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EmmEff · Sep 2, 2004, 03:30 PM

I guess I am turning into a GUI suck these days, but does anybody know of a GUI front-end for ssh? Something that will keep different profiles for different servers and allow saving connection options (instead of having to add 'profiles' in ~/.ssh/config).

(I am a new Mac user- less than two weeks still) Is this something that might be done with AppleScript?

utidjian · Sep 2, 2004, 05:10 PM

Originally posted by EmmEff:
I guess I am turning into a GUI suck these days, but does anybody know of a GUI front-end for ssh? Something that will keep different profiles for different servers and allow saving connection options (instead of having to add 'profiles' in ~/.ssh/config).

(I am a new Mac user- less than two weeks still) Is this something that might be done with AppleScript?

Try:

http://osx.freshmeat.net/search/?q=s...Go.x=14&Go.y=7

and

http://www.versiontracker.com/php/se...macosx&x=0&y=0

Let us know which one you like best.

EmmEff · Sep 2, 2004, 05:36 PM

Thanks for the links... unfortunately, the website of only one that shows some promise (Fugu SSH) is inaccessible or down right now.

I did look at a few and it has given me some ideas. Maybe this will be a good excuse to learn AppleScript or better yet, write my first OS X app

utidjian · Sep 2, 2004, 06:14 PM

Originally posted by EmmEff:
Thanks for the links... unfortunately, the website of only one that shows some promise (Fugu SSH) is inaccessible or down right now.

I did look at a few and it has given me some ideas. Maybe this will be a good excuse to learn AppleScript or better yet, write my first OS X app

Did you try:
http://rsug.itd.umich.edu/software/f....0-English.dmg

I had no problems loading the page or the file.

EmmEff · Sep 2, 2004, 08:46 PM

The site didn't work before, but it does now... unfortunately, it's a GUI wrapper for sftp. I really want something to manage ssh sessions.

Mithras · Sep 2, 2004, 10:31 PM

Why not use aliases?

wataru · Sep 3, 2004, 12:01 AM

What's wrong with JellyfiSSH?

clarkgoble · Sep 3, 2004, 12:13 AM

I just wrote an Applescript for each server.

EmmEff · Sep 3, 2004, 10:20 AM

Originally posted by Mithras:
Why not use aliases?

I am accustomed to using PuTTY on Windows and put comments beside in host entry as to what the OS is, etc. I work in an environment with dozens of different UNIX hosts/platforms. Aliases are fine assuming I can remember host names.

EmmEff · Sep 3, 2004, 10:21 AM

Originally posted by wataru:
What's wrong with JellyfiSSH?

Didn't know about it until you mentioned it... I will give it a try! Thanks.

utidjian · Sep 3, 2004, 11:18 AM

Originally posted by EmmEff:
I am accustomed to using PuTTY on Windows and put comments beside in host entry as to what the OS is, etc. I work in an environment with dozens of different UNIX hosts/platforms. Aliases are fine assuming I can remember host names.

Seems like the simplest solution would be something like create a folder of scripts, say, ~/sshcripts then put that folder in your PATH and then create a simple script (it can be a regular bash script, there is no need for Applescript). Then in that folder create individual scripts for each server, thus:

sserver_myserv_my_server
sserver_yourserv_your_server
sserver_webserv_web_server
sserver_fileserver_file_server

Be as descriptive as you like just start each script filename with 'sserver_' and then 'someserver_some_server_description'... I think you get the idea.

Then all you need to do is open a terminal (ssh is a terminal app anyhow) and type:

sse

then hit the Tab key and it should complete to 'sserver_' and you should get all the possible completions for that string and the bash shell will list them for you. Then depending on which one you want you just press the next character in the string and hit Tab again.... then Enter. What you put in each script depends on what options you want. Done right and it can be as good or better than any of the GUI apps available... even Putty (which is very good IMO).

Hmmm... seems PuTTY source code is available here:
http://the.earth.li/~sgtatham/putty/...ty-0.55.tar.gz
gonna see if I have any luck building it for Mac OS X.

EmmEff · Sep 3, 2004, 11:25 AM

I understand what you are saying, but it's just not quite the same as a GUI app. I am a die hard CLI user, but things like this are MUCH easier with a GUI.

utidjian · Sep 3, 2004, 12:08 PM

Originally posted by EmmEff:
I understand what you are saying, but it's just not quite the same as a GUI app. I am a die hard CLI user, but things like this are MUCH easier with a GUI.

Interesting...

Well, anyhow... I couldn't get PuTTY to build on Mac OS X yet. Perhaps if someone else knows a bit more about building Unix apps on Mac OS X. I got the error that an a '#include <features.h> file from pty.c does not exist (sigh).

I am also trying kssh which is available via Fink. For some screenshots see:
http://www.kde-apps.org/content/show.php?content=9965

Which seems to have all the click-n-drool options you could want.

Chris O'Brien · Sep 3, 2004, 05:04 PM

Originally posted by utidjian:
I couldn't get PuTTY to build on Mac OS X yet. Perhaps if someone else knows a bit more about building Unix apps on Mac OS X. I got the error that an a '#include <features.h> file from pty.c does not exist (sigh).

You'll need the gtk libraries to get PuTTY to install. This will be a lot easier if you install them with fink (sorry Phil) and go for it with X11...

