That was included in the things I tried: Here's what I tried: SSH_AGENT_RUNNING=`ps x | grep 'ssh-agent' |grep -v grep` if [ "$SSH_AGENT_RUNNING" = "" ]; then # start it if not eval `ssh-agent -s` # also add default entity ( sleep 5; env DISPLAY=:0 SSH_ASKPASS=/usr/libexec/openssh/gnome-ssh-askpass ssh-add ~/.ssh/identity ~/.ssh/id_dsa )& else # check if environment variables set if [ -z "$SSH_AGENT_PID" ] ; then # if not we set it # Note: if SSH_AGENT_PID is set we assume that it is set correctly and # also SSH_AUTH_SOCK is set export SSH_AGENT_PID=`echo $SSH_AGENT_RUNNING | cut -f 1 -d ' '` # Unfortunatly PID in SSH_AUTH_SOCK is not the same as AGENT_PID. # Heuristic: usually it's one less ... typeset -i SSH_AUTH_PID=$SSH_AGENT_PID-1 export SSH_AUTH_SOCK=`ls /tmp/ssh-*/agent.$SSH_AUTH_PID` fi # assume it's has default identity ... fi So when I was done I had a running agent. ssh still did not fire up a graphical prompt, nor did it try to contact the agent. After reading your email I did this: /home/gsker>ssh-agent -s SSH_AUTH_SOCK=/tmp/ssh-XXKLinPp/agent.1790; export SSH_AUTH_SOCK; SSH_AGENT_PID=1791; export SSH_AGENT_PID; echo Agent pid 1791; /home/gsker>SSH_AUTH_SOCK=/tmp/ssh-XXKLinPp/agent.1790; export SSH_AUTH_SOCK; /home/gsker>SSH_AGENT_PID=1791; export SSH_AGENT_PID; /home/gsker>SSH_ASKPASS=/usr/libexec/openssh/gnome-ssh-askpass /home/gsker>ssh mdh-pod gsker at mdh-pod's password: I gotta be missing something.... But our point isn't to have a keychain anyway -- just to have a graphical password prompt. Does it work for you just like that, Ben? -- Gerry Skerbitz gsker at tcfreenet.org On Mon, 9 Jun 2003, Ben Lutgens wrote: > You guys need ssh-agent. > try adding the following to your .bashrc > eval `ssh-agent -s` _______________________________________________ TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota http://www.mn-linux.org tclug-list at mn-linux.org https://mailman.real-time.com/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list