X11 Forwarding with SSH not working [SOLVED]

gixr · 2013-01-11 05:32:23

I'm trying to follow the X11 forwarding guide on the wiki but to no avail.

I'm using Putty and Xming from a Windows machine to SSH into the ArchLinux machine over my home network.

When I log in through SSH with X11 forwarding enabled, my display variable is set to "localhost:10.0". Running xclock gives me the following error: "Error: Can't open display: localhost:10.0".

I'm pretty sure Xming isn't the problem, since if I manually change the DISPLAY variable to "[my windows machine IP]:0.0", I can run xclock and see it appear.

From what I can see, it should be working.

Complete sshd_config below:

# $OpenBSD: sshd_config,v 1.87 2012/07/10 02:19:15 djm 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 override the
# default value.

#Port 22
#AddressFamily any
#ListenAddress 0.0.0.0
#ListenAddress ::

# The default requires explicit activation of protocol 1
#Protocol 2

# 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
#HostKey /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key

# Lifetime and size of ephemeral version 1 server key
#KeyRegenerationInterval 1h
#ServerKeyBits 1024

# Logging
# obsoletes QuietMode and FascistLogging
#SyslogFacility AUTH
#LogLevel INFO

# Authentication:

#LoginGraceTime 2m
PermitRootLogin no
#StrictModes yes
#MaxAuthTries 6
#MaxSessions 10

#RSAAuthentication yes
#PubkeyAuthentication yes

# The default is to check both .ssh/authorized_keys and .ssh/authorized_keys2
# but this is overridden so installations will only check .ssh/authorized_keys
AuthorizedKeysFile .ssh/authorized_keys

#AuthorizedPrincipalsFile none

# 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 no

# Kerberos options
#KerberosAuthentication no
#KerberosOrLocalPasswd yes
#KerberosTicketCleanup yes
#KerberosGetAFSToken no

# GSSAPI options
#GSSAPIAuthentication no
#GSSAPICleanupCredentials yes

# Set this to 'yes' to enable PAM authentication, account processing,
# and session processing. If this is enabled, PAM authentication will
# be allowed through the ChallengeResponseAuthentication and
# PasswordAuthentication. Depending on your PAM configuration,
# PAM authentication via ChallengeResponseAuthentication may bypass
# the setting of "PermitRootLogin without-password".
# If you just want the PAM account and session checks to run without
# PAM authentication, then enable this but set PasswordAuthentication
# and ChallengeResponseAuthentication to 'no'.
UsePAM yes

#AllowAgentForwarding yes
AllowTcpForwarding yes
#GatewayPorts no
X11Forwarding yes
X11DisplayOffset 10
X11UseLocalhost yes
PrintMotd yes
#PrintLastLog yes
#TCPKeepAlive yes
#UseLogin no
UsePrivilegeSeparation sandbox # Default for new installations.
#PermitUserEnvironment no
#Compression delayed
#ClientAliveInterval 0
#ClientAliveCountMax 3
#UseDNS yes
#PidFile /run/sshd.pid
#MaxStartups 10
PermitTunnel yes
#ChrootDirectory none
#VersionAddendum none

# no default banner path
Banner /etc/issue

# override default of no subsystems
Subsystem sftp /usr/lib/ssh/sftp-server

# Example of overriding settings on a per-user basis
#Match User anoncvs
# X11Forwarding no
# AllowTcpForwarding no
# ForceCommand cvs server

Last edited by gixr (2013-01-11 22:37:35)

Ztjuh · 2013-01-11 07:59:37

It's easy.

Start Xming.

Configure SSH (here's my confg):

# $OpenBSD: sshd_config,v 1.84 2011/05/23 03:30:07 djm 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 override the
# default value.
Port 22
#AddressFamily any
#ListenAddress 0.0.0.0
#ListenAddress ::
# The default requires explicit activation of protocol 1
#Protocol 2
# 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
#HostKey /etc/ssh/ssh_host_ecdsa_key
# Lifetime and size of ephemeral version 1 server key
#KeyRegenerationInterval 1h
#ServerKeyBits 1024
# Logging
# obsoletes QuietMode and FascistLogging
#SyslogFacility AUTH
#LogLevel INFO
# Authentication:
#LoginGraceTime 2m
PermitRootLogin no
#StrictModes yes
#MaxAuthTries 6
#MaxSessions 10
#RSAAuthentication yes
#PubkeyAuthentication yes
# The default is to check both .ssh/authorized_keys and .ssh/authorized_keys2
# but this is overridden so installations will only check .ssh/authorized_keys
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 no
# Kerberos options
#KerberosAuthentication no
#KerberosOrLocalPasswd yes
#KerberosTicketCleanup yes
#KerberosGetAFSToken no
# GSSAPI options
#GSSAPIAuthentication no
#GSSAPICleanupCredentials yes
# Set this to 'yes' to enable PAM authentication, account processing,
# and session processing. If this is enabled, PAM authentication will
# be allowed through the ChallengeResponseAuthentication and
# PasswordAuthentication. Depending on your PAM configuration,
# PAM authentication via ChallengeResponseAuthentication may bypass
# the setting of "PermitRootLogin without-password".
# If you just want the PAM account and session checks to run without
# PAM authentication, then enable this but set PasswordAuthentication
# and ChallengeResponseAuthentication to 'no'.
UsePAM yes
#AllowAgentForwarding yes
AllowTcpForwarding yes
#GatewayPorts no
X11Forwarding yes
X11DisplayOffset 10
#X11UseLocalhost yes
#PrintMotd yes
#PrintLastLog yes
#TCPKeepAlive yes
#UseLogin no
#UsePrivilegeSeparation yes
#PermitUserEnvironment no
#Compression delayed
#ClientAliveInterval 0
#ClientAliveCountMax 3
#UseDNS yes
#PidFile /run/sshd.pid
#MaxStartups 10
#PermitTunnel no
#ChrootDirectory none
# no default banner path
#Banner none
# override default of no subsystems
Subsystem sftp /usr/lib/ssh/sftp-server
# Example of overriding settings on a per-user basis
#Match User anoncvs
# X11Forwarding no
# AllowTcpForwarding no
# ForceCommand cvs server

