Question SSH commands in file edit window not working on MacOS browsers

[David Borrink]

Server operating system version

CentOS 7.9

Plesk version and microupdate number

18.0.59 #2

I'm on MacOS. I went to edit an existing file in the root shell and found that I could not save or exit out of the shell. ^O was opening up the Safari dialog for opening documents. ^X would not exit out to the main shell. I tried both Safari and Chrome and had the same issue. I bypassed the problem by going on my daughter's HP laptop and was able to log into my server via Firefox and had no problem saving or exiting back to the shell after performing my needed file edit.

Then I resumed with commands back on my Mac. Is there a setting that needs to be adjusted on a Mac to allow the file edit commands to work?

 

[Kaspar]

I assume when using the browser based SSH terminal in Plesk? For most commands when using a Mac ^ would be the ctrl key (instead of the command key). So to exit the nano editor for example you'd press ctrl + x.

 

[David Borrink]

I tried ctrl + x instead of the command button, but all it did was type "x". So that's not working either.

 

[learning_curve]

@David Borrink Safari on its own, is very restrictive on many 'pages' now (in a good way for privacy etc) & when accompanied by plug-ins like Adguard, even more so, unless, you spend a long time on appropriate, specific configs within Safari / Settings in macOS (and Adguard or whatever other plug-ins you use). To be fair, most of these restrictions also apply to FireFox (and its associated plug-ins ) when running it on macOS / iOS too. Hence, for a long time now, we have used a far less open, i.e. more self-controlled (and once setup and configured correctly) easier access, to fully secure, SSH root access for macOS / iOS devices.

Assuming that you were refering to SSH root access etc in your post, then FWIW we only use macOS and iOS Devices (no other O/S and/or other type of devices). So, with SSH root access to our Cloud Servers restricted to No-Password, Private Key only, we use Terminal on macOS and Shellfish on iOS. We also use Filezilla in macOS, for full root server SFTP access too, as well as / instead of SSH, by using the correct Filezilla config, that also utilises said Private Keys.

On the Cloud Servers, we've already configured the No-Password, Private Key only, root SSH access permissions in Ubuntu O/S, but we apply further access restrictions (e.g. only specific IPv4 and IPv6 addresses have access to Port 22 at root server level anyway. That's applied even before, the No-Password, Private Key only access permissions are applied in Ubuntu O/S, which in turn, is before Plesk. The Plesk SSH Terminal Extension is very useful for many users, but we prefer the approach mentioned above (which, should always avoid the situation that you have described in your post - It certainly has for us, to date).

 

[Kaspar]

I tried ctrl + x instead of the command button, but all it did was type "x". So that's not working either.

That's odd. Works for me on my Macbook.

Instead of using the web based SSH terminal in Plesk you could consider using the Terminal App on you mac to make an SSH connection. This requires port 22 to be open on any firewall (which it usually is by default). You'd use the ssh -p22 <username>@<server.host.name> command to connect to your server. Where <username> is a system user with SSH access (which can be the root user) and <server.host.name> is either your server hostname or IP address (either should work).

 

[David Borrink]

That's odd. Works for me on my Macbook.

Instead of using the web based SSH terminal in Plesk you could consider using the Terminal App on you mac to make an SSH connection. This requires port 22 to be open on any firewall (which it usually is by default). You'd use the ssh -p22 <username>@<server.host.name> command to connect to your server. Where <username> is a system user with SSH access (which can be the root user) and <server.host.name> is either your server hostname or IP address (either should work).

I wondered about trying that method instead. If I was to do root access would I need to use anything besides the username or would it by default go to root access? I learned recently that I need to use the SSH under Tools & Settings which by default is root. I at first was doing the SSH under a specific domain which isn't root.

 

[Kaspar]

I learned recently that I need to use the SSH under Tools & Settings which by default is root. I at first was doing the SSH under a specific domain which isn't root.

You don't necessarily need to use the build in SSH web terminal in Plesk to execute commands as a root user. The build in SSH web terminal in Plesk is just a accessible alternative to using a SSH client/terminal on your own computer. It has it's limitations, which is why using a SSH client/terminal on your own computer might be preferable.

If I was to do root access would I need to use anything besides the username or would it by default go to root access?

To login as root you'd use the ssh -p22 root@<server.host.name> command in the mac Terminal app. After which you'll be prompted for the root's password. So you need the root password (which is generally provided by your server provider when creating/initiating your server. Otherwise ask your provider how to get a hold of your servers root password).

In some cases however direct SSH access as the root user is prohibited/disabled for security. As login in as root is a security risk, because root access grants complete control over the system, making it a prime target for attackers who may try to gain unauthorized access.

Give it a go to to see SSH root access works for you. If not, we can work on an alternative.

 

[David Borrink]

Great. Thanks, Kaspar for all your advice. I appreciate it, and all the details.