I have to run a local shell script (windows/Linux) on a remote machine.
I have SSH configured on both machine A and B. My script is on machine A which will run some of my code on a remote machine, machine B.
The local and remote computers can be either Windows or Unix based system.
Is there a way to run do this using plink/ssh?
If Machine A is a Windows box, you can use Plink (part of PuTTY) with the -m parameter, and it will execute the local script on the remote server.
plink root#MachineB -m local_script.sh
If Machine A is a Unix-based system, you can use:
ssh root#MachineB 'bash -s' < local_script.sh
You shouldn't have to copy the script to the remote server to run it.
This is an old question, and Jason's answer works fine, but I would like to add this:
ssh user#host <<'ENDSSH'
#commands to run on remote host
ENDSSH
This can also be used with su and commands which require user input. (note the ' escaped heredoc)
Since this answer keeps getting bits of traffic, I would add even more info to this wonderful use of heredoc:
You can nest commands with this syntax, and that's the only way nesting seems to work (in a sane way)
ssh user#host <<'ENDSSH'
#commands to run on remote host
ssh user#host2 <<'END2'
# Another bunch of commands on another host
wall <<'ENDWALL'
Error: Out of cheese
ENDWALL
ftp ftp.example.com <<'ENDFTP'
test
test
ls
ENDFTP
END2
ENDSSH
You can actually have a conversation with some services like telnet, ftp, etc. But remember that heredoc just sends the stdin as text, it doesn't wait for response between lines
I just found out that you can indent the insides with tabs if you use <<-END!
ssh user#host <<-'ENDSSH'
#commands to run on remote host
ssh user#host2 <<-'END2'
# Another bunch of commands on another host
wall <<-'ENDWALL'
Error: Out of cheese
ENDWALL
ftp ftp.example.com <<-'ENDFTP'
test
test
ls
ENDFTP
END2
ENDSSH
(I think this should work)
Also see
http://tldp.org/LDP/abs/html/here-docs.html
Also, don't forget to escape variables if you want to pick them up from the destination host.
This has caught me out in the past.
For example:
user#host> ssh user2#host2 "echo \$HOME"
prints out /home/user2
while
user#host> ssh user2#host2 "echo $HOME"
prints out /home/user
Another example:
user#host> ssh user2#host2 "echo hello world | awk '{print \$1}'"
prints out "hello" correctly.
This is an extension to YarekT's answer to combine inline remote commands with passing ENV variables from the local machine to the remote host so you can parameterize your scripts on the remote side:
ssh user#host ARG1=$ARG1 ARG2=$ARG2 'bash -s' <<'ENDSSH'
# commands to run on remote host
echo $ARG1 $ARG2
ENDSSH
I found this exceptionally helpful by keeping it all in one script so it's very readable and maintainable.
Why this works. ssh supports the following syntax:
ssh user#host remote_command
In bash we can specify environment variables to define prior to running a command on a single line like so:
ENV_VAR_1='value1' ENV_VAR_2='value2' bash -c 'echo $ENV_VAR_1 $ENV_VAR_2'
That makes it easy to define variables prior to running a command. In this case echo is our command we're running. Everything before echo defines environment variables.
So we combine those two features and YarekT's answer to get:
ssh user#host ARG1=$ARG1 ARG2=$ARG2 'bash -s' <<'ENDSSH'...
In this case we are setting ARG1 and ARG2 to local values. Sending everything after user#host as the remote_command. When the remote machine executes the command ARG1 and ARG2 are set the local values, thanks to local command line evaluation, which defines environment variables on the remote server, then executes the bash -s command using those variables. Voila.
<hostA_shell_prompt>$ ssh user#hostB "ls -la"
That will prompt you for password, unless you have copied your hostA user's public key to the authorized_keys file on the home of user .ssh's directory. That will allow for passwordless authentication (if accepted as an auth method on the ssh server's configuration)
I've started using Fabric for more sophisticated operations. Fabric requires Python and a couple of other dependencies, but only on the client machine. The server need only be a ssh server. I find this tool to be much more powerful than shell scripts handed off to SSH, and well worth the trouble of getting set up (particularly if you enjoy programming in Python). Fabric handles running scripts on multiple hosts (or hosts of certain roles), helps facilitate idempotent operations (such as adding a line to a config script, but not if it's already there), and allows construction of more complex logic (such as the Python language can provide).
cat ./script.sh | ssh <user>#<host>
chmod +x script.sh
ssh -i key-file root#111.222.3.444 < ./script.sh
Try running ssh user#remote sh ./script.unx.
