CVS Connection Cannot Be Made

Platform Notice: Data Center Only - This article only applies to Atlassian products on the Data Center platform.

Note that this KB was created for the Data Center version of the product. Data Center KBs for non-Data-Center-specific features may also work for Server versions of the product, however they have not been tested. Support for Server* products ended on February 15th 2024. If you are running a Server product, you can visit the Atlassian Server end of support announcement to review your migration options.

*Except Fisheye and Crucible

Symptoms

The following error is thrown when trying to connect to a CVS repository:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 2007-09-12 14:54:31,403 http-8080-Processor21 ERROR [action.admin.vcs.AddRepository] Error authenticating with the repository: Could not open ssh connection. Please see underlying error message. org.netbeans.lib.cvsclient.connection.AuthenticationException: Could not open ssh connection. Please see underlying error message. ... Caused by: com.jcraft.jsch.JSchException: Auth fail at com.jcraft.jsch.Session.connect(Unknown Source) at com.jcraft.jsch.Session.connect(Unknown Source)

Cause

The CVS server needs authentication to be able to connect.

Resolution

Examine the follow file on the CVS server:

1 /ect/ssh/sshd_config

The PasswordAuthentication option should be uncommented and set to yes if authentication is required.

Updated on April 8, 2025

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