Name

Net::FullAuto - Fully Automate ANY Workload with *Persistent* SSH/SFTP from One Host

Note to Users

Please contact me or my team at the following email addresses -

• Brian.Kelly@fullauto.com or team@fullauto.com

and let us know of any and all bugs, issues, problems, questions as well as suggestions for improvements to both the documentation and module itself. We will make every effort to get back to you quickly.

Update the module from CPAN *often* - as we anticipate adding documentation and fixing bugs and making improvements often.

Brian Kelly, March 9, 2016

License

This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the
GNU Affero General Public License for more details.

Shell Synopsis - simple "Hello World"

• use Net::FullAuto;
  $localhost=connect_shell();
  ($stdout,$stderr,$exitcode)=$localhost->cmd("echo 'Hello World'");
  print $stdout;

SSH & SFTP Combined Synopsis

• use Net::FullAuto;
  
  my $ip_or_hostname = $ARGV[0] || 'localhost';
  my $username       = $ARGV[1] || getlogin || getpwuid($<);
  my $identity_file  = $ARGV[2] || ''; # required unless password or
                                       # or key-based login
  my $password       = $ARGV[3] || ''; # required unless identity file
                                       # or key-based login
  my $remote_host_block={
  
     Label => 'Remote Host',
     Hostname => $ip_or_hostname,
     Login => $username,
     IdentityFile => $identity_file,  # can leave out if password or
                                      # or key-based login
     Password => $password,        # can leave out if identity file
                                   # or key-based login
                                # password is CLEAR TEXT, which
                                # is poor security. Consider
                                # IdentityFile or key-based login
     #log => 1,
     #debug => 1,
     #quiet => 1,
  
  };
  
  my ($remote_host_handle,$error)=('','');   # Define and scope variables
  
  ($remote_host_handle,$error)=connect_secure($remote_host_block);
  die "Connect_SSH ERROR!: $error\n" if $error;
  
  my ($stdout,$stderr,$exitcode)=('','',''); # Define and scope variables
  
  ($stdout,$stderr,$exitcode)=
     $remote_host_handle->cmd('hostname'); # Run 'hostname' command in
  die $stderr if $stderr;                  # remote command line environment
  
  print "REMOTE HOSTNAME IS: $stdout\n";
  
  ($stdout,$stderr,$exitcode)=
     $remote_host_handle->cwd('/'); # Change working directory to the
  die $stderr if $stderr;           # root of the remote host
  
  ($stdout,$stderr,$exitcode)=$remote_host_handle->cmd('pwd');
  die $stderr if $stderr;
  
  print "REMOTE HOST CURRENT DIRECTORY VIA SSH IS: $stdout\n";
  
  ($stdout,$stderr,$exitcode)=$remote_host_handle->cwd('/');
  die $stderr if $stderr;
  
  my @stdout=$remote_host_handle->sftp('pwd');
  print "REMOTE HOST CURRENT DIRECTORY VIA SFTP IS: $stdout[1]<==\n";
  
  $remote_host_handle->lcd('~');
  
  @stdout=$remote_host_handle->sftp('!pwd');
  
  print "LOCAL HOST CURRENT DIRECTORY VIA SFTP IS: $stdout[1]<==\n";
  
  #$remote_host_handle->close(); # Use this -OR- cleanup method
  cleanup; # Use this routine for faster cleanup

SSH Synopsis

• use Net::FullAuto;
  
  my $ip_or_hostname = $ARGV[0] || 'localhost';
  my $username       = $ARGV[1] || getlogin || getpwuid($<);
  my $identity_file  = $ARGV[2] || ''; # required unless password or
                                       # or key-based login
  my $password       = $ARGV[3] || ''; # required unless identity file
                                       # or key-based login
  
  my $remote_host_block={
  
     Label => 'Remote Host',
     Hostname => $ip_or_hostname,
     Login => $username,
     IdentityFile => $identity_file,  # can leave out if password or
                                      # or key-based login
     Password => $password,        # can leave out if identity file
                                   # or key-based login
                                # password is CLEAR TEXT, which
                                # is poor security. Consider
                                # IdentityFile or key-based login
     #log => 1,
     #debug => 1,
     #quiet => 1,
  