Assuming you mean you want to do this automatically from a "local" machine, without manually logging into the "remote" machine, you should look into a TCL extension known as Expect, it is designed precisely for this sort of situation. I've also provided a link to a script for logging-in/interacting via SSH.
https://www.nist.gov/services-resources/software/expect
http://bash.cyberciti.biz/security/expect-ssh-login-script/
ssh user#hostname ". ~/.bashrc;/cd path-to-file/;. filename.sh"
highly recommended to source the environment file(.bashrc/.bashprofile/.profile). before running something in remote host because target and source hosts environment variables may be deffer.
I use this one to run a shell script on a remote machine (tested on /bin/bash):
ssh deploy#host . /home/deploy/path/to/script.sh
if you wanna execute command like this
temp=`ls -a`
echo $temp
command in `` will cause errors.
below command will solve this problem
ssh user#host '''
temp=`ls -a`
echo $temp
'''
If the script is short and is meant to be embedded inside your script and you are running under bash shell and also bash shell is available on the remote side, you may use declare to transfer local context to remote. Define variables and functions containing the state that will be transferred to the remote. Define a function that will be executed on the remote side. Then inside a here document read by bash -s you can use declare -p to transfer the variable values and use declare -f to transfer function definitions to the remote.
Because declare takes care of the quoting and will be parsed by the remote bash, the variables are properly quoted and functions are properly transferred. You may just write the script locally, usually I do one long function with the work I need to do on the remote side. The context has to be hand-picked, but the following method is "good enough" for any short scripts and is safe - should properly handle all corner cases.
somevar="spaces or other special characters"
somevar2="!##$%^"
another_func() {
mkdir -p "$1"
}
work() {
another_func "$somevar"
touch "$somevar"/"$somevar2"
}
ssh user#server 'bash -s' <<EOT
$(declare -p somevar somevar2) # transfer variables values
$(declare -f work another_func) # transfer function definitions
work # call the function
EOT
The answer here (https://stackoverflow.com/a/2732991/4752883) works great if
you're trying to run a script on a remote linux machine using plink or ssh.
It will work if the script has multiple lines on linux.
**However, if you are trying to run a batch script located on a local
linux/windows machine and your remote machine is Windows, and it consists
of multiple lines using **
plink root#MachineB -m local_script.bat
wont work.
Only the first line of the script will be executed. This is probably a
limitation of plink.
Solution 1:
To run a multiline batch script (especially if it's relatively simple,
consisting of a few lines):
If your original batch script is as follows
cd C:\Users\ipython_user\Desktop
python filename.py
you can combine the lines together using the "&&" separator as follows in your
local_script.bat file:
https://stackoverflow.com/a/8055390/4752883:
cd C:\Users\ipython_user\Desktop && python filename.py
After this change, you can then run the script as pointed out here by
#JasonR.Coombs: https://stackoverflow.com/a/2732991/4752883 with:
`plink root#MachineB -m local_script.bat`
Solution 2:
If your batch script is relatively complicated, it may be better to use a batch
script which encapsulates the plink command as well as follows as pointed out
here by #Martin https://stackoverflow.com/a/32196999/4752883:
rem Open tunnel in the background
start plink.exe -ssh [username]#[hostname] -L 3307:127.0.0.1:3306 -i "[SSH
key]" -N
rem Wait a second to let Plink establish the tunnel
timeout /t 1
rem Run the task using the tunnel
"C:\Program Files\R\R-3.2.1\bin\x64\R.exe" CMD BATCH qidash.R
rem Kill the tunnel
taskkill /im plink.exe
This bash script does ssh into a target remote machine, and run some command in the remote machine, do not forget to install expect before running it (on mac brew install expect )
#!/usr/bin/expect
set username "enterusenamehere"
set password "enterpasswordhere"
set hosts "enteripaddressofhosthere"
spawn ssh $username#$hosts
expect "$username#$hosts's password:"
send -- "$password\n"
expect "$"
send -- "somecommand on target remote machine here\n"
sleep 5
expect "$"
send -- "exit\n"
You can use runoverssh:
sudo apt install runoverssh
runoverssh -s localscript.sh user host1 host2 host3...
