JavaScript

Start a Remote Shell with QuickShell

Demonstrates the Chilkat Ssh.QuickShell method, which starts a remote shell using the simplified sequence OpenSessionChannel → SendReqPty → SendReqShell. It takes no arguments and returns the shell channel number, or -1 on failure. The default PTY size is 80 columns by 24 rows.

Background: Note that QuickShell does allocate a PTY, so unlike a bare SendReqShell the remote shell runs interactively: it prints a command prompt, echoes the commands you send, and runs interactive login scripts. That is convenient for terminal-style work but means the output contains prompts and echoed input that scripted parsing must tolerate. The method returns as soon as the shell request is accepted — it does not consume the initial login text or prompt, so read and discard that before relying on command output.

Note

This example is intended for running within a Chilkat.Js embedded JavaScript engine. All Chilkat JavaScript examples require Chilkat v11.4.0 or greater.

JavaScript

var success = false;

//  Demonstrates the Ssh.QuickShell method, which starts a remote shell using the simplified
//  sequence OpenSessionChannel, SendReqPty, and SendReqShell.  It takes no arguments and returns
//  the shell channel number, or -1 on failure.  The default PTY size is 80 columns by 24 rows.

var ssh = new CkSsh();

var sshPort = 22;
success = ssh.Connect("ssh.example.com",sshPort);
if (success == false) {
    console.log(ssh.LastErrorText);
    return;
}

//  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.
var password = "mySshPassword";

success = ssh.AuthenticatePw("mySshLogin",password);
if (success == false) {
    console.log(ssh.LastErrorText);
    return;
}

//  Start the shell.  Note that QuickShell allocates a PTY, so the remote shell runs
//  interactively: it prints a command prompt and echoes the commands that are sent to it.
var channelNum = ssh.QuickShell();
if (channelNum < 0) {
    console.log(ssh.LastErrorText);
    return;
}

//  QuickShell returns as soon as the shell request is accepted -- it does not wait for or
//  consume the initial login text or prompt.
success = ssh.ChannelSendString(channelNum,"uname -a; echo DONE_MARKER\n","utf-8");
if (success == false) {
    console.log(ssh.LastErrorText);
    return;
}

//  IMPORTANT: Set a read timeout before receiving until a match.  ReadTimeoutMs defaults to 0,
//  which means no limit -- without it, this call waits forever if the received data never
//  contains a match.
ssh.ReadTimeoutMs = 15000;

var caseSensitive = false;
success = ssh.ChannelReceiveUntilMatch(channelNum,"DONE_MARKER","utf-8",caseSensitive);
if (success == false) {
    console.log(ssh.LastErrorText);
    return;
}

var output = ssh.GetReceivedText(channelNum,"utf-8");
if (ssh.LastMethodSuccess == false) {
    console.log(ssh.LastErrorText);
    return;
}

console.log(output);

ssh.Disconnect();