  };
  
  my ($remote_host_handle,$error)=('','');   # Define and scope variables
  
  ($remote_host_handle,$error)=connect_ssh($remote_host_block);
  die "Connect_SSH ERROR!: $error\n" if $error;
  
  my ($stdout,$stderr,$exitcode)=('','',''); # Define and scope variables
  
  ($stdout,$stderr,$exitcode)=
     $remote_host_handle->cmd('hostname'); # Run 'hostname' command in
  die $stderr if $stderr;                  # remote command line environment
  
  print "REMOTE HOSTNAME IS: $stdout\n";
  
  ($stdout,$stderr,$exitcode)=
     $remote_host_handle->cwd('/'); # Change working directory to the
  die $stderr if $stderr;           # root of the remote host
  
  ($stdout,$stderr,$exitcode)=$remote_host_handle->cmd('pwd');
  die $stderr if $stderr;
  
  print "CURRENT DIRECTORY IS: $stdout\n";
  
  #$remote_host_handle->close(); # Use this -OR- cleanup method
  cleanup; # Use this routine for faster cleanup

SFTP Synopsis

• use Net::FullAuto;
  
  my $ip_or_hostname = $ARGV[0] || 'localhost';
  my $username       = $ARGV[1] || getlogin || getpwuid($<);
  my $identity_file  = $ARGV[2] || ''; # required unless password or
                                       # or key-based login
  my $password       = $ARGV[3] || ''; # required unless identity file
                                       # or key-based login
  
  my $remote_host_block={
  
     Label => 'Remote Host',
     HostName => $ip_or_hostname,
     LoginID => $username,
     IdentityFile => $identity_file, # can leave out if password or
                                     # or key-based login
     Password => $password,       # can leave out if identity file
                                  # or key-based login
                               # password is CLEAR TEXT, which
                               # is poor security. Consider
                               # IdentityFile or key-based login
     #log => 1,
     #debug => 1,
     #quiet => 1,
  
  };
  
  my ($remote_host_handle,$error)=connect_sftp($remote_host_block);
  die "Connect_SFTP ERROR!: $error\n" if $error;
  
  my ($stdout,$stderr)=('','',''); # Define and scope variables
  
  my @stdout=$remote_host_handle->cmd('pwd');
  
  print "REMOTE DIRECTORY IS: @stdout\n";
  
  ($stdout,$stderr)=$remote_host_handle->cwd('/');
  die $stderr if $stderr;
  
  @stdout=$remote_host_handle->cmd('pwd');
  
  print "CURRENT DIRECTORY IS: @stdout\n";
  
  #$remote_host_handle->close(); # Use this -OR- cleanup method
  cleanup; # Use this routine for faster cleanup

FullAuto Framework (Coming Soon) Synopsis (Beta/Experimental)

The FullAuto Framework utilizes the fa command line utility. Limited functionality is already available, and is documented in various sections below. Only the "Framework" is experimental. FullAuto itself is fully released. The rest of the documentation describes fully released FullAuto functionality. See the Coming Soon section below for more information on the FullAuto Framework and other features currently in development. You can preview elements of the FullAuto Framework with this command:

fa --new-user

Using Term::Menus, the FullAuto "new user experience" demonstrates how a command environment solution (which is or should be the domain of most distributed workload automation) can be self-documenting, without the need, overhead and cost of a web (or any other GUI) infrastructure. Self-documenting solutions are particularly needed for automated processes, because when they work properly, an automated solution can go months or even years without a human examining it in detail - often long after the orginal implementers have left the organization. This is the first "page" of the "new user experience":

                      ___     _ _   _       _
                     | __|  _| | | /_\ _  _| |_  |
(   /_ /_   _  _     | _| || | | |/ _ \ || |  _/ | \
|/|/(-(( ()//)(-  To |_| \_,_|_|_/_/ \_\_,_|\__\___/c  username

Items with the arrow character  >  are the current selection, Just
press ENTER or Scroll with UP and DOWN arrow keys. You can also type
the number of your selection, and then press ENTER to activate your
selection.

   It appears that username is new to FullAuto,
   for there is no FullAuto Setup for this user.

>   1      Getting Started (quickly) with FullAuto.
                Recommended for beginners.

    2      Setup User username (Advanced Users)
    3      Continue with Login (No setup for username) &
                Do Not Show this Screen Again
    4      Continue with Login (No setup for username)

(Press [F1] for HELP)

([ESC] to Quit)   PLEASE ENTER A CHOICE:

Description

Net::FullAuto (aka FullAuto) is a Perl module and workload automation functionality that transforms Perl into a true multi-host scripting language. It accomplishes this with multiple *PERSISTENT* SSH and SFTP connections to multiple hosts simultaneously. With FullAuto entire hosts are encapsulated in a single filehandle. Think of each filehandle as an always available SSH client (like PuTTY) and SFTP client (like WinSCP) that are available programmatically to the script.

