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Thread: SSH appears to need Desktop login

  1. #1
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    SSH appears to need Desktop login

    Folks,

    I am based in UK and have a friend in California. Few years back I sent up a spare laptop as an SSH server and dlna server, I look after this setup via ssh login and VNC if required.

    Strangely, if her computer needs to reboot I cannot login to ssh unless she logs in to her desktop. On all my RaspberryPi devices, even if they have a desktop I don't need to be logged in, is this a setting I have mistakenly set?

    Actually, I am wondering if it is a WiFi issue, maybe WiFi doesn't connect until desktop enabled.

    Geoff
    Last edited by Geoff_Lane; August 31st, 2021 at 11:11 PM. Reason: Added a possible cause.

  2. #2
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    Re: SSH appears to need Desktop login

    ssh doesn't require any users logged in locally. I seldom, login on more than 2 computers - a desktop and a laptop. The other 20 are all over ssh only.
    If the system is booted and sshd is running, a remote connection should be possible barring firewalls or whole drive encrypted storage that is waiting to be opened. Of course, the sshd system needs to have a static IP and the router needs to forward a port to that static IP correctly.

    For wifi issues, that could be it. There are 2 ways to setup wifi. Either always on via a service or using a GUI. If you used the GUI, then it probably won't work until the userid controlling the wifi connection has enabled it. The non-GUI method would be through netplan on 20.04 and later systems. Someone else will need to help if that's the case. I don't use wifi much.

  3. #3
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    Re: SSH appears to need Desktop login

    Is the server side set to a static IP?

  4. #4
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    Re: SSH appears to need Desktop login

    Quote Originally Posted by ActionParsnip View Post
    Is the server side set to a static IP?
    It is but from memory I think that may be via a fixed DHCP address via the router rather than fixed in the Ubuntu system.

    I know in the past I have set fixed IPs in /etc/network/interfaces then I think the system evolved to prefer /etc/dhcpcd.conf

    Reluctant to fiddle too much as at least at the moment I can access it most of the time.

    Geoff

  5. #5
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    Re: SSH appears to need Desktop login

    Quote Originally Posted by TheFu View Post

    For wifi issues, that could be it. There are 2 ways to setup wifi. Either always on via a service or using a GUI. If you used the GUI, then it probably won't work until the userid controlling the wifi connection has enabled it. The non-GUI method would be through netplan on 20.04 and later systems. Someone else will need to help if that's the case. I don't use wifi much.
    Heard of netplan but not looked in to it much. Tended to fix IPs in the past using /etc/network/interfaces or /etc/dhcpcd.conf

    Geoff

  6. #6
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    Re: SSH appears to need Desktop login

    I've never used /etc/dhcpcd.conf.
    Sorry.
    Good luck to you.

  7. #7
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    Re: SSH appears to need Desktop login

    Just saw this cautionary tail about using DHCP: https://www.anvilsecure.com/blog/dhc...r-devices.html

  8. #8
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    Re: SSH appears to need Desktop login

    I do tend to use an alternative port for the internet traffic then convert via the router plus use an ssl file for login.

    Geoff

  9. #9
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    Re: SSH appears to need Desktop login

    I have Ubuntu computers I log into regularly via ssh and none of them require a user to be logged in. Most of them are wired connections but I do have a couple of wifi connections and they don't require a user to be logged in to access them.
    I have used DHCP a lot in the past, back when it took real work to get it to work. I've never had it cause this kind of problem, usually it just fails to work. These days I configure Ubuntu for static IPs and mostly let the ISPs router handle it for windows clients.
    /etc/dhcpcd.conf is a file on the DHCP server. If the Ubuntu computer acting as a DHCP server? If the router is the DHCP server, as I recall that file doesn't do anything much on the DHCP client.
    /etc/network/interfaces is the old way of configuring the network on Ubuntu, the new way is netplan, I still haven't quire figured it out.

    I think to help we'll need more information about you remote setup, includi9ng the Internet connection..

  10. #10
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    Re: SSH appears to need Desktop login

    Quote Originally Posted by rsteinmetz70112 View Post
    I have Ubuntu computers I log into regularly via ssh and none of them require a user to be logged in.


    I think to help we'll need more information about you remote setup, includi9ng the Internet connection..
    None of my Raspberry Pi devices require any kind of desktop login to access via SSH

    As for the remote Ubuntu I am reluctant to fiddle too much it may be very difficult to remedy if I lose connection. I already added some settings to the /etc/network/interfaces file and now cannot connect at all. Hopefully I can talk the remote owner through deleting what I added in that file.

    Last time I looked I connected ssh -D (proxy) and viewed the remote router, noticed the IP was a persistent DHCP address allocated by the router. Normally I fix IP of server devices via the computer's file system, cannot recall why we ended up with router giving the fixed IP, plus of course there is port redirection as connection made on a non standard port.

    I may just accept the required login and set that to be auto

    Geoff

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