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tsshbatch / tsshbatch.rst
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NAME
----

**tsshbatch** - Run Commands On Batches Of Machines

SYNOPSIS
--------
::

  tsshbatch.py [-EKNSTaehkvxy -G 'file dest' -P 'file dest' -f cmdfile -l logfile -n name -p pw ] -H 'host ..' | hostlistfile [command arg ... ]

DESCRIPTION
-----------

``tsshbatch`` is a tool to enable you to issue a command to many
hosts without having to log into each one separately.  When writing
scripts, this overcomes the ``ssh`` limitation of not being able to
specify the password on the command line.

You can also use ``tsshbatch`` to ``GET`` and ``PUT`` files
from- and to many hosts at once.

``tsshbatch`` also understands basic ``sudo`` syntax and can be used
to access a host, ``sudo`` a command, and then exit.

``tsshbatch`` thus allows you to write complex, hands-off scripts that
issue commands to many hosts without the tedium of manual login and
``sudo`` promotion.  System administrators, especially, will find this
helpful when working in large server farms.


OPTIONS
-------

``tsshbatch`` supports a variety of options which can be specified
on either the command line or in the ``$TSSHBATCH`` environment
variable:

  -E               Normally, ``tsshbatch`` writes it's own errors
                   to ``stderr``.  It also writes the ``stderr``
                   output from each host it contacts to the local
                   shell's ``stderr`` (unless the ``-e`` option has
                   been selected).

                   The ``-E`` option redirects any such ``tsshbatch``
                   output intended for ``stderr`` to ``stdout``
                   instead.  This avoids the need to do things like
                   ``2>&1 | ...` on the command line when you want to
                   pipe all ``tsshbatch`` output to another program.

  -K               Force prompting for passwords.  This is used
                   to override a prior ``-k`` argument.

  -G spec          GET file on host and write local dest directory.
                   ``spec`` is a quoted pair of strings.  The first
                   specifies the path of the source file (on the
                   remote machine) to copy.  The second, specifies
                   the destination *directory* (on the local 
                   machine)::

                     tsshbatch.py -G "/foo/bar/baz /tmp" hostlist

                   This copies ``/foo/bar/baz`` from every machine in
                   ``hostlistfile`` to the local ``/tmp/`` directory.
                   Since all the files have the same name, they would
                   overwrite each other if copied into the same
                   directory.  So, ``tsshbatch`` prepends the string
                   ``hostname-`` to the name of each file it saves
                   locally.

  -H hostlistfile  List of hosts on which to run the command.  This should
                   be enclosed in *quotes* so that the list of hosts
                   is handed to the -H option as a single argument::

                   -H 'host1 host2 host3'

  -N               Force interactive username dialog.  This cancels 
                   any previous request for key exchange authentication.

  -P spec          PUT file from local machine to remote machine destination
                   directory.  ``spec`` is a quoted pair of strings.
                   The first specifies the path of the source file (on
                   the local machine) to copy.  The second, specifies
                   the destination *directory* (on the remote machine)::

                     tsshbatch.py -P "/foo/bar/baz /tmp" hostlist

                   This copies ``/foo/bar/baz`` on the local
                   machine to ``/tmp/`` on every host in  ``hostlist``.

  -S               Force prompting for sudo password

  -T seconds       Timeout for ssh connection attempts (Default: 15 seconds)

  -a               Don't abort program after failed file transfers.
                   Continue to next transfer attempt.  (Default: Abort)

  -e               Don't report remote host ``stderr`` output

  -f cmdfile       Read commands from a file.  This file can be commented
                   freely with the ``#`` character.  Leading- and
                   trailing whitespace on a line are ignored.

  -h               Print help information

  -k               Use ssh keys instead of name/password credentials

  -l logfile       Log diagnostic output to ``logfile`` (Default: /dev/null)

  -n name          Login name to use

  -p pw            Password to use when logging in and/or doing sudo

  -t               Test mode: Only show what *would* be done but don't
                   actually do it.  This also prints diagnostic
                   information about any variable definitions, the list
                   of hosts, any ``GET`` and ``PUT`` requests, and final
                   command strings after all variable substitutions have
                   been applied.  This is the default program behavior.

