[PLUG] Remote host lost ssh key verification

[King Beowulf]

On 02/24/2017 10:25 AM, Rich Shepard wrote:
> On Fri, 24 Feb 2017, King Beowulf wrote:
> 
>> Are you logging in via username/password or ssh key?
> 
> Ed,
> 
>    I log into the laptop using username and password. To ssh from one to the
> other (today's experience is from a laptop to the desktop) I should be asked
> for my passphrase, not denied the connection.
> 

In that case, the only entries that you care about are in "known_hosts"
unless sshd is stopped. As root:

/etc/rc.d/rc.sshd restart

It can happen, esp. when you reinstall a linux OS, that new host keys
are generated (see also /etc/ssh).  In that case simply deleting
known_hosts file and then:
=============
$ ssh susan at glaurung
The authenticity of host 'glaurung (192.168.1.27)' can't be established.
ECDSA key fingerprint is SHA256:6/ezoaMfN/zBE5XZoHVl1y7rBZ4vqUDbGaHci8YyQRk.
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)? yes
Warning: Permanently added 'glaurung,192.168.1.27' (ECDSA) to the list
of known hosts.
susan at glaurung's password:
Last login: Fri Feb 24 11:43:30 2017 from 192.168.1.3
Linux 4.4.38.

susan at glaurung:~$
===============

NOTE: password != passphrase.  using username/password means you have to
an account on the host or know the hosts user/password to use.  in the
above example, if I try:
==============
$ ssh glaurung
beowulf at glaurung's password:
Permission denied, please try again.
beowulf at glaurung's password:
===============
Failure since user "beowulf" does not exist on "glaurung"


Since you have an authorized keys file did you try

$ ssh -i private-key-file username at host

without the "i" the default is ~/.ssh/id_rsa.pub

-Ed