# Knife bootstrap Net::SSH::ConnectionTimeout (chekdk)

**URL:** <https://discourse.chef.io/t/knife-bootstrap-net-ssh-connectiontimeout-chekdk/10521>\
**Category:** Chef Infra (archive)\
**Created:** [March 4, 2017, 12:30pm UTC](https://discourse.chef.io/t/knife-bootstrap-net-ssh-connectiontimeout-chekdk/10521 "2017-03-04T12:30:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DELETEME](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@DELETEME](https://discourse.chef.io/u/DELETEME)\
**Post date:** [March 4, 2017, 12:30pm UTC](https://discourse.chef.io/t/knife-bootstrap-net-ssh-connectiontimeout-chekdk/10521/1 "2017-03-04T12:30:21Z")

</div>

Bootstrapping a node with:  
`knife bootstrap 192.168.1.116 -x root -N fedtest -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa`  
immediately fails with:  
`ERROR: Net::SSH::ConnectionTimeout: Net::SSH::ConnectionTimeout`

Simple virtualbox lab env, with Chef Server, workstation, and test node.  
Workstation properly communicates with Chef Server. Starter kit used for config.  
Workstation connects with SSH properly to Node (ssh-copy-id, etc. all done and confirmed).  
Also checked underlying Ruby net:ssh with script below - works as expected.

```auto
$ chef --version
Chef Development Kit Version: 1.3.16
chef-client version: 12.18.31
delivery version: master (fc66beb4e2ee47d488fe63b49453483ee104f89b)
berks version: 5.6.3
kitchen version: 1.15.0

```

Platforms I’ve tried:  
Wkstation: Fedora 25, Archlinux  
Server: CentOS  
Node: Fedora 25, CentOS

`knife` command verbose output (snipped)

```auto
Connecting to 192.168.1.116
DEBUG: Looking for bootstrap template in /opt/chefdk/embedded/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/chef-12.18.31/lib/chef/knife/bootstrap/templates
DEBUG: Found bootstrap template in /opt/chefdk/embedded/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/chef-12.18.31/lib/chef/knife/bootstrap/templates
DEBUG: Adding 192.168.1.116
DEBUG: establishing connection to 192.168.1.116:22
/opt/chefdk/embedded/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/net-ssh-3.2.0/lib/net/ssh/transport/session.rb:90:in `rescue in initialize': Net::SSH::ConnectionTimeout (Net::SSH::ConnectionTimeout)
	from /opt/chefdk/embedded/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/net-ssh-3.2.0/lib/net/ssh/transport/session.rb:57:in `initialize'
	from /opt/chefdk/embedded/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/net-ssh-3.2.0/lib/net/ssh.rb:232:in `new'
	from /opt/chefdk/embedded/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/net-ssh-3.2.0/lib/net/ssh.rb:232:in `start'
	from /opt/chefdk/embedded/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/net-ssh-multi-1.2.1/lib/net/ssh/multi/server.rb:186:in `new_session'
	from /opt/chefdk/embedded/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/net-ssh-multi-1.2.1/lib/net/ssh/multi/session.rb:488:in `next_session'
	from /opt/chefdk/embedded/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/net-ssh-multi-1.2.1/lib/net/ssh/multi/server.rb:138:in `session'
	from /opt/chefdk/embedded/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/net-ssh-multi-1.2.1/lib/net/ssh/multi/session_actions.rb:36:in `block (2 levels) in sessions'
	from /opt/chefdk/embedded/lib/ruby/gems/2.3.0/gems/logging-2.1.0/lib/logging/diagnostic_context.rb:450:in `block in create_with_logging_context'

```

Script used to test `NET:SSH` directly (Note: ruby is not otherwise installed)

```auto
$ which ruby
/opt/chefdk/embedded/bin/ruby

```

```auto
#!/usr/bin/env ruby

require 'net/ssh'

puts "opening connection.\n"
new_connection = Net::SSH.start('192.168.1.116', 'root', {:keys => ['~/.ssh/id_rsa'], :keepalive => true, :keepalive_interval => 60, :timeout => 60}) 
puts "connection established, run uptime.\n"
puts new_connection.exec!('uptime')
puts "running uname -a\n"
puts new_connection.exec!('uname -a')
puts "sleeping for 300 seconds.\n"
(1..5).each do |iterator|
  sleep_seconds = iterator * 60
  sleep 60
  puts "#{sleep_seconds}\n"
end
puts "running uptime.\n"
puts new_connection.exec!('uptime')
puts "running uname -a\n"
puts new_connection.exec!('uname -a')
puts "closing connection.\n"
new_connection.close
puts "done.\n"

```

```auto
$ ruby ./test.rb 
opening connection.
connection established, run uptime.
 06:58:37 up 1:10, 0 users, load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.00
running uname -a
Linux fedtest.xxxxx.com 4.8.6-300.fc25.x86_64 #1 SMP Tue Nov 1 12:36:38 UTC 2016 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
sleeping for 300 seconds.

```

I’d appreciate any help / thoughts. This info was also posted to Github, however after 10 days of no repsonse thought I’d try here.

Rgrds

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nic\_chef](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/fbc32d/32.png) [@nic\_chef](https://discourse.chef.io/u/nic_chef)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 2:49pm UTC](https://discourse.chef.io/t/knife-bootstrap-net-ssh-connectiontimeout-chekdk/10521/2 "2017-03-06T14:49:02Z")

</div>

Does it bootstrap without adding “-i ~/.ssh/id\_rsa” ?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DELETEME](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@DELETEME](https://discourse.chef.io/u/DELETEME)\
**Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 5:38pm UTC](https://discourse.chef.io/t/knife-bootstrap-net-ssh-connectiontimeout-chekdk/10521/3 "2017-03-06T17:38:50Z")

</div>

No it does not, password auth attempts fails with the same immediate response as well. When monitoring with wireshark - nothing hits the wire.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![nic\_chef](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/fbc32d/32.png) [@nic\_chef](https://discourse.chef.io/u/nic_chef)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 12:23pm UTC](https://discourse.chef.io/t/knife-bootstrap-net-ssh-connectiontimeout-chekdk/10521/4 "2017-03-07T12:23:27Z")

</div>

can you ssh from the work station to the node? scan it with nmap to see what ports are open? is there a proxy in between?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DELETEME](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@DELETEME](https://discourse.chef.io/u/DELETEME)\
**Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 1:14pm UTC](https://discourse.chef.io/t/knife-bootstrap-net-ssh-connectiontimeout-chekdk/10521/5 "2017-03-07T13:14:44Z")

</div>

As stated above:

Yes - SSH to the node works.  
Yes - SSH through ruby outside of knife works.

There is no proxy.  
It’s all on a local PC using VirtualBox VMs or the host as a workstation.  
I’ve disabled firewalld on the Node as well to be overall “sure”.

I do appreciate you trying to check basics but it appears to be clear that the problem is within the “knife” call itself.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![DELETEME](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@DELETEME](https://discourse.chef.io/u/DELETEME)\
**Post date:** [March 9, 2017, 12:18am UTC](https://discourse.chef.io/t/knife-bootstrap-net-ssh-connectiontimeout-chekdk/10521/7 "2017-03-09T00:18:54Z")

</div>

While I’ve not had any real progress, it seems that this condition may be a confluence of Gnome desktop and ssh-agent with the underlying net::ssh ruby implementation.

I’m not sure why the pure ruby script would work and knife calling the gem wouldn’t - if anyone has any thoughts I welcome them . .