cloudmesh-ai-ssh

!!! info "Learning Objectives"

* Install and configure the `cloudmesh-ai-ssh` package.
* Create and manage SSH tunnels for remote service access.
* Programmatically manipulate the SSH configuration file.
* Use AI to diagnose and repair malformed SSH configuration entries.
* Encrypt and decrypt files using RSA keys.

The cloudmesh-ai-ssh library provides a Python API and CLI tools for managing SSH tunnels, configuration files, authorized keys, and RSA encryption. It is designed for use in automation pipelines and by AI agents.

Installation

Install the package in editable mode for local development:

pip install -e .

SSH Tunneling

SSH tunnels allow secure access to remote services by forwarding a local port to a remote host via a jump server.

Creating a tunnel via CLI

Use the cmc ssh tunnel command. The basic format is SSH_HOST:REMOTE_PORT.

cmc ssh tunnel "my-server:8000"

This forwards localhost:8000 to localhost:8000 on my-server.

Advanced tunnel configuration

You can specify custom local ports and remote hosts:

cmc ssh tunnel "my-server:8000" --local-port 9000 --remote-host "db-internal.local" --ssh-user "admin"

Using the Python API

The Tunnel class supports the context manager pattern to ensure tunnels are closed automatically.

from cloudmesh.ai.ssh.tunnel import Tunnel

with Tunnel(local_port=8080, remote_host="localhost", remote_port=80, ssh_host="jump-box") as tunnel:
    print("Tunnel is active. Access the remote service at http://localhost:8080")

SSH Configuration Management

The library allows reading and modifying the ~/.ssh/config file without manual text editing.

Listing hosts

Use the list command to see a detailed table of all defined hosts, including their hostnames, users, and options.

cmc ssh list

Generating config entries

Use the SSHConfig class to add new hosts to the configuration.

from cloudmesh.ai.ssh.ssh_config import SSHConfig

cfg = SSHConfig()
cfg.generate(host="my-server", hostname="1.2.3.4", user="ubuntu")

AI-Powered Configuration Repair

The cloudmesh-ai-ssh tool can detect syntax errors in your SSH configuration and use a vLLM AI server to suggest precise repairs.

How it Works

1. Diagnostics: The tool scans ~/.ssh/config for malformed entries and extracts the raw configuration content.
2. AI Analysis: It sends this diagnostic data to a vLLM server (which uses an OpenAI-compatible API).
3. Repair Suggestion: The AI analyzes the errors and provides a corrected version of the configuration block with an explanation of the fix.

Running diagnostics

Use the check ai command to begin the process. By default, the tool looks for an API key in ~/gemma/server_master_key.txt and connects to a local vLLM server.

cmc ssh check ai

Custom AI server configuration

If your vLLM server is hosted on a different URL or requires a specific API key, use the following options:

cmc ssh check ai --url http://ai-server:17704 --api-key YOUR_API_KEY

!!! note "Fallback Behavior"

If the tool cannot connect to the vLLM server, it will automatically save the gathered diagnostic data to ssh_diag.json in your current directory so you can analyze the errors manually.

RSA Encryption

The SSHEncryption class provides wrappers for RSA encryption and decryption using OpenSSL.

Encrypting a file

from cloudmesh.ai.ssh.encryption import SSHEncryption

enc = SSHEncryption(file_in="secrets.txt", file_out="secrets.enc")
enc.pem_create()
enc.encrypt()

Decrypting a file

from cloudmesh.ai.ssh.encryption import SSHEncryption

enc = SSHEncryption(file_in="temp.txt", file_out="secrets.enc")
enc.decrypt()

Summary Checklist

• Installed cloudmesh-ai-ssh.
• Created a local-to-remote SSH tunnel.
• Listed and generated SSH configuration entries.
• Repaired a malformed config using the AI diagnostic tool.
• Encrypted and decrypted a file using RSA.

Practical Assignments

!!! note "Assignment 1: Basic Tunneling"

Create a tunnel that forwards local port 8081 to a remote service running on port 80 at `internal-web.local` via a jump host named `bastion`.

!!! note "Assignment 2: Config Automation"

Write a Python script that checks if a host named `dev-server` exists in the SSH config. If it does not, generate a new entry with hostname `192.168.1.10` and user `devuser`.

!!! note "Assignment 3: AI Repair"

Intentionally introduce a syntax error into your `~/.ssh/config` (e.g., an invalid keyword). Use `cmc ssh check ai` to detect the error and apply the AI-suggested fix.

Core Dependencies

This project depends on the following components:

• cloudmesh-ai-common
• cloudmesh-ai-cmc
• fabric for SSH connections.
• sshconf for config parsing.
• openssl CLI tool for encryption.