VPS: vps-7f023e40.vps.ovh.net IP: 51.38.51.204 Region: eu-west-gra My External IP: 212.15.87.43
Problem
SSH connections to my VPS are refused. After extensive troubleshooting via KVM console, I have evidence that my packets are not reaching the server at all.
What I've Verified (via KVM Console)
1. SSH service is running and listening:
$ sudo systemctl status ssh Active: active (running)
$ sudo ss -tlnp | grep 22
LISTEN 0 128 0.0.0.0:22 users:(("sshd",pid=880))
LISTEN 0 128 [::]:22 users:(("sshd",pid=880))
2. UFW allows port 22:
$ sudo ufw status | grep 22
22/tcp ALLOW Anywhere
22/tcp (v6) ALLOW Anywhere (v6)3. Fail2ban is NOT blocking my IP:
- Checked
fail2ban-client status sshd- my IP not in banned list - Checked
fail2ban-client status sshd-aggressive- my IP not in banned list - Checked
fail2ban-client status recidive- my IP not banned - Ran
sudo iptables-save | grep 212.15.87- no rules for my IP
4. TCP wrappers not blocking:
$ cat /etc/hosts.deny
# Only comments, no active rules5. Edge Network Firewall:
- Status: Disabled in control panel
6. Network Security Dashboard:
- No active DDoS mitigation showing
- No suspicious activity for my IP
The Critical Evidence
tcpdump on the server shows NO packets from my IP:
$ sudo tcpdump -i ens3 -n 'tcp port 22' -c 10While running tcpdump, I attempted SSH from my machine. The tcpdump captured packets from OTHER IPs (attackers) but zero packets from my IP (212.15.87.43).
This proves my traffic is being blocked before reaching the VPS.
From my client machine:
$ nc -zv 51.38.51.204 22 nc: connect to 51.38.51.204 port 22 (tcp) failed: Connection refused
$ ping 51.38.51.204
2 packets transmitted, 2 received, 0% packet loss
Ping works. SSH does not. Error is "connection refused" not timeout.
What I've Ruled Out
| Check | Result |
|---|---|
| SSH service running | Yes, listening on 0.0.0.0:22 |
| UFW allows port 22 | Yes |
| fail2ban blocking | No - IP not in any jail |
| iptables blocking | No rules for my IP |
| hosts.deny | Empty/comments only |
| Edge Firewall | Disabled |
| Anti-DDoS Dashboard | No mitigation active |
| Packets reaching server | NO - tcpdump shows nothing from my IP |
Request
Since my packets are not reaching the server (proven by tcpdump), the block must be at OVH network level. Could someone please check:
- Is my IP (212.15.87.43) blocked by Anti-DDoS infrastructure?
- Is there routing issue between my ISP and this VPS?
- Is there any network-level filtering affecting my traffic?
I can access the server via KVM and run any diagnostic commands needed.
Thank you.