Clone a remote Git repo (Server denied you to change to the given directory)

Question

I have a git repo set on a remote server. I'm trying to clone it on my own PC with this command :

git clone ftp://x.x.x.x/testGit/ testGit

But I keep getting the error :

fatal: unable to access 'ftp://x.x.x.x/testGit/': Server denied you to change to the given directory

The same URL works fine in my browser, I don't really understand ...

I'm using vsftpd with this config :

listen=YES
anonymous_enable=YES
local_enable=NO
write_enable=NO
local_root=/home/play/

I'm out of ideas ...

is that git repo listening on ftp port? Whenever i clone from github or bitbucket its always http or https for the protocol. — victor, Jun 13 '17 at 14:24
What do you mean "listening on ftp port" ? I'm accessing the repo via a FTP protocol, is there an option to tweak in git for that? — Zenoo, Jun 13 '17 at 14:29

tom · Accepted Answer · 2017-06-19T09:47:28.793

4

You need to run git update-server-info on the server :)

If the repository is non-bare (i.e. has a .git directory), you also need to append /.git to the path as mentioned by @Rohit Pothuraju.

How do you debug problems like this?

My first attempt was to to get a verbose log out of vsftpd. I read the manual and set the relevant options, but it didn't work (the log was empty).

So I fell back to intercepting the TCP connection. The most primitive way to do that is have three terminal windows running the following commands:

1. nc -v x.x.x.x 21     # connect to the real server
2. nc -l -v -p 1234     # listen on some port
   # if it says "This is nc from the netcat-openbsd package", remove the '-p'
3. git clone ftp://localhost:1234/testGit/ testGit
   # the program you want to debug, but with the server address replaced

Now you'll see messages from the server in Terminal 1 and messages from the program in Terminal 2. When you see a message in one terminal, copy it and paste it into the other terminal. Keep going until the session ends.

Tips:

The -v flag causes netcat to print one or two debugging lines. Make sure you don't copy them between the two terminals! In Terminal 1 this should be similar to
```
localhost [123.0.01] (?) open
```
and in Terminal 2 it should be similar to
```
listening on [any] 1234...
connect to [127.0.0.1] from localhost [1237.0.0.1] 53929
```
With some protocols (such as FTP) the server sends the first message. Don't forget to copy that message over once the program connects, otherwise it will wait forever.

edited Jun 19 '17 at 09:47

answered Jun 16 '17 at 04:12

tom

21,844
6
43
36

Thanks for looking into it ! I tried `git update-server-info`, it didn't say anything and it still didn't work when I tried to clone the repo. Then I tried the `netcat` thingie, but the problem is, if I understood correctly, I have to open those terminals on my own PC, not on the server, right? If so, i'm on Windows and I don't have the `netcat` command. – Zenoo Jun 16 '17 at 08:59
@Zenoo: Damn, I was sure that was the problem. The command `git update-server-info` creates the files *info/refs* and *objects/info/packs* in the git directory. Can you open `ftp://x.x.x.x/testGit/info` in a web browser and check that *refs* exists and has some content? – tom Jun 17 '17 at 02:50
@Zenoo: My description of the netcat interception is indeed for running on the local PC, but you can also do it on the server if you have SSH access and the server is not firewalled. Run commands 1 and 2 on the server using two SSH sessions instead of locally on your PC. In command 1, replace `x.x.x.x` with `localhost`. In command 3, replace `localhost` with `x.x.x.x`. If you get connection errors when you run command 3 you'll need to use SSH port forwarding. Let me know. – tom Jun 17 '17 at 03:06
There is indeed an `info` folder inside the `.git`. inside `refs`, there are `heads` and `tags` folders. I'll try the netstat via SSH now – Zenoo Jun 19 '17 at 07:13
I'm getting this error when I try to setup the second terminal : `This is nc from the netcat-openbsd package. An alternative nc is available in the netcat-traditional package. usage: nc [-46DdhklnrStUuvzC] [-i interval] [-P proxy_username] [-p source_port] [-s source_ip_address] [-T ToS] [-w timeout] [-X proxy_protocol] [-x proxy_address[:port]] [hostname] [port[s]] `. I'm guessing I'm using the `nc` command wrong, but I can't really figure out why. – Zenoo Jun 19 '17 at 07:18
@Zenoo: There are several files/directories with the same name in different places, it's a bit confusing. Assuming the git directory is `testGit/.git`, I am talking about the file `testGit/.git/info/refs` (on the server). It should be a plain text file with lines of the form ` refs/heads/`. If the file is missing, try running `git update-server-info` again (on the server). It shouldn't produce output, but it should create that file. – tom Jun 19 '17 at 09:36
@Zenoo: There are several incompatible versions of `netcat`. The version you have needs to be used without the `-p` argument. I mentioned it in my answer, but not clearly enough. I'll update the answer. – tom Jun 19 '17 at 09:42
It's asking me for authentification even though I'm in anonymous mode ... Here are the terminals if you want more info : https://zenoo.tinytake.com/media/568774?filename=1497866938406_19-06-2017-12-08-53.png&&type=attachment&&&_felix_session_id=dec2d9a9b31e9860f61ac7b030392104&salt=MTcwNjcyM181NjcwNzcy – Zenoo Jun 19 '17 at 10:09
Let's continue the discussion in [chat](https://chat.stackoverflow.com/rooms/147063/https-stackoverflow-com-questions-44524251). – tom Jun 19 '17 at 11:58

