I have tried using chkconfig sshd on for my CentOS server but every time I reboot I still have to manually start the sshd service. Seems to defeat the purpose of having a remote connection. Also, is there a reason that the default for this is to not have sshd start automatically? Is this a security best practice? I'm sure there is a reason it doesn't default to on but I can't figure it out

chkconfig is the correct way but one way to hack it would be to put at the end of your /etc/rc.local.

I'm interested in the output of
as I'm wondering if either your chkconfig syntax was off or if you set it to a different runlevel than you're running on.

Ryanms, something is wrong with your server and/or ssh daemon. A good starting point would be the output from Isaac's commands.

i get this output on :

Also post the output from 'runlevel' command. (Hopefully / presumably you're in runlevel 3.)

Then check /var/log/secure and /var/log/messages for any errors specifically related to sshd - around the time of your most recent reboot.

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Right, if you are on runlevel 3 then follow anomie's advice and see if there are errors with your sshd in the logs. Additionally, you can run
which reports any configuration errors in /etc/ssh/sshd_config in case you've recently made adjustments around the time this problem began.

I'm at work now so I'll have to get the other info later. I used to be able to ssh from outside my house using the server's public IP but now when I try that it keeps timing out. So that is something else I will need to figure out

maybe your isp changed your dynamic ip address. i use dyndns.com to track my ip.

#systemctl enable sshd.service

Try that. Your sysconfig should automatically redirect you, but try that. Later linux versions use this.
The first time, also say
#systemctl start sshd.service

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Thanks for all the advice. I checked my public ip yesterday and it was still the same as I had been using. I am going to sign up for a free account on afraid.org

If the IP hasn't changed, might you have changed the listening port in sshd_config without also changing your router's port forwarding to reflect the new port? I think once you check /var/log/secure and /var/log/messages for sshd entries you'll know more; if there's something wrong with the configuration then that's going to be responsible for an inability to ssh in from outside. That being said it can't hurt to manage a potentially changing IP address, but I recommend making sure you pin down the root of the problem before moving on.

as root you can also run setup and perform the check via the dialog box that will popup. i think there might be something bugged with chkconfig in CentOS 6.x atm. when i run there is zero output, but when I look at my services via setup, sshd is configured to[*], meaning start at boot and mine does start at boot.

i think i also read somewhere that systemctl is taking over.

So, I am running runlevel 5. I'm a noob and still like the gui as a safety net but most of the time I'm ssh in through the terminal. If the runlevel is part of the problem I can change it to boot in 3.

systemctl start sshd.service gives me:


bash: systemctl: command not found