UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

Following this thread:
Automated FTP task
I have created the following script:

Code:

#! /bin/ksh

HOST=ftp.mywebsite2.com
USER=astrocloud
PASSWD=8****

exec 4>&1
ftp -nv >&4 2>&4 |&

print -p open $HOST
print -p user $USER $PASSWD
print -p cd ~/www/gcc/cb
print -p lcd ~/www/gcc/cb
print -p binary
print -p put test.txt
print -p bye

wait
exit 0

I call this file: ./ksh_ftp.sh

The code could not be simpler. I have two identical file structures "~www/gcc/cb"
The file that I am passing from one linux to the other should reside in the same place.

The first thing is just weird. I have to call it like thus;

Code:

ksh ./ksh_ftp.sh

because otherwise I get the error: Anyways, I am lost about the error messages coming back from this.
Here is the error message that I am encountering;
Any clues? thanks

Sigh....

First off: ftp was then, but you shouldn't use it at all. It is insecure because it needs you to store the password in clear text, it transmits passwords/usernames in clear text (which is open to network sniffing) and it transmits all its data without encryption. In all the data centers i work(ed in the last 10 years) ftp and telnet is absolutely positively forbidden (as in: not even allowed to be installed, much less used).

Use ssh/scp to achieve your goal and several of your problems will be gone.

Second: "HOST" and "USER" are on most system/shell combinations special variables to the shell. Log in to your system from anew and issue set and you will probably notice lines similar to these among others:

Code:

HOST=some.hostname.com
...
USER=yourloginname

Overwriting these variables with values of your own is not a good idea.


Third: The reason why you get the funny error message is that your ksh resides not where you declare it to be found in the shebang:

Code:

#!/bin/ksh

means that the ksh you want the script to use can be found in /bin. If you issue a which ksh at the commandline you probably get something else, maybe

Code:

# which ksh
/usr/bin/ksh

or whatever. Replace the /bin/ksh in the first line of your script with what you get there. From then on it should be possible to call the script by just its name instead of explicitly invoking a shell with the scripts name as parameter.

I can't find out from here what the last error means, but correct all the others first and maybe it will be gone for good anyway. If not report back and we will investigate further.

I hope this helps.

bakunin

I think this is the right way to go. In the above example something like;

Code:

#! /bin/sh
expect -c 'spawn scp -P 22 astrocloud@www.mywebsite2.com:/home/mywebsite2/www/gcc/cb/test.txt /home/mywebsite2/www/gcc/cb/test.txt ; expect assword ; send "8*****\n" ; interact'

Sorry to dissent again, but: using "expect" and hard-coding the password into the script is the same as hardcoding the password into the ftp-script.

Create private-/public-keys, exchange them and use these instead of passwords. This will cpme down to something like:

Code:

typeset srchost="www.mywebsite2.com"
typeset srcuser="astrocloud"
typeset file="/home/mywebsite2/www/gcc/cb/test.txt"

...

if [ $( scp ${srcuser}@${srchost}:${file} ${file} > /dev/null 2>&1 ; echo $? ) -eq 0 ] ; then
     echo "transmission of $file successful"
else
     echo "transmission of $file failed"
fi
...

I hope this helps.

bakunin