The importance of persistent connections when attempting to programmatically control remote hosts cannot be over stated. Essentially, it means that FullAuto can "fully" automate just about EVERYTHING.

To see FullAuto in action, please download and explore the "Self Service Demonstration" at http://sourceforge.net/projects/fullauto. The demo contains an embedded YouTube video (https://youtu.be/gRwa1QoOS7M) explaining and showing the entire automated process of setting up a complex multi-host infrastructure in the Amazon EC2 Cloud. After watching or while watching the video, you can run the demo and standup your own cloud infrastructure in just a few minutes.

The Hadoop demo is particularly interesting and timely given the recent explosion of BIG DATA and the need to access it more powerfully. The Hadoop demo utilizes a special FullAuto Instruction Set" that stands up a complete 4 node/server cluster in the Amazon EC2 Cloud. Every element of the build and stand up is automated including using the EC2 API to launch servers, connecting to all 4 servers automatically with SSH & SFTP, downloading and compiling Hadoop source code from http://hadoop.apache.org, downloading and installing Java and all other dependencies, and then cross-configuring all 4 nodes with discovered IP addresses and other information that was unknown at the beginning of the standup - and finally starting the cluster and launching an admin web portal.

Imagine a scripting language that can essentially turn an entire network of computers into a truly interactive collective. This is precisely what FullAuto does.

FullAuto utilizes ssh and sftp (can also use telnet and ftp, though for security reasons, this is NOT recommended) to bring the command environments of any number of remote computers (Operating System of remote computer does not matter), together in one convenient scripting space. With FullAuto, you write code once, on one computer, and have it execute on multiple computers simultaneously, in an interactive dynamic fashion, as if the many computers were truly one.

How is FullAuto different from programs like Chef (http://www.chef.io) and Puppet (http://www.puppetlabs.com) and Ansible (http://www.ansible.com) and Salt (http://www.saltstack.com)? All of which assert the same ability and functionality?

Chef and Puppet and Salt require the use of agents on remote hosts. FullAuto has no such dependency, as it is agent-less. It works against any SSH server implementation on any operating system. Ansible claims to be "agent-less" but actually has a dependency on the Python scripting language being available on the remote host, as well as requiring that the OpenSSH daemon on remote nodes be configured to utilize the ControlPersist feature. FullAuto has no such dependency (FullAuto does not even require Perl on the remote nodes), and if any manual terminal program or utility can connect to a device via ssh or sftp or scp or even telnet or ftp, FullAuto can connect as well - persistently.

FullAuto goes beyond these packages in its unique ability to PROXY-CHAIN multiple hosts with the same persistent connection capability. This means, without agents or any special configuration, FullAuto can proxy connect through any number of hosts and navigate multiple network segments to get you to the host and data you need - in REAL time! Real time interactive command channels and data feeds are the next "big thing", but till now have been incredibly difficult to setup, maintain and keep secure (not to mention "expensive"). With FullAuto, it is now possible for a single ssh process to proxy out through a firewall to a box in the DMZ, from that host go any distance across the internet to another ssh host in another organization's DMZ, proxy through that host and through the firewall, and continue navigating proxies until the process arrives at the host, functionality and data it needs. For additional security, the destination organization can also use FullAuto to host a real time "SSH Service API" (similar to web services) and allow a distant process controlled and precise access to hosts and data just as is provided with web services - without the burden of certificates, https, tokens, etc. - and with better performance (due to the simplicity and direct connect capability of FullAuto's architecture). Web services are still predominantly "stateless" due to the architecture of the http protocol. FullAuto is state-FULL, insuring the most direct access to remote host functionality and data imaginable - regardless of application. Moreover, because FullAuto proxy connections are lightweight, proxy hosts in DMZ environments can do double duty as "honey pots" - which themselves can be stood up, fully configured and fully managed automatically by FullAuto. (See the 'proxy' configuration element - below).

FullAuto can be run by a user in a Menu driven, interactive mode (using the Term::Menus module - also written by Brian Kelly), or via UNIX or Linux cron or Windows Scheduler or Cygwin cron in a fully automated fashion.

