openssh unix dev - Sep 2001 - OpenSSH linkable library

Has anyone considered making a linkable library of the OpenSSH code so
that one could programatically interact with ssh?  Or is there some other
method to accomplish this?

Thanks,
-Eric

I looked into the source to see what it would take. I don't recommend
trying, at this time, to make a library. There's too many assumptions
about having the run of a process that would step on any library
consumer's toes -- like fatal errors always leading to exit() being
called.

An interface would have to be created too -- you'd probably not want to
cons up an argv/argc when you could get/set options programmatically
with a friendly interface instead.

That said, it would be great if there was an SSH client (and server)
library.

Nico


On Tue, Sep 18, 2001 at 01:35:47PM -0700, Eric Huss
wrote:
> Has anyone considered making a linkable library of the OpenSSH code so
> that one could programatically interact with ssh?  Or is there some other
> method to accomplish this?
> 
> Thanks,
> -Eric
> 
--

Visit our website at http://www.ubswarburg.com

This message contains confidential information and is intended only 
for the individual named.  If you are not the named addressee you 
should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail.  Please 
notify the sender immediately by e-mail if you have received this 
e-mail by mistake and delete this e-mail from your system.

E-mail transmission cannot be guaranteed to be secure or error-free 
as information could be intercepted, corrupted, lost, destroyed, 
arrive late or incomplete, or contain viruses.  The sender therefore 
does not accept liability for any errors or omissions in the contents 
of this message which arise as a result of e-mail transmission.  If 
verification is required please request a hard-copy version.  This 
message is provided for informational purposes and should not be 
construed as a solicitation or offer to buy or sell any securities or 
related financial instruments.

One technique that will work is to run ssh as a coprocess, with stdin and 
stdout piped into your main process (similar to popen). The most important 
consequence is that the password prompt will not work correctly (it uses 
the pty directly, rather than stdin/stdout). Password authentication is 
therefore not usable without adding unsavory patches to the OpenSSH source 
code. This limitation is reasonable; however, since an automaton should 
really be using RSA authentication anyway.

At 03:35 PM 9/18/2001, Eric Huss wrote:
>Has anyone considered making a linkable library of the OpenSSH code so
>that one could programatically interact with ssh?  Or is there some other
>method to accomplish this?
>
>Thanks,
>-Eric

On Tue, Sep 18, 2001 at 01:35:47PM -0700, Eric Huss
wrote:
> Has anyone considered making a linkable library of the OpenSSH code so
> that one could programatically interact with ssh?  Or is there some other
> method to accomplish this?
depends on what do you want to use it for.