proxmox/docs/09-troubleshooting/fix-ssh-key-issue.md

Fix SSH "Failed to Load Local Private Key" Error

Last Updated: 2026-01-31
Document Version: 1.0
Status: Active Documentation

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Issue: "failed to load local private key" error when trying to connect

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Common Causes

1. SSH config references a key that doesn't exist
2. Private key has wrong permissions
3. Corrupted or missing private key
4. SSH trying to use wrong key file

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Quick Fixes

Option 1: Use Password Authentication Only (Temporary)

Force SSH to use password authentication and skip keys:

ssh -o PreferredAuthentications=password -o PubkeyAuthentication=no root@192.168.11.14

Or with sshpass:

sshpass -p 'L@kers2010' ssh -o PreferredAuthentications=password -o PubkeyAuthentication=no root@192.168.11.14

Option 2: Check and Fix SSH Config

Check if there's a problematic SSH config entry:

cat ~/.ssh/config

If you see an entry for R630-04 or 192.168.11.14 with IdentityFile pointing to a missing key, either:

• Remove that entry
• Comment it out
• Create the missing key file

Option 3: Fix Key Permissions

If keys exist but have wrong permissions:

chmod 600 ~/.ssh/id_*
chmod 644 ~/.ssh/id_*.pub
chmod 700 ~/.ssh

Option 4: Remove Problematic Key References

If a specific key is causing issues, you can:

# Check which keys SSH is trying to use
ssh -v root@192.168.11.14 2>&1 | grep -i "identity\|key"

# If a specific key is problematic, temporarily rename it
mv ~/.ssh/id_rsa ~/.ssh/id_rsa.backup 2>/dev/null
mv ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.backup 2>/dev/null

Option 5: Clear SSH Agent (if using)

ssh-add -D  # Remove all keys from agent
eval $(ssh-agent -k)  # Kill agent

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Recommended Solution

Since you have console access and just want to reset the password, use password-only authentication:

# From your local machine
sshpass -p 'YOUR_PASSWORD' ssh \
  -o PreferredAuthentications=password \
  -o PubkeyAuthentication=no \
  -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no \
  root@192.168.11.14

Or if you're already on console, just run commands directly without SSH.

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For Console Access

If you're already logged in via console, you don't need SSH at all. Just run the commands directly on R630-04:

# Reset password
passwd root

# Fix pveproxy
systemctl restart pveproxy

# Check status
systemctl status pveproxy
ss -tlnp | grep 8006

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After Fixing

Once password is reset and you can SSH in, you can:

1. Set up SSH keys properly (optional):

   ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -f ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_r630-04 -N ""
   ssh-copy-id -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_r630-04.pub root@192.168.11.14
   

2. Update SSH config (optional):

   cat >> ~/.ssh/config << 'EOF'
   Host r630-04
       HostName 192.168.11.14
       User root
       IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_r630-04
   EOF
   

But for now, just use password authentication or console access.