Challenging script (for me at least!) Calling all scripters!
 

I need to make a cronjob do the following:

• telnet to a remote computer every Thursday
• execute a command
• print the output of that command to a file
• mail that file to my local machine
• have the contents of that message pop up on my screen like xmessage or something.

The reason I need to do this is because the remote machine is a tape backup machine that has many running jobs on it.

Towards the end of the week I need to start pulling tapes as soon as the last job is finished. Time is of the essence because there can be hundreds of tapes some weeks.

What I do now is simply telnet to the machine, run the command and see if the jobs are finished.

I would just like to automate that process.

can't you set the remote machine to tell you when it's finished all jobs ?

I think that's what I'm trying to do, no?

No.
You want to :

• telnet to a remote computer every Thursday
• execute a command
• print the output of that command to a file
• mail that file to my local machine
• have the contents of that message pop up on my screen like xmessage or something.

I'm suggesting :

remote computer emails you when it's finished all jobs.

No telnet, no executing commands, no printing to files.

Surely the remote machine has some capabilities itself ?

That would be one solution. However, the solution I'm asking is the one I would prefer.

are you stuck with telnet or is ssh an option? ssh would be easier, else you need to use expect/tcl or perl.

Telnet's all I've got. :thumbsdown:

id help you write it but it's going to take some time...

Check out expect, You can write a small expect script to open the telnet session, run your command give you the output, then logout of the telnet session.

Then you can process the information in a bash script.

This link has expect examples for running a telnet session.
http://www.osix.net/modules/article/?id=30

last, if you know perl you could do all this in one perl script.

We'd be glad to help you. Post what you've written so far, and where you're getting stuck.