# Kerberized SSH using a Keytab file **URL:** \ **Category:** Ansible Project\ **Created:** [September 25, 2018, 3:36pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/kerberized-ssh-using-a-keytab-file/28645 "2018-09-25T15:36:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Peter\_Horvath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bb73d2/32.png) [@Peter\_Horvath](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Peter_Horvath)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2018, 3:36pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/kerberized-ssh-using-a-keytab-file/28645/1 "2018-09-25T15:36:56Z")
Hi All, I have a setup where both the Ansible command machine itself and all the managed nodes are running Linux. They are part of Kerberos realm and I would like to use a directory user for Ansible SSH connections, authenticated from a Keytab file. At the moment I have a solution where a cron job running on the command machine regularly performs a kinit on behalf of the account used by Ansible while I specify the following in the inventory file: ```auto [all:vars] # enable Kerberos ticket delegation for ssh and scp ansible_ssh_extra_args=' -K ' ansible_scp_extra_args=' -o GSSAPIAuthentication=yes ' ``` ```auto ``` ```auto While this works, I am wondering if there is any better way of doing this. ``` ```auto ``` ```auto Is my understanding correct that there is no out-of-the-box support for Ansible to authenticate its SSH sessions from a Kerberos **keytab file**? Is there any best practice/convention/recommendation for such cases you could point me to? Thanks, Peter ``` ---
**Author:** ![Marek\_Ruzicka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/da6949/32.png) [@Marek\_Ruzicka](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Marek_Ruzicka)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2018, 2:11pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/kerberized-ssh-using-a-keytab-file/28645/2 "2018-10-02T14:11:19Z")
Hi Peter, I’m currently dealing with the same situation, so I’m as well very intersted in out of the box solution, or any suggestions. Marek