Example: A user needs to pull data from a database, put it in a text file, zip and encrypt it, and then transfer that file to another computer on the other side of the world via the internet - in one-step.

Assume FullAuto is installed on computer one, the database is on computer two, and the remote computer in Japan is computer three. When the user starts the script using Net::FullAuto, FullAuto will connect via ssh and sftp (simultaneously) to computer two, and via sftp to computer three. Using a sql command utility on computer two, data can be extracted and piped to a text file on computer two. Then, FullAuto will run the command for a zip utility over ssh on computer two to compress the file. Next (assume the encryption software is on computer one) FullAuto will transfer this file to computer one, where it can be encrypted with licensed encryption software, and then finally, the encrypted file can be transferred to computer three via sftp. Email and pager software can be used for automated notification as well.

Example: The same process above needs to run at 2:00am unattended.

A script using FullAuto can be run via cron (or any other scheduler) to perform the same actions above without user involvement.

Each individual command run on a remote computer returns to FullAuto STDOUT (output) and STDERR (error messages) and command exit codes. With these features, users and programmers can write code to essentially trap remote errors "locally" and respond with any number of error recovery approaches. Everything from sending an e-mail, to re-running the command, to switching remote computers and much more is available as error handling options. The only limits are the skills and ingenuity of the programmers and administrators using FullAuto. If FullAuto loses a connection to a remote host, automatic attempts will be made to re-connect seamlessly - with errors reported when the configured maximum numbers of attempts fail.

Connecting to a remote host is as simple as:

------------------------------------------------------------------------

use Net::FullAuto;

my $remote_host_info={

     Label => 'Remote Host',
     Hostname => $ip_or_hostname,
     Login => $username,
     IdentityFile => $identity_file,  # can leave out if password or
                                      # or key-based login is used
     # Password => $password,         # can leave out if identity file
                                      # or key-based login is used
};

my $remote_host_handle=connect_ssh($remote_host_info);

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Commands also are easy:

------------------------------------------------------------------------

my ($stdout,$stderr,$exitcode)=$remote_host_handle->cmd('ls -l');

------------------------------------------------------------------------

In addition, no cleanup is necessary - FullAuto handles cleanup automatically.

FullAuto uses ssh and sftp for communication across hosts and devices. FullAuto connections can be configured to use password-less key exchange.

Reasons to Use this Module

To do everything you could do with other workload automation packages like Chef, Puppet, Anisble and Salt without the cost, overhead and resource requirements of those solutions. To go beyond those packages and set up real-time ssh proxy-chained interactive command channels and data feeds. To do Managed File Transfers via sftp or insecure ftp without having to impose requirements on owners of remote host servers. To have an entire workload automation encapsulated in a single Instruction Set that often is so tiny; it can easily be attached to an email. You need a solution that is as easy to install as install Net::FullAuto. You want the entire CPAN available for use in your Instruction Sets. You want the true strengths of Perl and the Perl Community and features like Perl's unsurpassed regular expression functionality readily available. You want the flexibility of a serial scripting language, and the option to use modern OO programming with Moose. A solution that can work equally well on both UNIX/Linux and Windows operating systems (FullAuto works on Windows within the Cygwin Linux layer for Windows environment).

FullAuto is the SIMPLEST and most direct path to Full Automation (hence the name). That path is to make full use of trusted connectivity components already in widespread use on billions of devices the world over. SSH and SFTP are literally on every UNIX and Linux host in the world - and are both easily added to MS Windows. SSH and SFTP are used to connect to multiple network devices such as routers and switches. SSH and SFTP are a widely available means to connect to the Mainframe. All we EVER needed was an automation solution that simply utilized this widespread access architecture already in place - AS IS, without requiring any special features or configuration. That solution is now a reality - and its name is FullAuto.

Connect Methods

%connection_info - hash to pass connection information to the following connect_<type> methods.

•   %connection_info=(
  
       Label    => '<label_to_identify>',
       Hostname => '<hostname>', # Optional - need Hostname -or- IP Address
       IP       => '<ip address>',
       Login    => '<login id>',
       Use      => '<hostname or ip>, # When both Hostname and IP are listed,
                                      # use the specified first
       IdentityFile => '<path to file>', # Optional - RECOMMENDED (most secure)
       Password => '<password>', # Optional - *NOT* Recommended
       Log      => 1 | 0,     # Optional - Log output to FullAuto log
       Debug    => 1 | 0,     # Optional - Display debug info in output
       Quiet    => 1 | 0,     # Optional - Suppress output
       Timeout  => <seconds>, # Optional - Default is 90 seconds. Use to extend
                              # time allowed to establish a connection
       Proxy    => <\%proxy_connection_info>, # Optional - use other host as a
                                              # Proxy
  
    );

Label

• Label => <label>,

  This element contains the label to identify the host.