I'm going to give it a shot too

utidjian · Sep 3, 2004, 07:15 PM

Originally posted by Black Book:
You'll need the gtk libraries to get PuTTY to install. This will be a lot easier if you install them with fink (sorry Phil) and go for it with X11...

I did all that... still no luck. Are there any particular gtklibs that I might have missed? (there are an awful lot of them).

I'm going to give it a shot too

Cool.

defcon8 · Sep 7, 2004, 06:13 AM

ssh -l user server

piss easy

utidjian · Sep 7, 2004, 07:24 AM

Originally posted by defcon8:
ssh -l user server

piss easy

I agree. Or even easier 'ssh user@server' (three fewer keystrokes ;-))

Seems I have posted to the wrong thread (sigh). For EmmEff see:

http://www.pingx.net/secpanel/

Or see my post to the "How can you reset ssh?" thread.

darkcore · Sep 8, 2004, 08:01 PM

The way I did this when I was using iTerm is that I would take advantage of its Bookmarks system and create a Bookmark for each ssh connection.

What I do for Terminal is that I create a .command file for each ssh connection and place them on my desktop.

A .command file is basically just a shell script, here is an example of one of mine (The TERM line is probably not necessary for all users, I need it so pine will run correctly):

#!/bin/sh
TERM=xterm
ssh [email protected]

After you create your .command file in a plaintext editor, make sure to find it in the Terminal and make it executable: chmod 755 <filename>

After that you should be able to double click on the .command file and the Terminal should automatically open and run the script.

[APi]TheMan · Sep 9, 2004, 04:06 PM

We need a GUI ssh client on the Macintosh. Say, for a lab environment where the admins disallow usage of the Terminal for security purposes (don't ask me, they're anal), so that we can still use ssh/telnet from the Macintosh. I don't like using the PCs in the lab but I need them to do my computer science homework (which lives on the unix servers).

I had high hopes of putty compiling on the Mac but it looks like it's a no go. Are there any other mac lab admins in the same situation?

utidjian · Sep 9, 2004, 07:05 PM

Originally posted by [APi]TheMan:
We need a GUI ssh client on the Macintosh. Say, for a lab environment where the admins disallow usage of the Terminal for security purposes (don't ask me, they're anal), so that we can still use ssh/telnet from the Macintosh. I don't like using the PCs in the lab but I need them to do my computer science homework (which lives on the unix servers).

I had high hopes of putty compiling on the Mac but it looks like it's a no go. Are there any other mac lab admins in the same situation?

I am a Mac lab admin [IAAMLA] and what your MLAs are telling you is not "anal" but pure unadulterated stupidity. There is no known reason that they should restrict your use of the Terminal.app or an xterm beyond the regular permissions for regular (non-admin) accounts in Mac OS X. The _only_ reason they could have is if there is some security issue with the terminal application itself. There isn't.

If your MLAs won't let you use the terminal ask your profs about it. Professors usually get their way.

Other than that...
See: http://www.pingx.net/secpanel/
It requires Xwindows (comes with Mac OS X) and Tk/Tcl (available via Fink). I tested it on one of my systems and it seems to work fine. LOTS of GUI clickable options and profiles and whatnot. It uses the standard ~/.ssh/ files for configuration and adds some of its own to ~/.secpanel/ Since secpanel is only a Tk/Tcl script it will not be as pretty as a full blown native Mac OS X GUI app... but it is also very portable and small.

May be too complicated for your MLAs to deal with though.

[APi]TheMan · Sep 11, 2004, 07:01 AM

Originally posted by utidjian:
I am a Mac lab admin [IAAMLA] and what your MLAs are telling you is not "anal" but pure unadulterated stupidity. There is no known reason that they should restrict your use of the Terminal.app or an xterm beyond the regular permissions for regular (non-admin) accounts in Mac OS X. The _only_ reason they could have is if there is some security issue with the terminal application itself. There isn't.

If your MLAs won't let you use the terminal ask your profs about it. Professors usually get their way.

Other than that...
See: http://www.pingx.net/secpanel/
It requires Xwindows (comes with Mac OS X) and Tk/Tcl (available via Fink). I tested it on one of my systems and it seems to work fine. LOTS of GUI clickable options and profiles and whatnot. It uses the standard ~/.ssh/ files for configuration and adds some of its own to ~/.secpanel/ Since secpanel is only a Tk/Tcl script it will not be as pretty as a full blown native Mac OS X GUI app... but it is also very portable and small.

May be too complicated for your MLAs to deal with though.

IAAMLA as well but for a different lab on campus. I run my lab in an OS X-only environment (with a Mac OS X server as well) whereas the main lab is about 40 PCs and 2 iMacs, but I do not disallow use of such trivial applications like the Terminal. If a user doesn't have permissions to do one thing in the Finder then he'll do no harm in the Terminal, the other lab admin has probably watched Hackers too many times and associates the Terminal with hacking. Oh well.

Anyways thanks for the input, point well taken.

utidjian · Sep 11, 2004, 09:16 AM

Originally posted by [APi]TheMan:
... the other lab admin has probably watched Hackers too many times and associates the Terminal with hacking. Oh well.

Perhaps he noticed they were using PowerBooks in the movie ;-)