# Ansible bastion host unreachable? **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Tags:** ubuntu\ **Created:** [June 22, 2016, 1:31pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ansible-bastion-host-unreachable/21834 "2016-06-22T13:31:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Anthony\_Cheng](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c57346/32.png) [@Anthony\_Cheng](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Anthony_Cheng)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 1:31pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ansible-bastion-host-unreachable/21834/1 "2016-06-22T13:31:26Z")
I am trying to access an EC2 instance with Ansible installed on another EC2 instance; my hosts are setup with a bastion host. I have been following this post [http://blog.scottlowe.org/2015/12/24/running-ansible-through-ssh-bastion-host/](http://blog.scottlowe.org/2015/12/24/running-ansible-through-ssh-bastion-host/) which seems fairly straight forward. I can ssh directly and ping from this host to the IP given from dynamic inventory (an public IP); but why is a simple ansible ping failing when actual ssh works and pingable? root@ip-host:/etc/ansible# ansible -i /etc/ansible/inventory/ec2.py tag\_managed\_ansible -m ping -vvvv Using /etc/ansible/ansible.cfg as config file Loaded callback minimal of type stdout, v2.0 \ ESTABLISH SSH CONNECTION FOR USER: ubuntu \ SSH: EXEC ssh -C -vvv -F /root/.ssh/config -o ControlMaster=auto -o ControlPersist=10m -o ‘IdentityFile=“/home/ubuntu/.ssh/asdev.pem”’ -o KbdInteractiveAuthentication=no -o PreferredAuthentications=gssapi-with-mic,gssapi-keyex,hostbased,publickey -o PasswordAuthentication=no -o User=ubuntu -o ConnectTimeout=10 -o ‘ControlPath=~/.ssh/ansible-%r@%h:%p’ x.x.x.x ‘/bin/sh -c ‘"’"’( umask 77 && mkdir -p “`echo $HOME/.ansible/tmp/ansible-tmp-1466601336.03-126192442556847`” && echo ansible-tmp-1466601336.03-126192442556847=“`echo $HOME/.ansible/tmp/ansible-tmp-1466601336.03-126192442556847`” ) && sleep 0’“'”‘’ x.x.x.x | UNREACHABLE! =\> { “changed”: false, “msg”: “Failed to connect to the host via ssh.”, “unreachable”: true } Debug from direct ssh which works (via proxy command setup in /root/.ssh/config) root@ip-host:/etc/ansible# ssh devtest3 -v OpenSSH\_6.6.1, OpenSSL 1.0.1f 6 Jan 2014 debug1: Reading configuration data /root/.ssh/config debug1: /root/.ssh/config line 1: Applying options for \* debug1: /root/.ssh/config line 769: Applying options for devtest3 debug1: Reading configuration data /etc/ssh/ssh\_config debug1: /etc/ssh/ssh\_config line 1: Applying options for \* debug1: /etc/ssh/ssh\_config line 769: Applying options for devtest3 debug1: Hostname has changed; re-reading configuration debug1: Reading configuration data /root/.ssh/config debug1: /root/.ssh/config line 1: Applying options for \* debug1: Reading configuration data /etc/ssh/ssh\_config debug1: /etc/ssh/ssh\_config line 1: Applying options for \* debug1: auto-mux: Trying existing master debug1: multiplexing control connection debug2: fd 6 setting O\_NONBLOCK debug3: fd 6 is O\_NONBLOCK debug1: channel 1: new [mux-control] debug3: channel\_post\_mux\_listener: new mux channel 1 fd 6 debug3: mux\_master\_read\_cb: channel 1: hello sent debug2: set\_control\_persist\_exit\_time: cancel scheduled exit debug3: mux\_master\_read\_cb: channel 1 packet type 0x00000001 len 4 debug2: process\_mux\_master\_hello: channel 1 slave version 4 debug3: mux\_master\_read\_cb: channel 1 packet type 0x10000004 len 4 debug2: process\_mux\_alive\_check: channel 1: alive check debug3: mux\_master\_read\_cb: channel 1 packet type 0x10000002 len 50 debug2: process\_mux\_new\_session: channel 1: request tty 1, X 1, agent 0, subsys 0, term “xterm-256color”, cmd “”, env 0 debug3: mm\_receive\_fd: recvmsg: Resource temporarily unavailable debug3: mm\_receive\_fd: recvmsg: Resource temporarily unavailable debug3: mm\_receive\_fd: recvmsg: Resource temporarily unavailable debug3: process\_mux\_new\_session: got fds stdin 7, stdout 8, stderr 9 debug1: channel 2: new [client-session] debug2: process\_mux\_new\_session: channel\_new: 2 linked to control channel 1 debug2: channel 2: send open debug2: callback start debug2: client\_session2\_setup: id 2 debug2: channel 2: request pty-req confirm 1 debug2: channel 2: request shell confirm 1 debug3: mux\_session\_confirm: sending success reply debug2: callback done debug2: channel 2: open confirm rwindow 0 rmax 32768 debug1: mux\_client\_request\_session: master session id: 2 debug2: channel\_input\_status\_confirm: type 99 id 2 debug2: PTY allocation request accepted on channel 2 debug2: channel 2: rcvd adjust 2097152 debug2: channel\_input\_status\_confirm: type 99 id 2 debug2: shell request accepted on channel 2 Last login: Wed Jun 22 13:20:11 2016 from ubuntu@ip-host:~$ Here’s ssh setting of the ansible.cfg: [ssh\_connection] ssh\_args = -F /root/.ssh/config -o ControlMaster=auto -o ControlPersist=10m control\_path = ~/.ssh/ansible-%%r@%%h:%%p ---
**Author:** ![Chris\_Shultz](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/ansible/user_avatar/forum.ansible.com/chris_shultz/32/5176_2.png) [@Chris\_Shultz](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Chris_Shultz)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 5:53pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ansible-bastion-host-unreachable/21834/2 "2016-06-24T17:53:47Z")
Is the host you are attempting to reach set up as the ip that ec2.py returns (x.x.x.x in your pasted output) in your ~/.ssh/config or as the devtest3 hostname you connected to in your SSH debug output? ---
**Author:** ![Anthony\_Cheng](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c57346/32.png) [@Anthony\_Cheng](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Anthony_Cheng)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 6:35pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ansible-bastion-host-unreachable/21834/3 "2016-06-24T18:35:00Z")
Actually I figured it shortly after but you are spot on as the dynamic inventory reference by IP whereas in my .ssh/config it originally had host entry. Solution was to define wildcard IP in .ssh/config.