  -v               Print detailed program version information and exit

  -x               Override any previous ``-t`` specifications and
                   actually execute the commands.  This is useful
                   if you want to put ``-t`` in the ``$TSSHBATCH``
                   environment variable so that the default is
                   always run the program in test mode.  Then, when
                   you're ready to actually run commands, you can
                   override it with ``-x`` on the command line.

  -y               Turn on 'noisy' reporting for additional detail on 
                   every line, instead of just at the top of the
                   ``stdout`` and ``stderr`` reporting.  This is 
                   helpful when you are filtering the output through
                   something like ``grep`` that only returns matching 
                   lines and thus no context information.


If the ``-H`` option is not selected, the item immediately following
the options is understood to be the name of the ``hostlistfile``.
This is a file that contains the name of each host - one per line - on
which to run the commands.  This file can be commented freely with the
``#`` character.  Leading- and trailing whitespace on a line are
ignored.

The last entry on the command line is optional and defines a command
to run.  ``tsshbatch`` will attempt to execute it on every host you've
specified either via ``-H`` or a ``hostfile``::

  tsshbatch.py -Hmyhost ls -al /etc

This will do a ``ls -al /etc`` on ``myhost``.

Be careful when using metacharacters like ``&&, <<, >>, <, >`` and so
on in your commands.  You have to escape and quote them properly or
your local shell will interfere with them being properly conveyed to
the remote machine.

If you've specified a ``cmdfile`` containing the commands you want run via
the ``-f`` option, these commands will run *before* the command
you've defined on the command line.  It is always the last command
run on each host.

You can put as many ``-f`` arguments as you wish on the command
line and the contents of these files will be run in the order
they appeared from left-to-right on the command line.

``tsshbatch`` does all the ``GETs``, then all the ``PUTs`` before
attempting to do any command processing.  If no ``GETs``, ``PUTs``, or
commands have been specified, ``tsshbatch`` will exit silently, since
"nothing to do" really isn't an error.


ENVIRONMENT
-----------

``tsshbatch`` respects the ``$TSSHBATCH`` environment variable.  You
may set this variable with any options above you commonly use to avoid
having to key them in each time you run the program.  For example::

  export TSSHBATCH="-n jluser -p l00n3y"

This would cause all subsequent invocations of ``tsshbatch`` to
attempt to use the login name/password credentials of ``jluser`` and
``l00n3y`` respectively.

``tsshbatch`` also supports searching for files over specified
paths with the ``$TSSHBATCHCMDS`` and ``$TSSHBATCHHOSTS`` environment
variables.  Their use is described later in this document.


USE CASES
---------

1) Different Ways To Specify Targeted Hostnames

   There are two ways to specify the list of hosts on which you want
   to run the specified command:

     - On the command line via the ``-H`` option::

         tsshbatch.py -H 'hostA hostB' uname -a

       This would run the command ``uname -a`` on the
       hosts ``hostA`` and ``hostB`` respectively.

       Notice that the list of hosts must be separated by spaces but
       passed as a *single argument*.  Hence we enclose them in single
       quotes. 
    
     - Via a host list file::

         tsshbatch.py myhosts df -Ph

       Here, ``tsshbatch`` expects the file ``myhosts`` to contain a
       list of hosts, one per line, on which to run the command ``df
       -Ph``. As an example, if you want to target the hosts ``larry``,
       ``curly`` and ``moe`` in ``foo.com``, ``myhosts`` would look
       like this::

         larry.foo.com
         curly.foo.com
         moe.foo.com

       This method is handy when there are standard "sets" of hosts on
       which you regularly work.  For instance, you may wish to keep a
       host file list for each of your production hosts, each of your
       test hosts, each of your AIX hosts, and so on.

       You may use the ``#`` comment character freely throughout a
       host list file to add comments or temporarily comment out a
       particular host line.

