PowerFlex 4.x: PFMP Update Password With SSH Key Pairs Uses Wrong Key

Summary: When using the PowerFlex Management Platform (PFMP) password update feature with SSH key pairs, the process mistakenly sends an incorrect key to the servers.

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Symptoms

PFMP cannot inventory and connect the server properly. Screenshot from PFxM showing multiple different SSH keys being used:

2024-12-03_11-31-33.png

Cause

While updating passwords on PFMP nodes, if different SSH keys are specified for the Base OS, SVM, or MVM, a race condition can occur. This may cause the wrong key to be added to the node's ~/.ssh/authorized_keys.

Resolution

To avoid or resolve the issue of incorrect SSH keys being added during password updates for PFxM nodes, use one of the following approaches:

  1. Use a Single Key Across Components
    Ensure that the same SSH key is specified for all components (Base OS, SVM, and MVM) during the update process to prevent conflicts.

  2. Update One Component at a Time
    Update the credentials for each component (Base OS, SVM, or MVM) individually to avoid overlapping operations that may cause a race condition.

  3. Manually Correct the Authorized Keys
    If the issue has already occurred, log in to the node manually, and edit the ~/.ssh/authorized_keys file to add the correct SSH key.

 

Impacted Versions

PowerFlex Manager 4.x

Fixed In Version

N/A - TBD

Affected Products

PowerFlex rack RCM Software
Article Properties
Article Number: 000255847
Article Type: Solution
Last Modified: 21 Jul 2025
Version:  2
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