# SSH config file no longer read

**URL:** <https://forum.ansible.com/t/ssh-config-file-no-longer-read/11539>\
**Category:** Ansible Project\
**Created:** [May 11, 2012, 11:48pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ssh-config-file-no-longer-read/11539 "2012-05-11T23:48:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Michael\_DeHaan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@Michael\_DeHaan](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Michael_DeHaan)\
**Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 11:48pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ssh-config-file-no-longer-read/11539/1 "2012-05-11T23:48:28Z")

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This was a point of major confusion -- why read part of the local SSH config when we don't read ALL of it? This was much discussed and we ultimately resolved to not read the config file.

So, for now, we're reading nothing from it, and will continue to read nothing from it.

Express your port in the inventory file with "hostname:port" or use the ansible\_ssh\_port variable OR express the port in your playbook.

The only thing we lose right now is the ability to specify what SSH keys to use, and I'll accept patches to get that read from the inventory file following the pattern that is used for 'ansible\_ssh\_port', let's call this 'ansible\_keyfiles' and it probably should be a hash/dictionary of usernames to keyfiles.

I don't have a good reason to test this, so it's better if someone with the actual need of different keys per host, etc, implements it.

--Michael

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**Author:** ![Dag\_Wieers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/45deac/32.png) [@Dag\_Wieers](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Dag_Wieers)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 12:40pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ssh-config-file-no-longer-read/11539/2 "2012-05-15T12:40:19Z")

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There's more that lost than just SSH keys though. I use ProxyCommand to connect (transparently) to systems behind another system using SSH. I guess I will have to make a feature request out of that one, unless that's already possible through some other way ?

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**Author:** ![Michael\_DeHaan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@Michael\_DeHaan](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Michael_DeHaan)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 12:43pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ssh-config-file-no-longer-read/11539/3 "2012-05-15T12:43:56Z")

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A patch would be better.

-- Michael

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**Author:** ![Dag\_Wieers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/45deac/32.png) [@Dag\_Wieers](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Dag_Wieers)\
**Post date:** [May 15, 2012, 12:44pm UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ssh-config-file-no-longer-read/11539/4 "2012-05-15T12:44:09Z")

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More time would be superb 🙂

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**Author:** ![Mario\_Verbelen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@Mario\_Verbelen](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Mario_Verbelen)\
**Post date:** [June 6, 2012, 7:53am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ssh-config-file-no-longer-read/11539/5 "2012-06-06T07:53:21Z")

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any news on this?  
I'm also using ProxyCommand with Host \*.wildcard's

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**Author:** ![Michael\_DeHaan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@Michael\_DeHaan](https://forum.ansible.com/u/Michael_DeHaan)\
**Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 2:10am UTC](https://forum.ansible.com/t/ssh-config-file-no-longer-read/11539/6 "2012-06-08T02:10:48Z")

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Nope.