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered Jun 13 '17 at 14:25

0

I suggest you try this..

git clone ftp://username:password@ftp.company.com:PORT/project.repo/.git

It might work....

answered Jun 13 '17 at 14:25

Rohit Pothuraju

83
6

I set my `vsftpd` to anonymous use, so I don't need to give a user/a pass. I also tried to add `/.git` but it sends me : `RETR responde: 550`. – Zenoo Jun 13 '17 at 14:27
Its permission denied error. I think you have to provide username and password in order to get authorized access – Rohit Pothuraju Jun 13 '17 at 14:49
I already tried without the anonymous option from `vsftpd`. I wrote the username and password within the clone command, but it didn't work. – Zenoo Jun 13 '17 at 14:52
If you are still getting permission denied error after using username and password I think the file is restricted in some way – Rohit Pothuraju Jun 13 '17 at 15:02
How can I change that? – Zenoo Jun 13 '17 at 15:03
Are you using Linux ? Ubuntu – Rohit Pothuraju Jun 13 '17 at 15:08
Yes, I created the Git repo on the remote server with a user `git`, so it should have the correct rights. The first thing I tried was `git clone ftp://git:mypass@x.x.x.x:21/testGit testGit`, but it was throwing me the same error. – Zenoo Jun 13 '17 at 15:11
Have you loaded ip_conntrack_ftp ?You'll need to modprobe it as root. – Rohit Pothuraju Jun 13 '17 at 15:12
I'm not a pro on Linux, I actually don't know what you are talking about. What do I need to do? – Zenoo Jun 13 '17 at 15:24
1

lsmod | grep conntrack – Rohit Pothuraju Jun 13 '17 at 15:26
Apparently I don't have a modules directory : `Opening /proc/modules: No such file or directory` – Zenoo Jun 13 '17 at 15:29
Try modprobe | grep conntrack – Rohit Pothuraju Jun 13 '17 at 15:29
I need to add some parameters to `modprobe`, I can't use it like that : `Usage: modprobe [-v] [-V] [-C config-file] [-d ] [-n] [-i] [-q] [-b] [-o ] [ --dump-modversions ] [parameters...] modprobe -r [-n] [-i] [-v] ... modprobe -l -t [ -a ...] ` – Zenoo Jun 13 '17 at 15:31
Oh sorry do this... echo "modprobe ip_conntrack" >> /etc/sysconfig/modules/iptables.modules – Rohit Pothuraju Jun 13 '17 at 15:34
I still get this error : `/etc/sysconfig/modules/iptables.modules: No such file or directory` – Zenoo Jun 13 '17 at 15:37
Just do modprobe ip_conntrack – Rohit Pothuraju Jun 13 '17 at 15:39
Well, it seems I don't have this module : `FATAL: Could not load /lib/modules/3.10.23-xxxx-std-ipv6-64/modules.dep: No such file or directory` – Zenoo Jun 13 '17 at 15:40
U have to get that module somehow what OS are u using? – Rohit Pothuraju Jun 13 '17 at 15:53
Here's my version : `Linux 3.10.23-xxxx-std-ipv6-64 x86_64` – Zenoo Jun 14 '17 at 08:19
Could you type lsmod and search for modules in the ip area. You will be shown a list of modules. Check if there is anything like ip_conntrack_ftp – Rohit Pothuraju Jun 14 '17 at 08:27
I'm getting the same error as yesterday : `Opening /proc/modules: No such file or directory` – Zenoo Jun 14 '17 at 08:33
Try this to check for loadable modules support - grep CONFIG_MODULE /boot/config-$(uname -r) – Rohit Pothuraju Jun 14 '17 at 08:35
Let us [continue this discussion in chat](http://chat.stackoverflow.com/rooms/146617/discussion-between-rohit-pothuraju-and-zenoo). – Rohit Pothuraju Jun 14 '17 at 08:36

Clone a remote Git repo (Server denied you to change to the given directory)

2 Answers2