Putty setting: http://i.ztjuh.tk/20130111075624803.png

Click on Open and run your program

Last edited by Ztjuh (2013-01-11 08:01:00)

gixr · 2013-01-11 14:10:15

Apparently you didn't read my post. I have my setup identical to that. The X11 forwarding just isn't working.

Last edited by gixr (2013-01-11 14:10:45)

nomorewindows · 2013-01-11 15:12:11

You have to also enable the forwarding in /etc/ssh/ssh_config as well as sshd_config, and then reload/restart sshd.

Painless · 2013-01-11 15:52:04

ssh_config doesn't apply in this case since the client is Windows.

Sounds like an old ~/.Xauthority is present. Check the datestamp of the file. If it not recent, try deleting ~/.Xauthority before logging in again so that a new ~/.Xauthority file gets created. It should pick up the correct settings and work on localhost:10.0.

gixr · 2013-01-11 16:34:36

Deleted ~/.Xauthority, rebooted. Logged in, got a message saying .Xauthority was missing, and it was regenerated. Logged out and logged back in. Still get the same error: "Error: Can't open display: localhost:10.0" when trying to run any X client program.

I also double checked the putty and Xming combo wasn't the problem by logging into my university's linux server which has X11 forwarding enabled, and everything worked fine.

nomorewindows · 2013-01-11 16:54:50

Can you send a client to the Xming server? xterm -display <Xming machine's address>:0.0

Painless · 2013-01-11 19:36:24

Is there an entry for localhost in /etc/hosts?

gixr · 2013-01-11 22:14:09

I can successfully send a client to Xming server using that exact command.

My /etc/hosts file is as follows:

#
# /etc/hosts: static lookup table for host names
#

#<ip-address> <hostname.domain.org> <hostname>
127.0.0.1 localhost.localdomain [computer name]
::1 localhost.localdomain [computer name]

# End of file

Painless · 2013-01-11 22:18:00

You require an entry for "localhost" as well as "localhost.localdomain" against 127.0.0.1

gixr · 2013-01-11 22:37:00

That fixed it. Thank you very much, Painless.

Antoine · 2013-01-12 16:27:56

gixr wrote:

That fixed it. Thank you very much, Painless.

I know it's solved and all, but I just want to say Thanks! as well. I wasn't even looking for that solution here, I just coincidentally had the exact same problem right now. I didn't see it as an Arch problem, though.

Gotta love Arch Linux!

ChristTrekker · 2013-06-19 16:36:24

I'm having the same kind of problem, but I do have localhost defined in /etc/hosts and I cannot send a client to the Xming server.

cfr · 2013-06-20 00:11:57

Since this is an old thread marked solved and since you don't have the same cause, I suggest starting a new thread and linking to this one. That is likely to attract more helpful viewers than adding to this one.

Arch Linux

#1 2013-01-11 05:32:23

X11 Forwarding with SSH not working [SOLVED]

#2 2013-01-11 07:59:37

Re: X11 Forwarding with SSH not working [SOLVED]

#3 2013-01-11 14:10:15

Re: X11 Forwarding with SSH not working [SOLVED]

#4 2013-01-11 15:12:11

Re: X11 Forwarding with SSH not working [SOLVED]

#5 2013-01-11 15:52:04

Re: X11 Forwarding with SSH not working [SOLVED]

#6 2013-01-11 16:34:36

Re: X11 Forwarding with SSH not working [SOLVED]

#7 2013-01-11 16:54:50

Re: X11 Forwarding with SSH not working [SOLVED]

#8 2013-01-11 19:36:24

Re: X11 Forwarding with SSH not working [SOLVED]

#9 2013-01-11 22:14:09

Re: X11 Forwarding with SSH not working [SOLVED]

#10 2013-01-11 22:18:00

Re: X11 Forwarding with SSH not working [SOLVED]

#11 2013-01-11 22:37:00

Re: X11 Forwarding with SSH not working [SOLVED]

#12 2013-01-12 16:27:56

Re: X11 Forwarding with SSH not working [SOLVED]

#13 2013-06-19 16:36:24

Re: X11 Forwarding with SSH not working [SOLVED]

#14 2013-06-20 00:11:57

Re: X11 Forwarding with SSH not working [SOLVED]

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