       You can even use the comment character to temporarily comment
       out one or most hosts in the list given to the ``-H`` command
       line argument.  For example::

           tsshbatch.py -H "foo #bar baz" ls

       This would run the ``ls`` command on hosts ``foo`` and ``baz``
       but not ``bar``.  This is handy if you want to use your
       shell's command line recall to save typing but only want to
       repeat the command for some of the hosts your originally
       Specified.


2) Authentication Using Name And Password


   The simplest way to use ``tsshbatch`` is to just name the hosts
   can command you want to run::

     tsshbatch.py linux-prod-hosts uptime

   By default, ``tsshbatch`` uses your login name found in the
   ``$USER`` environment variable when logging into other systems.
   In this example, you'll be prompted only for your password which
   ``tsshbatch`` will then use to log into each of the machines named
   in ``linux-prod-hosts``.  (*Notice that his assumes your name and
   password are the same on each host!*)

   Typing in your login credentials all the time can get tedious after
   awhile so ``tsshbatch`` provides a means of providing them on the
   command line::

     tsshbatch.py -n joe.luser -p my_weak_pw linux-prod-hosts uptime

   This allows you to use ``tsshbatch`` inside scripts for hands-free
   operation.

   If your login name is the same on all hosts, you can simplify
   this further by defining it in the environment variable::

     export TSSHBATCH="-n joe.luser"

   Any subsequent invocation of ``tsshbatch`` will only require a
   password to run.

   HOWEVER, there is a huge downside to this - your plain text
   password is exposed in your scripts, on the command line, and
   possibly your command history.  This is a pretty big security hole,
   especially if you're an administrator with extensive privileges.
   (This is why the ``ssh`` program does not support such an option.)
   For this reason, it is strongly recommended that you use the ``-p``
   option sparingly, or not at all.  A better way is to push ssh keys
   to every machine and use key exchange authentication as described
   below.

   However, there are times when you do have use an explicit password,
   such as when doing ``sudo`` invocations.  It would be really nice
   to use ``-p`` and avoid having to constantly type in the password.
   There are two strategies for doing this more securely than just
   entering it in plain text on the command line:

     - Temporarily store it in the environment variable::

         export TSSHBATCH="-n joe.luser -p my_weak_pw"

       Do this *interactively* after you log in, not from
       a script (otherwise you'd just be storing the plain text
       password in a different script).  The environment variable
       will persist as long as you're logged in and disappear
       when you log out.

       If you use this just make sure to observe three security
       precautions:

         1) Clear your screen immediately after doing this so no one
            walking by can see the password you just entered.

         2) Configure your shell history system to ignore
            commands beginning with ``export TSSHBATCH``.  That
            way your plain text password will never appear in
            the shell command history.

         3) Make sure you don't leave a logged in session unlocked so
            that other users could walk up and see your password by
            displaying the environment.
   
       This approach is best when you want your login credentials
       available for the duration of an *entire login session*.

     - Store your password in an encrypted file and decrypt it
       inline.

       First, you have to store your password in an encrypted format.
       There are several ways to do this, but ``gpg`` is commonly
       used::

         echo "my_weak_pw" | gpg -c >mysecretpw

       Provide a decrypt passphrase, and you're done.

       Now, you can use this by decrypting it inline as needed::

         #!/bin/sh
         # A demo scripted use of tsshbatch with CLI password passing

         MYPW=`cat mysecretpw | gpg`   # User will be prompted for unlock passphrase

         sshbatch.py -n joe.luser -p $MYPW hostlist1 command1 arg
         sshbatch.py -n joe.luser -p $MYPW hostlist2 command2 arg
         sshbatch.py -n joe.luser -p $MYPW hostlist3 command3 arg

       This approach is best when you want your login credentials
       available for the duration of *the execution of a script*.  It
       does require the user to type in a passphrase to unlock the
       encrypted password file, but your plain text password never
       appears in the wild.


