👻 The Server tmpfs Trap: /run/sshd Vanishes on Reboot, SSH Connection Refused

Bug SSH 2026-03-14

👻 The Server tmpfs Trap: /run/sshd Vanishes on Reboot, SSH Connection Refused

/run/sshd for its PID file; without it, sshd refuses to start. Some distros have RuntimeDirectory=sshd in their systemd unit to auto-create it, but minimal or container systems may have that line removed.

✅ Fix: Created /etc/tmpfiles.d/sshd.conf with one line: d /run/sshd 0755 root root -. Now systemd-tmpfiles auto-creates the directory on every boot — permanent fix.

How to Avoid:

1. Never assume directories under /run persist — it is tmpfs, cleared on reboot

2. Fix: echo 'd /run/sshd 0755 root root -' > /etc/tmpfiles.d/sshd.conf

3. Always keep a backup login method (VNC/web panel) — if SSH dies, you still have a way in

4. After fixing, do a real reboot test — do not wait for the next accidental reboot to find out it did not work

👻 The Server tmpfs Trap: /run/sshd Vanishes on Reboot, SSH Connection Refused

👻 The Server tmpfs Trap: /run/sshd Vanishes on Reboot, SSH Connection Refused

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