AutoIt

SSH Exec (Execute Command Line)

Demonstrates running a single command on an SSH server with an exec request and retrieving its output. The example connects, authenticates, opens a session channel, sends the command, reads until the server closes the channel, and then checks the exit status.

Background: exec is the workhorse of SSH automation: it runs one command and the server closes the channel when the command exits, which is a definitive end-of-output signal. No PTY is involved, so the shell runs non-interactively — no prompt, no echoed input, no ANSI escape codes — giving clean, parseable output. Remember that an accepted exec request only means the request was accepted; the command's own success is reported through the channel exit status. Command syntax depends on the remote shell, which is the user's default shell on Linux/UNIX and usually CMD.EXE on Windows SSH servers.

Chilkat AutoIt Downloads

Download Chilkat for AutoIt

AutoIt

Local $bSuccess = False

;  This example requires the Chilkat API to have been previously unlocked.
;  See Global Unlock Sample for sample code.

;  Demonstrates running a single command on an SSH server with an exec request and retrieving
;  its output.  An exec request runs one command and the server closes the channel when it
;  finishes -- no PTY and no shell prompt are involved, so the output is clean and parseable.

$oSsh = ObjCreate("Chilkat.Ssh")

;  The hostname may be a hostname or an IP address.
Local $sHostname = "ssh.example.com"
Local $iPort = 22
$bSuccess = $oSsh.Connect($sHostname,$iPort)
If ($bSuccess = False) Then
    ConsoleWrite($oSsh.LastErrorText & @CRLF)
    Exit
EndIf

;  Normally you would not hard-code the password in source.  You should instead obtain it
;  from an interactive prompt, environment variable, or a secrets vault.
Local $sPassword = "mySshPassword"

$bSuccess = $oSsh.AuthenticatePw("mySshLogin",$sPassword)
If ($bSuccess = False) Then
    ConsoleWrite($oSsh.LastErrorText & @CRLF)
    Exit
EndIf

;  Open a session channel.  Several session channels may be open at once on one connection.
Local $iChannelNum = $oSsh.OpenSessionChannel()
If ($iChannelNum < 0) Then
    ConsoleWrite($oSsh.LastErrorText & @CRLF)
    Exit
EndIf

;  The command syntax depends on the remote system's shell.  On Linux/UNIX it is typically the
;  user's default shell; on Windows SSH servers it is usually CMD.EXE.
;    Linux/UNIX:  "ls -l /tmp"        or  "cd /etc; ls -la"
;    Windows:     "dir"               or  "\"cd \\temp&&dir\""
$bSuccess = $oSsh.SendReqExec($iChannelNum,"ls -l /tmp")
If ($bSuccess = False) Then
    ConsoleWrite($oSsh.LastErrorText & @CRLF)
    Exit
EndIf

;  IMPORTANT: Set a read timeout.  ReadTimeoutMs defaults to 0, which means no limit -- without
;  it, this call waits forever if the server never sends channel close.
$oSsh.ReadTimeoutMs = 15000

;  Read the output until the server sends channel close, which happens when the command exits.
$bSuccess = $oSsh.ChannelReceiveToClose($iChannelNum)
If ($bSuccess = False) Then
    ConsoleWrite($oSsh.LastErrorText & @CRLF)
    Exit
EndIf

Local $sCmdOutput = $oSsh.GetReceivedText($iChannelNum,"utf-8")
If ($oSsh.LastMethodSuccess = False) Then
    ConsoleWrite($oSsh.LastErrorText & @CRLF)
    Exit
EndIf

ConsoleWrite($sCmdOutput & @CRLF)

;  An accepted exec request does not mean the command succeeded.  Check the exit status.
If ($oSsh.ChannelReceivedExitStatus($iChannelNum)) Then
    ConsoleWrite("Exit status: " & $oSsh.GetChannelExitStatus($iChannelNum) & @CRLF)
EndIf

$oSsh.Disconnect