Isilon OneFS: How to modify the the sshd_config file to persist through upgrades

Summary: This KB describes how to modify the SSH server configuration running on OneFS.

This article applies to This article does not apply to This article is not tied to any specific product. Not all product versions are identified in this article.
Check out other resources

Instructions

Introduction (Note: These instructions only apply to OneFS 8.1.2 and earlier.)
OneFS uses OpenSSH as its SSH server. Due to the clustered nature of OneFS, modifying the configuration of the sshd_config file is slightly different.
 
Edit the MCP-based sshd_config file on a single node. After verifying the new server configuration, push that configuration update to all the nodes in the OneFS cluster.
 
Modifying the MCP-based sshd_config file
To make changes to the sshd_config file persist through upgrades, edit the following template file:    
 
/etc/mcp/templates/sshd_config
 
OneFS supports the standard set of configuration options of OpenSSH. To see the available configuration parameters, either:    
  • From the CLI of OneFS, reference the sshd_config manual with this command:    
# man sshd_config
  • From a browser, open the following link:    

The moment the changes are saved to the /etc/mcp/templates/sshd_config file, it will propagate to the SSH server as long as there are no typos / errors in the file.
 
Verify the configuration was applied by checking the contents of this file:    
 
# cat /etc/ssh/sshd_config
 
Pushing the configuration to all nodes in the cluster
Once the update has propagated to the SSH server, push this configuration update to every node in the cluster manually by:    
  1. Copy the template file to /ifs/data/Isilon_Support
# cp /etc/mcp/templates/sshd_config /ifs/data/Isilon_Support
  1. Copy the template file to every node in the cluster
# isi_for_array cp /ifs/data/Isilon_Support/sshd_config /etc/mcp/templates/
 
Verify the sshd_config on every node is identical by checking that the MD5 hash of file is consistent across every node:    
 
# isi_for_array md5 /etc/mcp/templates/sshd_config
 
A restart of sshd is necessary for the configuration changes to take place (Note: The current connection is lost and an improper edit to the sshd configuration may lead to sshd not restarting which requires serial connection for repairs):   
 
# isi_for_array -s pkill sshd
 
To complete the process, delete the sshd_config file off /ifs:    
 
# rm -i /ifs/data/Isilon_Support/sshd_config

Note: NEVER modify the /etc/ssh/sshd_config file directly. Invalid configurations can render the SSH server inoperable, and the changes do not persist through OneFS upgrades.

Additional Information

This content is translated in other languages: 
https://downloads.dell.com/TranslatedPDF/PT-BR_KB530021.pdf
https://downloads.dell.com/TranslatedPDF/ZH-CN_KB530021.pdf
https://downloads.dell.com/TranslatedPDF/AR-EG_KB530021.pdf
https://downloads.dell.com/TranslatedPDF/DE_KB530021.pdf
https://downloads.dell.com/TranslatedPDF/ES_KB530021.pdf
https://downloads.dell.com/TranslatedPDF/FR_KB530021.pdf
https://downloads.dell.com/TranslatedPDF/KO_KB530021.pdf
https://downloads.dell.com/TranslatedPDF/JA_KB530021.pdf
https://downloads.dell.com/TranslatedPDF/IT_KB530021.pdf
https://downloads.dell.com/TranslatedPDF/NL_KB530021.pdf
https://downloads.dell.com/TranslatedPDF/PT_KB530021.pdf
https://downloads.dell.com/TranslatedPDF/RU_KB530021.pdf
https://downloads.dell.com/TranslatedPDF/SV_KB530021.pdf

Affected Products

PowerScale OneFS

Products

PowerScale OneFS
Article Properties
Article Number: 000157992
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 02 Apr 2025
Version:  4
Find answers to your questions from other Dell users
Support Services
Check if your device is covered by Support Services.