-s runs a local script remotely
Useful flags:
-g use a global password for all hosts (single password prompt)
-n use SSH instead of sshpass, useful for public-key authentication
If it's one script it's fine with the above solution.
I would set up Ansible to do the Job. It works in the same way (Ansible uses ssh to execute the scripts on the remote machine for both Unix or Windows).
It will be more structured and maintainable.
It is unclear if the local script uses locally set variables, functions, or aliases.
If it does this should work:
myscript.sh:
#!/bin/bash
myalias $myvar
myfunction $myvar
It uses $myvar, myfunction, and myalias. Let us assume they is set locally and not on the remote machine.
Make a bash function that contains the script:
eval "myfun() { `cat myscript.sh`; }"
Set variable, function, and alias:
myvar=works
alias myalias='echo This alias'
myfunction() { echo This function "$#"; }
And "export" myfun, myfunction, myvar, and myalias to server using env_parallel from GNU Parallel:
env_parallel -S server -N0 --nonall myfun ::: dummy
Extending answer from #cglotr. In order to write inline command use printf, it useful for simple command and it support multiline using char escaping '\n'
example :
printf "cd /to/path/your/remote/machine/log \n tail -n 100 Server.log" | ssh <user>#<host> 'bash -s'
See don't forget to add bash -s
There is another approach ,you can copy your script in your host with scp command then execute it easily .
First, copy the script over to Machine B using scp
[user#machineA]$ scp /path/to/script user#machineB:/home/user/path
Then, just run the script
[user#machineA]$ ssh user#machineB "/home/user/path/script"
This will work if you have given executable permission to the script.
I need to execute a shell script remotely inside the Linux box from Windows
#!/bin/bash
if [ "$#" -ne 1 ]; then
echo "Illegal number of parameters"
exit
fi
echo "$1"
Here is the command I ran from Windows command prompt
cmd> plink.exe -ssh username#host -pw gbG32s4D/ -m C:\myscript.sh 5
I am getting output as
"Illegal number of parameters"
Is there any way I can pass command line parameter to shell script which will execute on remote server?
You misunderstand how the -m switch works.
It is just a way to make plink load the commands to send to the server from a local file.
The file is NOT uploaded and executed on the remote server (with arguments).
It's contents is read locally and sent to the server and executed there as if you typed it on a (remote) command line. You cannot give it arguments.
A workaround is to generate the file on the fly locally before running plink from a batch file (say run.bat):
echo echo %1 > script.tmp
plink.exe -ssh username#host -pw gbG32s4D/ -m script.tmp
Then run the batch file with the argument:
run.bat 5
The above will make the script execute echo 5 on the server.
If the script is complex, instead of assembling it locally, have it ready on the server (as #MarcelKuiper suggested) and execute just the script via Plink.
plink.exe -ssh username#host -pw gbG32s4D/ "./myscript.sh %1"
In this case, as we execute just one command, you can pass it on Plink command line, including the arguments. You do not have to use the -m switch with a (temporary) file.
I triggered the Shell script in "commands.txt" from Plink which worked for me like a charm with below method I tried:
You can define your script as an one liner using && in a file (I defined in one liner)
You need to run your command in <
Note: Use first EOF in quote like <<'EOF' but not the last one. Else you will see you code will behave weirdly.
Please see below.
Example:
sudo -i <<'EOF'
<your script here>
EOF
Then, finally run it using Plink:
plink -ssh username#hostname -pw password -m commands.txt
Have you tried putting the command and argument in quotes:
i.e. -m "C:\myscript.sh 5"
I am logging into remote machine through shell script (by placing ssh command in script).
After ssh command ,The remaining lines of the script are getting executed on the current machine rather than remote machine. How to make the rest of shell script lines execute on remote machine.?
Lets say this is my script
ssh username#ip-address
ls
whoami
----
The rest of lines after ssh should execute on remote machine rather than the current machine. How to achieve this?
One possible solution would be to use a heredoc as in the following example:
$ ssh example.foo.com -- <<##
> ls /etc/
> cat /etc/passwd
> ##
Basically everything between the ## on the first line and the last line will be executed on the remote machine.
