ProFTPd + MySQL - 530 Login incorrect - Problems and Solutions

ProFTPd + MySQL - 530 Login incorrect
Deploying a FTP server using ProFTPd and MySQL is quite simple. Debugging it is a little harder :)

I wanted to move my proftpd+mysql server from old box to new box (not dump-restore cause binaries are compiled for different cpus and I really don't need the headakes).
These are the steps I followed:

1. Install proftpd and mysql50-server on new box

On new box I installed proftpd and mysql-server from ports (/usr/ports/ftp/proftpd and /usr/ports/databases/mysql50-server and the make install clean)

And copy proftpd config file (/usr/local/etc/proftpd.conf) from old server to new one.

2. Backup mysql database (called proftp) from old box and restore it to new box

Read How to copy a mysql database using mysqldump on for more instructions how to create the mysql database backup and use scp/rsync to copy it from one server to another (new one to old one).

3. Start ProFTPd

$ /usr/local/etc/rc.d/proftpd start

then ftp to localhost and test:

$ ftp localhost
[root@www ~]# ftp localhost
Trying ::1...
Trying 127.0.0.1...
Connected to localhost.
421 Service not available, remote server has closed connection.
ftp> ^D

At this time I was convinced that there was something really not working with either my proftpd config file, either mysql database which contains proftp tables.

$ truss /usr/local/etc/rc.d/proftpd start
(lots of output)

Seems that proftpd cannot connect to the mysql database. I then remember that I had to grant access to proftpd database to the user that proftpd uses to connect:

mysql> GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON proftpd.* to 'ftp'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password' WITH GRANT OPTION;

(or see Adding new user accounts to MySQL )

$ ftp localhost
Trying ::1...
Trying 127.0.0.1...
Connected to localhost.
220 Ivorde FTP !
Name (localhost:root): myuser
331 Password required for myuser
Password:
530 Login incorrect.
ftp: Login failed.
ftp> ^D
421 Service not available, remote server has closed connection.

So now mysql authentification for proftpd works but it seems that I cannot ftp login with myuser.

Debugging your proftpd server is something that came very usefull for me. See Debugging ProFTP

To start debugging proftpd, issue the following command:

$ proftpd -nd6
- mod_tls/2.1.2: using OpenSSL 0.9.8g 19 Oct 2007
192.168.1.1 - 192.168.1.1:21 masquerading as 192.168.1.1
192.168.1.1 -
192.168.1.1 - Config for www.ivorde.ro:
192.168.1.1 - ServerIdent
192.168.1.1 - DefaultServer
192.168.1.1 - IdentLookups
192.168.1.1 - IdentLookups
(some output)
192.168.1.1 (192.168.25.254[192.168.25.254]) - RequireValidShell
192.168.1.1 (192.168.25.254[192.168.25.254]) - CURRENT-CLIENTS
192.168.1.1 (192.168.25.254[192.168.25.254]) - USER
192.168.1.1 (192.168.25.254[192.168.25.254]) - USER myuser: Login successful.
192.168.1.1 (192.168.25.254[192.168.25.254]) - opening TransferLog '/var/log/proftpd/proftpd-tranfer.log'
192.168.1.1 (192.168.25.254[192.168.25.254]) - Preparing to chroot to directory '/home/www/myuser'
192.168.1.1 (192.168.25.254[192.168.25.254]) - Environment successfully chroot()ed.
192.168.1.1 (192.168.25.254[192.168.25.254]) - unable to chdir to / (Permission denied), defaulting to chroot directory /home/www/myuser
192.168.1.1 (192.168.25.254[192.168.25.254]) - myuser chdir("/"): Permission denied
192.168.1.1 (192.168.25.254[192.168.25.254]) - FTP session closed.
^C192.168.1.1 - ProFTPD terminating (signal 2)
192.168.1.1 - ProFTPD 1.3.1 standalone mode SHUTDOWN
192.168.1.1 - deleting existing scoreboard '/var/run/proftpd.scoreboard'

The last 20-30 lines are crucial. They're telling me that the permissions on home directory of the user myuser that I'm trying to login with are wrong (umask is 027 so proftpd was unable to even read the home dir).

I fixed this problem and proftpd+mysql is migrated and ready for, let's say, production :).
See following How-TOs for deploying a ProFTPd + MySQL server:
http://www.khoosys.net/single.htm?ipg=848
http://www.castaglia.org/proftpd/doc/contrib/ProFTPD-mini-HOWTO-SQL.html
http://www.howtoforge.com/proftpd_mysql_virtual_hosting

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