Hostname

• Hostname => <hostname>,

  This element contains the hostname of the host. It can also be encoded with an ip address as no validation is done.

IP

• IP => <ip address>,

  This element contains the ip address of the host. It can also be encoded with a hostname as no validation is done.

Use

• Use => <hostname|ip>,

  This element is used when both a hostname and ip address are included in %connection_info. It is used to indicate which to "use" first - hostname or ip address. FullAuto will use try the hostname first, if both hostname and ip address are configured, and Use is not used.

Password

• Password => <password>,

  This element contains the password to use when logging in. You are strongly advised NOT to use this element, as clear text passwords are VERY insecure! Rather, use keys or identityfiles to authenticate against remote ssh/sftp servers.

IdentityFile

• IdentityFile => <path to identityfile>,

  This element contains the path to the identityfile used to login to the remote host. If you are not already authenticating with this approach, you are STRONGLY encouraged to consider doing so. Clear text passwords are notoriously unsafe.

Log

• Log => <1|0|path_to_logfile>,

  FullAuto has built in logging, but in order to use it, it must be explicitly turned on. It can be turned on and off in %connection_info using this element. A custom logfile and location can be indicated rather than a '1' which simply turns it on. The default location for FullAuto logs is /home/<user>/.fullauto/logs. FullAuto does NOT have one big log, but rather creates an entirely new log for each script/Instruction Set invocation. This is a typical example: FA9320d031717h14m13s19.log The naming convention of the file is as follows.

  FA        -> identifies this as a FullAuto log file
  9320      -> PID (Process ID) of the FullAuto process to which this log belongs
  d031717   -> Date of the log: March 17, 2016
  h14m13s19 -> h: hour 14 (2pm) m: 13 minutes s: 19 seconds

  FullAuto logging is turned on by default when using the FullAuto Framework (fa commandline executable). In addition to the log just described, a stdout file OUTPUT.txt is also created in the same folder as the log. Each process overwrites this file.

  Both files are placed in a zip file (fa_logs.zip) in the current directory. Each process overwrites this file as well.

  To turn off this behavior set the $save_fa_logs_dot_zip_in_current_directory variable to zero '0' in the fa_conf.pm configuration file. Use fa -V to find the location.

The Log element is used to dynamically turn on and off logging:

Turn on logging: Log => 1,

Turn off logging: Log => 0,

Turn on logging with custom name and path location: Log => <path_to_logfile>,

LogCount

• Log => <number>,

  This element indicates how many logs to store. When the number is reached, FullAuto will delete the oldest.

Debug

• Debug => <1|0>,

  This element instructs FullAuto to print all debug output to the screen.

Quiet

• Quiet => <1|0>,

  This element instructs FullAuto suppress all output except Fatal Errors.

Timeout

• Timeout => <1|0>,

  This element changes the default timeout value for any command that has no output. As long as a command has output, there is no timeout. The default timeout value is 90 seconds. It is advised that a stream of continuous output be provided if possible. Examine the options of commands you will be using, and use verbose or debug options if output is ordinarily light. When calling custom scripts - make sure those scripts provide output that comes continuously or at least within the 90-second timeout.

Proxy

• Proxy => <\%proxy_connection_info>,

connect_secure() - connect to remote host via ssh and sftp

• ($ssh_host_object,$error) = connect_secure(\%connection_info);

  $ssh_host_object = connect_secure(\%connection_info);

Any connection errors will result in complete termination of the process.

The $secure_host_object represents both ssh AND sftp connections together in ONE
object.

The important thing to understand is that there is no other code needed to connect to remote
hosts. Net::FullAuto handles all connection details, such as dynamic remote-prompt discovery,
AUTOMATICALLY. No need to define or even know what the remote prompt is. This feature
'alone' is a major departure from most other scriptable remote command and file transfer utilities.

connect_ssh() - connect to remote host via ssh

• ($ssh_host_object,$error) = connect_ssh(\%connection_info);

  $ssh_host_object = connect_ssh(\%connection_info);

This method returns a ssh connection only - any attempt to use file-transfer features with this object
will throw an error.