You could also use the contents of a file by either reading the contents of the file into a variable:
$ MYVAR=`cat ~/foo.txt`
$ ssh example.foo.com -- <<##
> $MYVAR
> ##
or by simply performing the same action inside the heredoc:
$ ssh example.foo.com -- <<##
> `cat ~/foo.txt`
> ##
Is your login passwordless.
If yes, you can just use pipe to execute the statement on the remote machine
like:
cat myshellscript.sh | ssh blah#blah.com -q
Use ssh command with -t options. For example:
ssh -t myremotehost 'uptime'
name#myremotehost's password:
10:14:14 up 91 days, 21:20, 5 users, load average: 0.20, 0.35, 0.36
ssh -t user#remotehost 'uptime'
user#remotehost's password:
23:35:33 up 2:05, 3 users, load average: 0.79, 0.52, 0.60
Connection to remote closed.
When you specify -t, it opens the terminal in remote machine and execute the command.
I have a webservice that runs on multiple different remote redhat machines. Whenever I want to update the service I will sync down the new webservice source code written in perl from a version control depot(I use perforce) and restart the service using that new synced down perl code. I think it is too boring to log to remote machines one by one and do that series of commands to restart the service one by one manully. So I wrote a bash script update.sh like below in order to "do it one time one place, update all machines". I will run this shell script in my local machine. But it seems that it won't work. It only execute the first command "sudo -u webservice_username -i" as I can tell from the command line in my local machine. (The code below only shows how it will update one of the remote webservice. The "export P4USER=myname" is for usage of perforce client)
#!/bin/sh
ssh myname#remotehost1 'sudo -u webservice_username -i ; export P4USER=myname; cd dir ; p4 sync ; cd bin ; ./prog --domain=config_file restart ; tail -f ../logs/service.log'
Why I know the only first command is executed? Well because after I input the password for the ssh on my local machine, it shows:
Your environment has been modified. Please check /tmp/webservice.env.
And it just gets stuck there. I mean no return.
As suggested by a commentor, I added "-t" for ssh
#!/bin/sh
ssh -t myname#remotehost1 'sudo -u webservice_username -i ; export P4USER=myname; cd dir ; p4 sync ; cd bin ; ./prog --domain=config_file restart ; tail -f ../logs/service.log'
This would let the local commandline return. But it seems weird, it cannot cd to that "dir", it says "cd:dir: No such file or directory" it also says "p4: command not found". So it looks like the sudo -u command executes with no effect and the export command has either not executed or excuted with no effect.
A detailed local log file is like below:
Your environment has been modified. Please check /tmp/dir/.env.
bash: line 0: cd: dir: No such file or directory
bash: p4: command not found
bash: line 0: cd: bin: No such file or directory
bash: ./prog: No such file or directory
tail: cannot open `../logs/service.log' for reading: No such file or directory
tail: no files remaining
Instead of connecting via ssh and then immediately changing users, can you not use something like ssh -t webservice_username#remotehost1 to connect with the desired username to begin with? That would avoid needing to sudo altogether.
If that isn't a possibility, try wrapping up all of the commands that you want to run in a shell script and store it on the remote machine. If you can get your task working from a script, then your ssh call becomes much simpler and should encounter fewer problems:
ssh myname#remotehost1 '/path/to/script'
For easily updating this script, you can write a short script for your local machine that uploads the most recent version via scp and then uses ssh to invoke it.
Note that when you run:
#!/bin/sh
ssh myname#remotehost1 'sudo -u webservice_username -i ; export P4USER=myname; cd dir ; p4 sync ; cd bin ; ./prog --domain=config_file restart ; tail -f ../logs/service.log'
Your ssh session runs sudo -u webservice_username -i waits for it to exit and then runs the rest of the commands; it does not execute sudo and then run the commands following. This has to do with the context in which you're running the series of commands. All the commands get executed in the shell of myname#remotehost1 and all sudo -u webservice_username - i is starts a shell for webservice_username and doesn't actually run any commands.
Really the best solution here is like bta said; write a script and then rsync/scp it to the destination and then run that using sudo.
export command simply not working with ssh like this, what you want to do is remote modify ~/.bashrc and it will source itself each time u do ssh login.