diff --git a/manila/exception.py b/manila/exception.py
index 936541b493..eeeff6aca4 100644
--- a/manila/exception.py
+++ b/manila/exception.py
@@ -477,3 +477,7 @@ class GaneshaCommandFailure(ProcessExecutionError):
 
 class InvalidSqliteDB(Invalid):
     message = _("Invalid Sqlite database.")
+
+
+class SSHException(ManilaException):
+    message = _("Exception in SSH protocol negotiation or logic.")
diff --git a/manila/tests/test_utils.py b/manila/tests/test_utils.py
index b53c654442..452a16f27c 100644
--- a/manila/tests/test_utils.py
+++ b/manila/tests/test_utils.py
@@ -415,7 +415,7 @@ class FakeSSHClient(object):
         pass
 
     def connect(self, ip, port=22, username=None, password=None,
-                pkey=None, timeout=10):
+                key_filename=None, look_for_keys=None, timeout=10):
         pass
 
     def get_transport(self):
@@ -473,28 +473,44 @@ class SSHPoolTestCase(test.TestCase):
 
             fake_ssh_client.connect.assert_called_once_with(
                 "127.0.0.1", port=22, username="test",
-                password="test", pkey=None, timeout=10)
+                password="test", key_filename=None, look_for_keys=False,
+                timeout=10)
 
     def test_create_ssh_with_key(self):
-        key = os.path.expanduser("fake_key")
+        path_to_private_key = "/fakepath/to/privatekey"
         fake_ssh_client = mock.Mock()
         ssh_pool = utils.SSHPool("127.0.0.1", 22, 10, "test",
-                                 privatekey="fake_key")
+                                 privatekey="/fakepath/to/privatekey")
         with mock.patch.object(paramiko, "SSHClient",
                                return_value=fake_ssh_client):
-            with mock.patch.object(paramiko.RSAKey, "from_private_key_file",
-                                   return_value=key) as from_private_key_mock:
-
-                ssh_pool.create()
-                from_private_key_mock.assert_called_once_with(key)
-                fake_ssh_client.connect.assert_called_once_with(
-                    "127.0.0.1", port=22, username="test",
-                    password=None, pkey=key, timeout=10)
+            ssh_pool.create()
+            fake_ssh_client.connect.assert_called_once_with(
+                "127.0.0.1", port=22, username="test", password=None,
+                key_filename=path_to_private_key, look_for_keys=False,
+                timeout=10)
 
     def test_create_ssh_with_nothing(self):
+        fake_ssh_client = mock.Mock()
         ssh_pool = utils.SSHPool("127.0.0.1", 22, 10, "test")
-        with mock.patch.object(paramiko, "SSHClient"):
-            self.assertRaises(paramiko.SSHException, ssh_pool.create)
+        with mock.patch.object(paramiko, "SSHClient",
+                               return_value=fake_ssh_client):
+            ssh_pool.create()
+            fake_ssh_client.connect.assert_called_once_with(
+                "127.0.0.1", port=22, username="test", password=None,
+                key_filename=None, look_for_keys=True,
+                timeout=10)
+
+    def test_create_ssh_error_connecting(self):
+        attrs = {'connect.side_effect': paramiko.SSHException, }
+        fake_ssh_client = mock.Mock(**attrs)
+        ssh_pool = utils.SSHPool("127.0.0.1", 22, 10, "test")
+        with mock.patch.object(paramiko, "SSHClient",
+                               return_value=fake_ssh_client):
+            self.assertRaises(exception.SSHException, ssh_pool.create)
+            fake_ssh_client.connect.assert_called_once_with(
+                "127.0.0.1", port=22, username="test", password=None,
+                key_filename=None, look_for_keys=True,
+                timeout=10)
 
     def test_closed_reopend_ssh_connections(self):
         with mock.patch.object(paramiko, "SSHClient",
diff --git a/manila/utils.py b/manila/utils.py
index 3b8070f9ef..5c2f2fb698 100644
--- a/manila/utils.py
+++ b/manila/utils.py
@@ -80,26 +80,27 @@ class SSHPool(pools.Pool):
         self.login = login
         self.password = password
         self.conn_timeout = conn_timeout if conn_timeout else None
-        self.privatekey = privatekey
+        self.path_to_private_key = privatekey
         super(SSHPool, self).__init__(*args, **kwargs)
 
     def create(self):
+        ssh = paramiko.SSHClient()
+        ssh.set_missing_host_key_policy(paramiko.AutoAddPolicy())
+        look_for_keys = True
+        if self.path_to_private_key:
+            self.path_to_private_key = os.path.expanduser(
+                self.path_to_private_key)
+            look_for_keys = False
+        elif self.password:
+            look_for_keys = False
         try:
-            ssh = paramiko.SSHClient()
-            ssh.set_missing_host_key_policy(paramiko.AutoAddPolicy())
-            if self.privatekey:
-                pkfile = os.path.expanduser(self.privatekey)
-                self.privatekey = paramiko.RSAKey.from_private_key_file(pkfile)
-            elif not self.password:
-                msg = _("Specify a password or private_key")
-                raise exception.ManilaException(msg)
             ssh.connect(self.ip,
                         port=self.port,
                         username=self.login,
                         password=self.password,
-                        pkey=self.privatekey,
+                        key_filename=self.path_to_private_key,
+                        look_for_keys=look_for_keys,
                         timeout=self.conn_timeout)
-
             # Paramiko by default sets the socket timeout to 0.1 seconds,
             # ignoring what we set thru the sshclient. This doesn't help for
             # keeping long lived connections. Hence we have to bypass it, by
@@ -113,9 +114,10 @@ class SSHPool(pools.Pool):
                 transport.set_keepalive(self.conn_timeout)
             return ssh
         except Exception as e:
-            msg = _("Error connecting via ssh: %s") % e
+            msg = _("Check whether private key or password are correctly "
+                    "set. Error connecting via ssh: %s") % e
             LOG.error(msg)
-            raise paramiko.SSHException(msg)
+            raise exception.SSHException(msg)
 
     def get(self):
         """Return an item from the pool, when one is available.