3) Authentication Using Key Exchange

   For most applications of ``tsshbatch``, it is much simpler to use
   key-based authentication.  For this to work, you must first have
   pushed ssh keys to all your hosts.  You then instruct ``tsshbatch``
   to use key-based authentication rather than name and password.  Not
   only does this eliminate the need to constantly provide name and
   password, it also eliminates passing a plain text password on the
   command line and is thus far more secure.  This also overcomes the
   problem of having different name/password credentials on different
   hosts.

   By default, ``tsshbatch`` will prompt for name and password
   if they are not provided on the command line.  To force key-based
   authentication, use the ``-k`` option::

     tsshbatch.py -k AIX-prod-hosts ls -al

   This is so common that you may want to set it in your
   ``$TSSHBATCH`` environment variable so that keys are used by
   default.  If you do this, there may still be times when you want
   for force prompting for passwords rather than using keys.  You can
   do this with the ``-K`` option which effectively overrides any
   prior ``-k`` selection.


4) Executing A ``sudo`` Command

   ``tsshbatch`` is smart enough to handle commands that begin with
   the ``sudo`` command.  It knows that such commands *require* a
   password no matter how you initially authenticate to get into the
   system.  If you provide a password - either via interactive entry
   or the ``-p`` option - by default, ``tsshbatch`` will use that same
   password for ``sudo`` promotion.  

   If you provide no password - you're using ``-k`` and have not
   provided a password via ``-p`` - ``tsshbatch`` will prompt you for
   the password ``sudo`` should use.  

   You can force ``tsshbatch`` to ask you for a ``sudo`` password with
   the ``-S`` option.  This allows you to have one password for
   initial login, and a different one for ``sudo`` promotion.

   Any time you a prompted for a ``sudo`` password and a login
   password has been provided (interactive or ``-p``), you can accept
   this as the ``sudo`` password by just hitting ``Enter``.

   .. NOTE:: ``tsshbatch`` makes a reasonable effort to scan your
             command line and/or command file contents to spot
             explicit invocations of the form ``sudo ...``.  It will
             ignore these if they are inside single- or double quoted
             strings, on the assumption that you're quoting the
             literal string ``sudo ...`` for some other purpose.

             However, this is not perfect because it is not a full
             reimplementation of the shell quoting and aliasing
             features.  For example, if you invoke an alias on the
             remote machine that resolves to a ``sudo`` command, or
             you run a script with a ``sudo`` command in it, ``tsshbatch``
             has no way to determine what you're trying to do.  For
             complex applications, it's best to write a true shell
             script, push it all the machines in question via ``-P``,
             and then have ``tsshbatch`` remotely invoke it with
             ``sudo myscript`` or something similar.

             As always, the best way to figure out what the program
             thinks you're asking for is to run it in test mode
             and look at the diagnostic output. 


5) Precedence Of Authentication Options

   ``tsshbatch`` supports these various authentication options
   in a particular heirarchy using a "first match wins"
   scheme.   From highest to lowest, the precedence is:

      1. Key exchange
      2. Forced prompting for name via -N. Notice this cancels
         any previously requested key exchange authentication.
      3. Command Line/$TSSHBATCH environment variable sets name
      4. Name picked up from $USER  (Default behavior)

   If you try to use Key Exchange and ``tsshbatch`` detects a command
   beginning with ``sudo``, it will prompt you for a password anyway.
   This is because ``sudo`` requires a password to promote privilege.
   
6) File Transfers

   The ``-G`` and ``-P`` options specify file ``GET`` and
   ``PUT`` respectively.  Both are followed by a quoted
   file transfer specification in the form::

     "path-to-source-file path-to-destination-directory"

  Note that this means the file will always be stored under
  its original name in the destination directory.  Renaming
  isn't possible during file transfer.

  However, ``tsshbatch`` always does ``GETs`` then ``PUTs`` *then* any
  outstanding command (if any) at the end of the command line.  This
  permits things like renaming on the remote machine after a ``PUT``::

    tsshbatch.py -P "foo ./" hostlist mv -v foo foo.has.a.new.name

  ``GETs`` are a bit of a different story because you are retrieving
  a file of the same name on every host.  To avoid having all
  but the last one clobber the previous one, ``tsshbatch`` makes
  forces the files you ``GET`` to be uniquely named by prepending
  the hostname and a "-" to the actual file name::

    tsshbatch.py -H myhost -G "foo ./"

  This saves the file ``myhost:foo`` in the ``./`` on your
  local machine.

