The error message you're seeing, "Received disconnect from 10.0.10.7 port 22:2: Too many authentication failures," typically occurs when trying to connect to a server via SSH (Secure Shell) and too many incorrect authentication attempts have been made. This can happen for several reasons. Here are some steps and considerations to help you resolve the issue:

1. Check Authentication Credentials

Ensure that the username and password or the private key you are using are correct. If you are unsure, verify them or reset them if possible.

2. Reduce Number of Authentication Attempts

If you are using an SSH client that tries multiple keys stored on your client machine, it might be exceeding the maximum number of authentication attempts allowed by the server:

3. Increase Server's Max Authentication Tries

If you have access to the server's SSH configuration, you can increase the MaxAuthTries setting in the /etc/ssh/sshd_config file. This setting defines the maximum number of authentication attempts permitted per connection. After editing, restart the SSH service:

sudo systemctl restart sshd

4. Use Verbose Mode for More Information

To get more detailed information about what is happening during the connection attempt, use the -v option (verbose mode) when connecting:

ssh -v username@10.0.10.7

This will provide detailed output, showing each authentication step and might help you identify which key or method is causing the issue.

5. Check for IP or Account Lockouts

Some systems implement lockouts that temporarily block an IP or an account after too many failed authentication attempts. If this is the case, you may need to wait or reset the lockout status on the server.

6. Review Server Logs

If you have access, check the server logs for more details on why the authentication is failing. The logs might provide specific information about the keys or methods being rejected. The relevant log file is usually /var/log/auth.log or /var/log/secure.

By following these steps, you should be able to identify and resolve the issue causing the "Too many authentication failures" error when trying to SSH into your server.

When you encounter the "Too many authentication failures" error during a git clone operation that uses SSH, the underlying issue is similar to what occurs with direct SSH connections. This error can arise if your SSH client attempts to authenticate with multiple keys and exceeds the number of allowed authentication attempts by the server. Here are steps to address this issue specifically for git operations:

1. Specify the SSH Key Explicitly

To ensure that the correct SSH key is used when cloning a Git repository, you can specify the key directly using the ssh-agent or by modifying the SSH command used by Git:

2. Check the Configuration of Your SSH Agent

If you have multiple keys added to your ssh-agent, it might be cycling through all of them during the authentication process. You can list the keys currently managed by ssh-agent with:

ssh-add -l

If there are too many keys, consider removing some or all of them and then add only the key required for the Git server:

ssh-add -D  # Remove all keys
ssh-add /path/to/private_key  # Add just the necessary key

3. Modify SSH Configuration

For a more permanent solution, especially if you frequently access this server, modify your ~/.ssh/config file to automatically select the correct key when connecting to the Git server:

Host 10.0.10.7
    IdentityFile /path/to/private_key
    IdentitiesOnly yes
    User git

This configuration ensures that only the specified key is tried for the specified host, and it sets the default username (git in most Git over SSH setups).

4. Use Verbose Mode for Debugging

To see what's happening during the connection attempt, you can clone the repository in verbose mode:

GIT_SSH_COMMAND="ssh -v" git clone git@10.0.10.7:path/to/repo.git

This command will provide detailed output about the SSH connection process, which can help in diagnosing the issue.

By following these steps, you should be able to resolve the "Too many authentication failures" error when cloning a Git repository over SSH.

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