Use this method if you do not need file-transfer capability in your process.

connect_sftp() - connect to remote host via sftp

• ($sftp_host_object,$error) = connect_sftp(\%connection_info);

  $sftp_host_object = connect_sftp(\%connection_info);

This method returns a sftp connection only - any attempt to use remote command-line features with this object
will throw an error.

Use this method if you do not need remote command-line capability in your process.

connect_insecure() - connect to remote host via telnet & ftp

• ($insecure_host_object,$error) = connect_insecure(\%connection_info);

All Connect Methods return a host object if connection is successful, or error message(s)
in the error variable if the method is requested to return a list. Otherwise, if the method is
requested to only return a scalar:

• $insecure_host_object = connect_insecure(\%connection_info);

Any connection errors will result in complete termination of the process.

The $insecure_host_object represents both telnet AND ftp connections together in ONE
object.

• THIS METHOD IS *NOT* RECOMMENDED for CONNECTING - use connect_secure() whenever possible.

connect_telnet() - connect to remote host via telnet

• ($ssh_host_object,$error) = connect_telnet(\%connection_info);

  $ssh_host_object = connect_telnet(\%connection_info);

This method returns a telnet connection only - any attempt to use file-transfer features with this object
will throw an error.

Use this method if you do not need file-transfer capability in your process.

• THIS METHOD IS *NOT* RECOMMENDED for CONNECTING - use connect_ssh() whenever possible.

connect_ftp() - connect to remote host via ftp

• ($ftp_host_object,$error) = connect_ftp(\%connection_info);

  $ftp_host_object = connect_ftp(\%connection_info);

This method returns an ftp connection only - any attempt to use remote command-line features with this object
will throw an error.

Use this method if you do not need remote command-line capability in your process.

• THIS METHOD IS *NOT* RECOMMENDED for CONNECTING - use connect_sftp() whenever possible.

connect_shell() - connect to local shell

• ($shell_localhost_object,$error) = connect_shell();

  ($shell_localhost_object,$error) = connect_shell(\%connection_info);

  $shell_localhost_object = connect_shell();

  $shell_localhost_object = connect_shell(\%connection_info);

This method returns a local shell handle. When this connect method is used, a separate process is forked in memory and a local shell (currently only BASH is supported) is spawned within it. In this way, you can have any number of local shell processes running that each emulate a command line environment precisely as if it were a remote host handle. This is an extremely useful feature and allows you to run a number of local processes in their own protected environments in parallel. The one difference of note between a local process and a remote one, is that the \%connection_info hash is optional. With connect_shell(\%connection_info) the only elements of \%connection_info that are available are debug, quiet, and log.

Host Object Elements

A Host Object is in fact an ordinary Perl object in that is contains both elements and methods. The elements contain either one or two process handles, and descriptive metadata about the handle(s).

_hostlabel

• $connect_secure_object->{_hostlabel} = [ 'Label','' ];

The _hostlabel element contains the label you assigned in the \%connection_info hash passed to the connect_<type>() method. Each object must have a unique label. If FullAuto detects that you are attempting to create a new object with a label already in use by another object, it will terminate with an error. The _hostlabel element is an array, and you may assign more than one label to an object.

$connect_secure_object-E{_hostlabel} = [ 'Label','Label Two' ];.

You can access the primary label at any time with the following syntax:

$connect_secure_object->{_hostlabel}->[0];

_cmd_handle

• $connect_secure_object->{_cmd_handle} = Net::Telnet=GLOB(0x8006c330);

  $connect_ssh_object->{_cmd_handle} = Net::Telnet=GLOB(0x8006c330);