  These commands do not recognize any special directory shortcut
  symbols like ``~/`` like the shell interpreter might.  You must name
  file and directory locations using ordinary pathing conventions.
  You can put as many of these requests on the command line as you
  like to enable ``GETs`` and ``PUTs`` of multiple files.  You cannot,
  however, use filename wildcards to specify multi-file operations.

  You can put multiple ``GETs`` or ``PUTs`` on the command line
  for the same file.  They do not override each other but are 
  *cummulative*. So this::

    tsshbatch.py -P"foo ./" -P"foo /tmp" ...

  Would put local file ``foo`` in both ``./`` and ``/tmp`` on each
  host specified. Similarly, you can specify multiple files to ``GET``
  from remote hosts and place them in the same local directory::

    tsshbatch.py -G"/etc/fstab ./tmp" -G"/etc/rc.conf ./tmp" ...

  By default, ``tsshbatch`` aborts if any file transfer fails.  This
  is unlike the case of failed commands which are reported but do
  *not* abort the program.  The rationale' for this is that you may
  be doing both file transfer and command execution with a single
  ``tsshbatch`` invocation, and the commands may depend on a file
  being transfered first.

  If you are sure no such problem exists, you can use the ``-a`` option
  to disable abort-after-failure semantics on file transfer.  In this
  case, file transfer errors will be reported, but ``tsshbatch`` will
  continue on to the next transfer request.

  .. WARNING:: ``tsshbatch`` does *not* preserve file permissions when
               transferring files.  Recall that commands are always
               run *after* file transfers, so you can manually manage
               permissions like this::

                 tsshbatch.py -P"myfile ./tmp" hostlist chmod 640 ./tmp/myfile

               This gets pretty clumsy for transferring more than one
               or two files.  A better way to do this is to create a
               tarball of the source files, ``GET`` or ``PUT`` the
               tarball where you want it, and then untar it.


7)  Commenting

   Both the ``cmdfile`` and ``hostlistfile`` can be freely commented
   using the ``#`` character.  Everything from that character to the
   end of that line is ignored.  Similarly, you can use whitespace
   freely, except in cases where it would change the syntax of a
   command or host name.

8) Includes

   You may also include other files as you wish with the ``.include
   filename`` directive anywhere in the ``cmdfile`` or
   ``hostlistfile``.  This is useful for breaking up long lists of
   things into smaller parts.  For example, suppose you have three
   host lists, one for each major production areas of your network::

       hosts-development
       hosts-stage
       host-production

   You might typically run different ``tsshbatch`` jobs on each
   of these sets of hosts.  But suppose you now want to run a 
   job on all of them.  Instead of copying them all into a
   master file (which would be instantly obsolete if you
   changed anything in one of the above files), you could
   create ``hosts-all`` with this content::

     .include hosts-development
     .include hosts-stage
     .include hosts-production

  That way if you edited any of the underlying files, the
  ``hosts-all`` would reflect the change.

  Similarly you can do the same thing with the ``cmdfile`` to
  group similar commands into separate files and include them.

  ``tsshbatch`` does not enforce a limit on how deeply nested
  ``.includes`` can be.  An included file can include another file and
  so on.  However, if a circular include is detected, the program will
  notify you and abort.  This happens if, say, file1 includes file2,
  file2 includes file3, and file3 includes file1.  This would create
  an infinite loop of includes if permitted.  You can, of course,
  include the same file multiple times, either in a single file or
  throughout other included files, so long as no circular include is
  created.


