Ubuntu – SSH Connections freezing with “Write failed: Broken pipe”

centossshtimeoutUbuntu

I am connecting to a CentOS 5.5 box via SSH from a Ubuntu 11.04 machine.

The connection appears to work as expected when it is in active use (i.e. no lag or loss), but if it is left inactive for a while it will freeze up and become unresponsive. Eventually the error message "Write failed: Broken pipe" will be returned and I'll be back on my local machine's prompt.

What sort of things can I do to help debug this, find out what is happening, and get this resolved?
Being a developer, this is making my life a pain having to reconnect constantly.

Best Answer

It looks like the CentOS box's SSHD config is not set to do the client KeepAlive.

Drop these two lines in your CentOS sshd config (/etc/ssh/sshd_config), restart it, and enjoy!

KeepAlive yes
ClientAliveInterval 60

While you're at it, I'd recommend using gnu screen to keep your session alive on the CentOS side.

Related Solutions

Linux – Write failed: Broken pipe (in Ubuntu 10.04)

I think it could be a case of routers/firewalls/etc forcibly disconnecting your idle sessions.

Try using a 'keepalive' when you connect

ssh -o TCPKeepAlive=yes

Note: there's definitely several other ways to set up keepalives on an ssh connection, server side or client side. Above is a straightforward client-side one.

hth

Ubuntu Server SSH Write Failed – Broken Pipe – How to Fix

Use mtr to check the network. Try a command like mtr -i 15 remotehost. Leave this running in a window, or use screen so you can detach. It should catch any problems with the network. Packet loss is typically 0% on most of my systems.

EDIT: What does the output of arp -n show for your IP address before and after ssh drops. You may want to try this on another server on the same subnet. There should be only one HW address for the IP address and it should not change. If it does you have an IP address conflict.

Best Answer

Related Solutions

Linux – Write failed: Broken pipe (in Ubuntu 10.04)

Ubuntu Server SSH Write Failed – Broken Pipe – How to Fix

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