The _cmd_handle element contains the process handle GLOB. This is a Net::Telnet handle as the Net::Telnet module from CPAN is used to actually connect to a spawned local shell (bash) process, that is then used to launch SSH and SFTP sessions. Don't let the name "Net::Telnet" confuse you - when connect_secure() and other FullAuto secure connect methods are used, the actual clear text and insecure 'telnet' protocol is *NOT* being used! SSH and SFTP are being used instead. Net::Telnet can be used as a lightweight "Expect" and that is precisely how it is used in the internals of Net::FullAuto. As such, all the features and methods of Net::Telnet are available within this handle. There are times when it is very useful to access some of Net::Telnet's methods directly and bypass FullAuto's input and output manipulations. When doing so, you will have to account for the output artifacts that FullAuto handles for you, but there are occasions where this is desirable - especially when front-ending and automating interactive command line programs that prompt the user. Examples of this are provided later in the documentation. So just what does FullAuto provide that Net::Telnet does not? For starters, Net::Telnet requires you to know the prompt of each remote host you want to connect and interact with. This sounds like a simple requirement, but in actual practice, this requirement is a MAJOR headache. The truth is, prompts are very dynamic artifacts that change from host to host, shell to shell, user to user, and can and do change without notice. Prompt changes are one of the most common reasons automated workloads break! FullAuto dynamically discovers the prompt for you on login, eliminating this requirement altogether - and making your job of automating processes significantly easier. FullAuto enables you to access correct output, error output from STDERR, and command exit codes with each command sent. Net::Telnet alone does not provide this kind of advanced functionality. FullAuto automatically handles echoed prompts and other telnet protocol line noise, relieving the user of having to deal with any of it. Many users over the years have attempted to use Net::Telnet the way they CAN use FullAuto, without understanding and appreciating Net::Telnet's limitations and the actual knowledge and skill needed to use Net::Telnet successfully. The goal of the FullAuto project was to essentially remove nearly all of Net::Telnet's limitations, and allow users to automate workloads as they would intuitively expect they should be able to - like they would do it manually in PuTTY for instance, but programmatically instead. A user can successfully use FullAuto without needing a deep dive into the documentation, and without a big learning curve - unlike when trying to use Net::Telnet alone. FullAuto also provides process locking - a necessary feature when automating large and complex workloads.

Net::Telnet methods can be accessed in the following manner:

$connect_secure_object->{_cmd_handle}->print();

• $connect_sftp_object->{_cmd_handle} = Net::Telnet=GLOB(0x8006c330);

When connecting via the connect_sftp() method, the resulting _cmd_handle element contains the command environment of the local sftp program only. This environment is very limited, with the command set comprising ls, put, get, cd, lcd, etc. One important feature of note however, is the escape to local command line feature that is accomplished with the exclamation point or 'bang' character. This does work as expected with this handle. For example, to get the hostname of the local host, this will work as expected:

$connect_sftp_object->cmd('!hostname');

_ftp_handle

• $connect_secure_object->{_ftp_handle} = Net::Telnet=GLOB(0x8006c330);

This element exists only when connecting via the connect_secure() and connect_insecure() methods. It's needed with these methods because the _cmd_handle element contains an ssh or telnet or shell command environment. Otherwise, for the connect_sftp() and connect_ftp() methods, the ftp handle is accessed through the _cmd_handle element. An example of usage is the following:

$connect_secure_object->{_ftp_handle}->cmd('!hostname');

Also available is a Host Object Method called ftpcmd(). It can be used instead:

$connect_secure_object->ftpcmd('!hostname');

_cmd_type

• $connect_secure_object->{_cmd_type} = 'type';

This element indicates what type of command connection exists in the connect_object. The possible values are 'ssh', 'telnet' and 'shell'.

_ftp_type

• $connect_secure_object->{_ftp_type} = 'sftp|ftp';

This element indicates what type of file transfer connection (or method) exists in the connect_object. The possible values are 'ftp' and 'sftp'.

_connect

• $connect_secure_object->{_connect} = 'connect_<type>';

This element indicates which connect_<type>() method was used to create the host object.

_work_dirs

• $connect_secure_object->{_work_dirs} = \%work_dirs;

This element is used heavily by the FullAuto cwd() method. It is listed here for informational purposes, but it is NOT recommended that anyone modify these values directly.

_work_dirs -> _cwd

• $connect_secure_object->{_work_dirs}->{_cwd} = cwd (current working directory in Unix format)

This element stores the current working directory in Unix format.

_work_dirs -> _pre

• $connect_secure_object->{_work_dirs}->{_pre} = (previous working directory in Unix format)

This element stores the previous working directory in Unix format.

_work_dirs -> _tmp

• $connect_secure_object->{_work_dirs}->{_tmp} = /tmp directory

This element stores the /tmp directory in Unix format.

_work_dirs -> _cwd_mswin

• $connect_secure_object->{_work_dirs}->{_cwd_mswin} = cwd - current working directory

This element stores the current working directory in MS Windows format.

_work_dirs -> _pre_mswin

• $connect_secure_object->{_work_dirs}->{_pre_mswin} = previous working directory

This element stores the previous working directory in MS Windows format.