9) Search Paths

   ``tsshbatch`` supports the ablity to search paths to find files
   you've referenced.  The search path for ``cmdfiles`` is specified
   in the ``$TSSHBATCHCMDS`` environment variable.  The
   ``hostlistfiles`` search path is specified in the
   ``$TSSHBATCHHOSTS`` environment variable.  These are both in
   standard path delimited format for your operating system.  For
   example, on Unix-like systems these look like this::

     export TSSHBATCHCMDS="/usr/local/etc/.tsshbatch/commands:/home/me/.tsshbatch/commands"

   And so forth.

   These paths are honored both for any files you specify on the
   command line as well as for any files you reference in a
   ``.include`` directive.  This allows you to maintain libraries of
   standard commands and host lists in well known locations and
   ``.include`` the ones you need.

   ``tsshbatch`` will always first check to see if a file you've
   specified is in your local (invoking) directory and/or whether it
   is a fully qualified file name before attempting to look down a
   search path.  If a file exist in several locations, the first
   instance found "wins".  So, for instance, if you have a file called
   ``myhosts`` somewhere in the path defined in ``$TSSHBATCHHOSTS``,
   you can override it by creating a file of same name in your current
   working directory.

   ``tsshbatch`` also checks for so-called "circular includes" which
   would cause an infinite inclusion loop.  It will abort upon
   discovering this, prior to any file transfers or commands being
   executed.

10) Defining Variables

   ``tsshbatch`` allows you to define variables which will then be
   used to replace matching strings in both ``cmdfiles`` and
   ``hostlistfiles``.  For example, suppose you have this in a
   ``hostlistfile``::

     .define DOMAIN=.my.own.domain.com

     host1DOMAIN
     host2DOMAIN
     host3DOMAIN

  At runtime, the program will actually connect to
  ``host1.my.own.domain.com``, ``host2.my.domain.com``, and so on.
  This allows for ease of modularization and maintenance of your
  files.

  Similarly, you might want define ``MYCMD=some_long_string`` so you
  don't have to type ``some_long_string`` over and over again in a
  ``cmdfile``.

  There are some "gotchas" to this:

    - The general form of a variable definition is::

        .define name = value

      You have to have a name but the value is optional.  ``.define
      FOO=`` simply replaces any subsequent ``FOO`` strings
      with nothing, effectively removing them.

      Any ``=`` symbols to the right of the one right after ``name``
      are just considered part of the variables value.

      Whitespace around the ``=`` symbol is optional but allowed.

    - Variables are substituted in the order they appear::

        .define LS = ls -alr
        LS /etc               # ls -alr /etc
        .define LS = ls -1
        LS /foo               # ls -1 /foo

    - Variable names and values are *case sensitive*.

    - Variables may be defined in either ``cmdfiles`` or
      ``hostlistfiles`` but they are *visible to any subsequent file
      that gets read*.  For instance, ``cmdfiles`` are read before any
      ``hostlistfiles``.  Any variables you've defined in a
      ``cmdfile`` that happen to match a string in one of your hostnames
      will be substituted.  

      This is usually not what you want, so be careful.  One way to
      manage this is to use variables names that are highly unlikely
      to ever show up in a hostname or command.  That way your
      commands and hostnames will not accidentally get substrings
      replaced with variable values.  For example, you might
      use variable names like ``--MYLSCOMMAND--`` or
      ``__DISPLAY_VGS__``.

    - Variable substitution is also performed on any host names
      or commands passed on the command line.


11) Using The Current Hostname In Commands And File Transfers

    There are times when it's convenient to be able to embed the name
    of the current host in either a command or in a file transfer
    specification.  For example, suppose you want to use a single
    invocation of ``tsshbatch`` to transfer files in a host-specific
    way.   You might name your files like this::

        myfile.host1
        myfile.host2

    Now, all you have to do is this::

        tsshbatch.py -xH "host 1 host2" -P "myfile.<HOSTNAME> ./"

    When run, ``tsshbatch`` will substitute the name of the current
    host in place of the string ``<HOSTNAME>``.  

    You can do this in commands (and commands within command files) as
    well::

       tsshbatch -x hosts 'echo I am running on <HOSTNAME>'

    Be careful to escape and quote things properly, especially from the
    the command line, since ``<`` and ``>`` are recognized by the shell
    as metacharacters.

