[ale] ssh / sudo file transfer?

[Jeff Lightner]

Neat - didn't even know autoexpect existed.  Its like the old keyboard macro recorders I used to use.   Thanks for the heads up.

-----Original Message-----
From: ale-bounces at ale.org [mailto:ale-bounces at ale.org] On Behalf Of deritchie at earthlink.net
Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2007 2:38 PM
To: Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts
Subject: Re: [ale] ssh / sudo file transfer?

Or use autoexpect to watch what you are doing, and then use the resulting script.
Don't have to write a script at then.
-- Dave Ritchie
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

-----Original Message-----
From: timothy at meanor.net

Date: Thu, 06 Dec 2007 14:10:53 
To:<ale at ale.org>
Subject: RE: [ale] ssh / sudo file transfer?


Actually, I was thinking that you could write an Expect script that would log into the remote box as the user, sudo su to oracle, then use scp -r to recursively copy the directory from the original host over to the remote host.? In other words, use Expect to do this:
[ ralph at hosta ]$ ssh ralph at hostb
[ ralph at hostb ]$ sudo su - oracle
[ oracle at hostb ]$ scp -r ralph at hosta:dir1 .

You could have the Expect script prompt once for the password, and take care of using it when needed so the user only has to type it in once (provided the passwords on the two boxes are the same).

-Tim


? 
 
I've done an expect setup for something else within the last 6 months.?? However, it seems it wouldn't work here for the same reasons as I currently have - the front end of the pipe would be feeding to the back end and interfering with things.? It seems I need a way to somehow encapsulate the tar output from the left side so that it is only called on the right side at the exact place it is needed. 
? 
On the other idea someone gave about sudo -v I guess I should say I misspoke.? My earlier findings were if I do a remote command (like the ls I mentioned works) and then do another one it does NOT prompt for the sudo password.?? However, despite that it still has the issue doing the tar.?? Since the tar with only ssh works it appears to be the combination of ssh and sudo that is causing the issue even though the latter doesn't always require a password depending on how quickly one attempts the second remote command. 
? 
Thanks for thinking about it though - I was just curious if anyone had run into it before and figured out a solution already.?? It seems tantalizingly close but not quite there.? I think I'll experiment with expect just to be sure though. 
? 
 
 
----------------
 
From: ale-bounces at ale.org [mailto:ale-bounces at ale.org] On Behalf Of timothy at meanor.net
 Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2007 10:21 AM
 To: ale at ale.org
 Subject: RE: [ale] ssh / sudo file transfer? 
? 
I don't know how familiar you are with Expect, but I think it's your best bet to accomplish something like this.? I've written scripts to do things like ssh to a machine as user A, sudo su to user B, then execute commands, though I've never tried to use it to transfer files.
 
 HTH,
 Tim 
 
? 
 
I'm trying to come up with a command line similar to the tar pipeline which copies files.?? The wrinkle is the user needs to first ssh to the box as themselves then sudo su to the user name that owns the target directory. 
e.g.? Real user is ralph on server that has the real files.? This ralph also exists on the target server.?? On the target server ralph has permissions to become oracle user by using "sudo su - oracle" and also permission to run commands as oracle with "sudo -u oracle <command>".?? 
We do not have trusts established so users must input his password when doing an ssh between the servers.?? He must also input password when executing a sudo command on the target server.?? This works fine.? 
It even works fine when I do something like: 
ssh -tt ralph at remotehost "sudo -u oracle sh -c 'ls -l /oracle/prod'" 
Note there is a single quote and a double quote at end of above line. 
In this command line it prompts for password for the ssh and then again for the sudo. 
It also works but spits an error if I do a tar pipeline without the sudo but with the ssh: 
tar c dir1 | ssh -tt ralph at remotehost "tar xvf -" 
This copies dir1 and its contents from the source server across to the home of ralph on remote host.?? As noted it works but after the ssh password has been entered it displays: 
tcgetattr: Invalid argument 
and then does the transfer successfully. 
However, when I attempt to add the "sudo -u" syntax to the pipeline it spits the same error as above but never really logs in.? It appears that the sudo is getting the tar information from left side of pipe and trying to use that for the sudo password.?? I've tried various quoting and parenthetical notation but nothing works. 
I'm wondering if anyone has successful pipeline for such file transfers or some other solution that does not require me to enable ssh trusts for the user or to setup special sudo commands.?? What I'm looking for is one off transfers not something the user will be doing every day so I don't want to have to modify sudoers or rsync authorization when they happen to need to transfer a file in a hurry. 
 
----------------------------------
 CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This e-mail may contain privileged or confidential information and is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s). If you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, distribution, or use of the contents of this information is prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this electronic transmission in error, please reply immediately to the sender that you have received the message in error, and delete it. Thank you.
 ---------------------------------- 
? _______________________________________________
Ale mailing list
Ale at ale.org
http://www.ale.org/mailman/listinfo/ale