_work_dirs -> _tmp_mswin

• $connect_secure_object->{_work_dirs}->{_tmp_mswin} = temp directory

This element stores the temp directory in MS Windows format.

_hostname

• $connect_secure_object->{_hostname} = hostname

This element indicates hostname of the remote host encapsulated in the host object. When connect_shell() is used, the hostname is the local host.

_ip

• $connect_secure_object->{_ip} = ip address

This element indicates the ip address of the remote host encapsulated in the host object. When connect_shell() is used, the ip address is the local host.

_uname

• $connect_secure_object->{_uname} = uname of remote host

This element indicates uname of the remote host encapsulated in the host object. When connect_shell() is used, the uname is from the local host.

_luname

• $connect_secure_object->{_luname} = uname of local host

This element indicates uname of the local host encapsulated in the host object. When connect_shell() is used, the luname is the same as uname.

_cmd_pid

• $connect_secure_object->{_cmd_pid} = process id of forked ssh or telnet program

This element indicates the process id of the forked ssh or telnet program encapsulated in the host object. When connect_shell() is used, the _cmd_pid is the same as _sh_pid.

_sh_pid

• $connect_secure_object->{_sh_pid} = process id of the shell within the ssh or telnet connection

This element indicates the process id of the shell within the ssh or telnet connection encapsulated in the host object. When connect_shell() is used, the _sh_pid is the same as _cmd_pid.

_shell

• $connect_secure_object->{_shell} = remote shell

This element indicates which shell is being used within the ssh or telnet connection encapsulated in the host object.

_homedir

• $connect_secure_object->{_homedir} = home directory on remote host

This element indicates the home directory on the remote host.

_cygdrive

• $connect_secure_object->{_cygdrive} = cygdrive value when remote environment is Cygwin

This element contains the cygdrive value when remote environment is Cygwin.

_cygdrive_regex

• $connect_secure_object->{_cygdrive_regex} = regular expression to test for Cygwin paths

This element contains a regular expression to test output for Cygwin style path construction.

Host Object Methods

cmd() - run ssh, telnet or local shell command line commands on the targeted (remote or local) host

• ($cmd_output,$error,$exitcode) = $connect_secure_object->cmd('<command>');

There is a cmd method available with every connect_object. For all objects that contain both remote command-line and file-transfer connections, the cmd method gives access ONLY to the remote command-line feature. To access the (s)ftp cmd options, use the following syntax:

• ($sftp_cmd_output,$error) = $connect_secure_object->{_ftp_handle}->cmd('<sftp command>');

  or for older insecure ftp:

  ($ftp_cmd_output,$error) = $connect_secure_object->{_ftp_handle}->cmd('<ftp command>');

For all objects that contain only an sftp or ftp connection, the cmd method gives access ONLY to the sftp and ftp command-line feature

($sftp_cmd_output,$error,$exitcode) = $connect_sftp_object->cmd('<ftp command>').

• =================================================================

The cmd() method is the "centerpiece" of FullAuto. This is the one method you will use at least 80% of the time. It is as close to a full "command environment" encapsulated in one handle as could be imagined. Just about anything you could do manually with a shell terminal or program like PuTTY, you can do just as easily with this method. The most important attribute of this method, and of FullAuto itself, is its use of a *PERSISTENT* connection to the remote host. Because of this approach, STATE is persisted among invocations of this method throughout the life cycle of the Instruction Set. In simpler terms, if you change a directory IT STAYS CHANGED. If you add or modify an environment variable, IT STAYS MODIFIED for the next call of the cmd() method. If you do a su or sudo su, the session will remain persistent until you exit. (One caveat - su usage is the one time you will have to account for the prompt and set it yourself). It is this single attribute (persistent connection) that suddenly makes workload automation EASY.

NOTE: While this does work:

($ssh_cmd_output,$error,$exitcode) = $connect_secure_object->cmd('cd /etc')

It is better to use the FullAuto cwd() method for all file system navigation. This is because it will keep track of history for both command and (s)ftp environments, and keep both environments synchronized.

($ssh_cmd_output,$error,$exitcode) = $connect_secure_object->cwd('/etc')

NOTE: When exporting variables that you wish to persist for an entire session - export them with cmd_raw():

$connect_secure_object->cmd_raw('export hello=hello')
($ssh_cmd_output,$error,$exitcode) = $connect_secure_object->cmd('echo $hello');

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