Subject: bug#35639: tramp fails with ssh method, scp method works

From: Michael Albinus <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 08 Dec 2019 21:20:46 +0100

Timur Aydin <[email-masked]> writes:

Hi Timur,

> I'm using emacs tramp to connect to an embedded system runnig yocto
> linux and open a file. But tramp fails with the following error:
>
> Wrong method specification for 'ssh'
>
> The file spec is /ssh:[email-masked]:/var/log/messages
>
> Attached is the tramp-verbose 10 output for the fail case.
>
> When I use the scp method, I am able to open the file without problem.
>
> When I try the same thing with the desktop PC where I have emacs
> running, the problem doesn't happen. So the issue is specified to the
> embedded system. One thing noteworthy is that the embedded system is
> missing the base64 program. I remember having an issue related to this
> in the past, but I don't know if it's relevant to the current problem.
>
> What else can I do to further debug this?

This sounds like a known bug, <https://debbugs.gnu.org/35639>. A patch
is in preparation, but we are waiting for the end of the assignment
process for Jeronimo, for legal purposes of contributions to Emacs.

If your local system runs GNU/Linux, it might be worth to use the sftp
method instead. This uses GVFS for connection to the remote system, and
shouldn't suffer from this problem.

Best regards, Michael.