    There are two forms of host name substitution possible.  The first,
    ``<HOSTNAME>`` will use the name *as you provided it*, either as
    an argument to ``-H`` or from within a host file.

    The second, ``<HOSTSHORT>``, will only use the portion of the name
    string you provided up to the leftmost period.  

    So, if you specify  ``myhost1.frumious.edu``, ``<HOSTNAME>`` will be
    replaced with that entire string, and ``<HOSTSHORT>`` will be replaced
    by just ``myhost1``.

    Notice that, in no case does ``tsshbatch`` do any DNS lookups to
    figure this stuff out.  It just manipulates the strings you provide
    as hostnames.


OTHER
-----

Comments can go anywhere.

Directives like ``.define`` and ``.include`` must be the first
non-whitespace text on the left end of a line.  If you do this in a
``cmdfile``::

  foo .include bar

``tsshbatch`` thinks you want to run the command ``foo`` with an
argument of ``.include bar``.  If you do it in a ``hostlistfile``, the
program thinks you're tryingto contact a host called ``foo .include
bar``.  In neither case is this likely to be quite what you had in
mind.  Similarly, everything to the right of the directive is
considered its argument (up to any comment character).

Whitespace is not significant at the beginning or end of a line but it
is preserved within ``.define`` and ``.include`` directive arguments
as well as within commmand definitions.

Strictly speaking, you do not have to have whitespace after a
directive.  This is recognized::

  .includesomefileofmine
  .definemyvar=foo

But this is *strongly* discouraged because it's really
hard to read.

``tsshbatch`` writes the ``stdout`` of the remote host(s) to
``stdout`` on the local machine.  It similarly writes remote
``stderr`` output to the local machine's ``stderr``.  If you wish to
suppress ``stderr`` output, either redirect it on your local command
line or use the ``-e`` option to turn it off entirely.

You will not be able to run remote ``sudo`` commands if the host
in question enables the ``Defaults requiretty`` in its ``sudoers``
configuration.

You must have a reasonably current version of Python installed.  If
your Python installation does not install ``paramiko`` you'll have to
install it manually, since ``tsshbatch`` requires these libraries as
well.


BUGS AND MISFEATURES
--------------------

When ``sudo`` is presented a bad password, it ordinarily prints a
string indicating something is wrong.  ``tsshbatch`` looks for this to
let you know that you've got a problem and then terminates further
operation.  This is so that you do not attempt to log in
with a bad password across all the hosts you have targeted.  (Many
enterprises have policies to lock out a user ID after some small
number of failed login/access attempts.)

However, some older versions of ``sudo`` (noted on a RHEL 4 host
running ``sudo`` 1.6.7p5) do not return any feedback when presented
with a bad password.  This means that ``tsshbatch`` cannot tell the
difference between a successful ``sudo`` and a system waiting for you
to reenter a proper password.  In this situation, if you enter a bad
password, the *the program will hang*.  Why?  ``tsshbatch`` thinks
nothing is wrong and waits for the ``sudo`` command to complete.  At
the same time, ``sudo`` itself is waiting for an updated password.  In
this case, you have to kill ``tsshbatch`` and start over.  This
typically requires you to put the program in background (```Ctrl-Z``
in most shells) and then killing that job from the command line.

There is no known workaround for this problem.

COPYRIGHT AND LICENSING
-----------------------

**tsshbatch** is Copyright (c) 2011-2014 TundraWare Inc.

For terms of use, see the ``tsshbatch-license.txt`` file in the
program distribution.  If you install **tsshbatch** on a FreeBSD
system using the 'ports' mechanism, you will also find this file in
``/usr/local/share/doc/tsshbatch``.


AUTHOR
------

::

   Tim Daneliuk
   tsshbatch@tundraware.com


DOCUMENT REVISION INFORMATION
-----------------------------

::

  $Id: tsshbatch.rst,v 1.140 2014/12/02 18:14:03 tundra Exp $

You can find the latest version of this program at:

  http://www.tundraware.com/Software/tsshbatch