg: new configuration file `/home/daniel/.gnupg/gpg.conf' created
gpg: WARNING: options in `/home/daniel/.gnupg/gpg.conf' are not yet active during this run
gpg: keyring `/home/daniel/.gnupg/secring.gpg' created
gpg: keyring `/home/daniel/.gnupg/pubring.gpg' created
$ gpg --recv-keys
$ gpg --recv-keys 059DD5EB
gpg: requesting key 059DD5EB from hkp server keys.gnupg.net
gpg: /home/daniel/.gnupg/trustdb.gpg: trustdb created
gpg: key 059DD5EB: public key "Daniel Holbach <email address hidden>" imported
gpg: no ultimately trusted keys found
gpg: Total number processed: 1
gpg: imported: 1
$ gpg --send-keys 059DD5EB
gpg: sending key 059DD5EB to hkp server keys.gnupg.net
$

If anyone can still reproduce this, please reopen the bug. :)