Read Data from an SSH Channel

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Demonstrates the Chilkat Ssh.ChannelRead method, which reads incoming SSH channel messages. The only argument is the channel number; the ReadTimeoutMs property limits how long it waits. Received data is appended to the channel's receive buffer, then retrieved with a GetReceived... method.

The integer return value is -1 on error, -2 if nothing arrived before the timeout, 0 if EOF or channel close was processed, or — when greater than 0 — the total bytes currently buffered for the channel (not the bytes newly received by this call).

integer li_rc
integer li_Success
oleobject loo_Ssh
integer li_SshPort
string ls_Password
integer li_ChannelNum
integer li_Result
string ls_Output

li_Success = 0

//  Demonstrates the Ssh.ChannelRead method, which reads incoming SSH channel messages.  The only
//  argument is the channel number.  The ReadTimeoutMs property limits how long it waits.

loo_Ssh = create oleobject
li_rc = loo_Ssh.ConnectToNewObject("Chilkat.Ssh")
if li_rc < 0 then
    destroy loo_Ssh
    MessageBox("Error","Connecting to COM object failed")
    return
end if

li_SshPort = 22
li_Success = loo_Ssh.Connect("ssh.example.com",li_SshPort)
if li_Success = 0 then
    Write-Debug loo_Ssh.LastErrorText
    destroy loo_Ssh
    return
end if

//  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.
ls_Password = "mySshPassword"

li_Success = loo_Ssh.AuthenticatePw("mySshLogin",ls_Password)
if li_Success = 0 then
    Write-Debug loo_Ssh.LastErrorText
    destroy loo_Ssh
    return
end if

li_ChannelNum = loo_Ssh.OpenSessionChannel()
if li_ChannelNum < 0 then
    Write-Debug loo_Ssh.LastErrorText
    destroy loo_Ssh
    return
end if

//  Start a shell WITHOUT requesting a PTY.  Without a PTY the shell sees it is connected to a
//  raw data pipe and enters non-interactive mode: it suppresses the command prompt, does not
//  echo typed commands back, and skips interactive login scripts.  The output is therefore
//  clean and easily parseable -- but because no prompt is ever sent, code must not wait for
//  one.  Instead, have each command print a predictable marker, or wait for EOF / channel close.
li_Success = loo_Ssh.SendReqShell(li_ChannelNum)
if li_Success = 0 then
    Write-Debug loo_Ssh.LastErrorText
    destroy loo_Ssh
    return
end if

li_Success = loo_Ssh.ChannelSendString(li_ChannelNum,"uname -a~n","utf-8")
if li_Success = 0 then
    Write-Debug loo_Ssh.LastErrorText
    destroy loo_Ssh
    return
end if

//  The return value is: -1 on error, -2 if nothing arrived before the timeout, 0 if EOF or
//  channel close was processed, or the total number of buffered bytes when greater than 0.
li_Result = loo_Ssh.ChannelRead(li_ChannelNum)
if li_Result = -1 then
    Write-Debug loo_Ssh.LastErrorText
    destroy loo_Ssh
    return
end if

if li_Result = -2 then
    Write-Debug "No channel data arrived before the timeout."
end if

if li_Result = 0 then
    Write-Debug "EOF or channel close was processed.  Buffered data may still remain."
end if

if li_Result > 0 then
    Write-Debug "Total bytes buffered: " + string(li_Result)
end if

ls_Output = loo_Ssh.GetReceivedText(li_ChannelNum,"utf-8")
if loo_Ssh.LastMethodSuccess = 0 then
    Write-Debug loo_Ssh.LastErrorText
    destroy loo_Ssh
    return
end if

Write-Debug ls_Output

loo_Ssh.Disconnect()


destroy loo_Ssh