Some more experiments following a lead about liblsp.so. This was not (as I thought) part of the core system, but it belongs to the astrill package, which provides vpn client software.
It so happens I was given a beta version of the client. On the machine that mysteriously re-started working with sshd I had removed the beta clent and re-installed an older version. To confirm, I uninstalled the beta from the 'bad' box, and immediately found sshd worked straight away on reboot. I reinstalled the older version of the Astrill client, and sshd continued to work fine. The problem, therefore, lies in the astrill package (or at least the beta version I was given). It is not part of the core Ubuntu system, so I am marking this bug 'invalid'. I will take up resolution with the software providers. ** Changed in: openssh (Ubuntu) Status: Incomplete => Invalid -- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu Server Team, which is subscribed to openssh in Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1022434 Title: sshd server crashes on startup To manage notifications about this bug go to: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/openssh/+bug/1022434/+subscriptions -- Ubuntu-server-bugs mailing list Ubuntu-server-bugs@lists.ubuntu.com Modify settings or unsubscribe at: https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-server-bugs