> Source: [sk172845](https://support.checkpoint.com/results/sk/sk172845)

# sk172845 - SSH to Gaia fails to start with error: "Fatal: Missing privilege separation directory: /var/empty/sshd"

| Property | Value |
|----------|-------|
| Solution ID | sk172845 |
| Date Created | 2021-04-04 |
| Last Modified | 2021-04-05 |
| Technical Level | Advanced |
| Products | Security Gateway, Security Management Server |
| Versions | R82.10, R82, R81.20, R82.10, R82, R81.20, R82.20 |
| OS | Gaia |

## Symptoms

- * This log is created in /var/log/messages file when you try to open SSH connection to Gaia server:  
  `
  hostname sshd[123]: fatal: Missing privilege separation directory: /var/empty/sshd`

* If you try to restart SSHD, it fails with below message:  
  `
  stopping sshd:`  
  `
  Starting sshd: Missing privilege separation directory: /var/empty/sshd`  
  `
  [Failed]`

* There is no other issue with connectivity to the Gaia device. For a management server, Smart Console access is working.

## Cause

Directory /var/empty/sshd is missing.

## Solution

This solution requires authentication. Please log in to view the full solution.

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