I'm trying to run a pretty lengthy command in my perl script using ssh -q function but it doesn't accept the command as it gives error:
bash: syntax error near unexpected token '('

Command I'm trying to run is:

ssh -q hostname 'stats1.pl stats:dat | grep data | grep -w 0 | awk '{system("cat /opt/jhh/etc/configuration.xml | grep "$1)}' | awk -F"=" '{print $6}' | awk '{print $1}' | sed 's/>//g' | tr -d '"''

I can give a short explanation about why I need such a lengthy command:
I will receive a output here:
stats1.pl stats:dat | grep data | grep -w 0
61574 | hostname_A | data | 1 | N/A | 0
61575 | hostname_A | data | 1 | N/A | 0

Only the items matching data and has 0 will list there.

Then I want 61574 & 61575 to be searched in a configuration file and get the output which is why I use the below:
stats1.pl stats:dat | grep data | grep -w 0 | awk '{system("cat /opt/jhh/etc/configuration.xml | grep "$1)}'
Output I will receive like:
device="61574" name="hostname_A" ip="127.0.0.1" platform="Cisco" protocol="tcp" user="admin"
device="61575" name="hostname_A" ip="10.0.0.1" platform="Cisco" protocol="tcp" user="admin"

Here I want to know the platform hence using the command stats1.pl stats:dat | grep data | grep -w 0 | awk '{system("cat /opt/jhh/etc/configuration.xml | grep "$1)}' | awk -F"=" '{print $6}' | awk '{print $1}' | sed 's/>//g' | tr -d '"'
this will give me below result:

cisco
cisco

Any help here is appreciated as I'm struck without able to execute this via script.

I'm seeing the error below. I'm afraid even if I manage to correct the below error it will prompt more and I need a solution to execute this command via Quiet mode.
[karthik4455@mastghg ~]$ ssh -q hostname 'stats1.pl stats:dat | grep data | grep -w 0 | awk '{system("cat /opt/jhh/etc/configuration.xml | grep "$1)}' | awk -F"=" '{print $6}' | awk '{print $1}' | sed 's/>//g' | tr -d '"''
bash: syntax error near unexpected token '('

Best Regards,
Karthik

Quotes don't nest like that. You open a single quote at the start of the command and then close it (it looks like you're attempting to open a second one) in your awk.

You need to re-think the way you're writing your command so you aren't trying to nest quotes of the same type.

1 members found this post helpful.

I can run this command without any issue within the host:
[karthik4455@mastghg ~]$ stats1.pl stats:dat | grep data | grep -w 0 | awk '{system("cat /opt/jhh/etc/configuration.xml | grep "$1)}'
device="61574" name="hostname_A" ip="127.0.0.1" platform="Cisco" protocol="tcp" user="admin"
device="61575" name="hostname_A" ip="10.0.0.1" platform="Cisco" protocol="tcp" user="admin"

But when I try to run with quite mode outside of the host it's gives error:
[karthik4455@karthik ~]$ ssh -q mastghg 'stats1.pl stats:dat | grep data | grep -w 0 | awk '{system("cat /opt/jhh/etc/configuration.xml | grep "$1)}''
bash: -c: line 0: syntax error near unexpected token '('

If this way doesn't work any other suggestion how can I get the result without using awk '{system("cat /opt/jhh/etc/configuration.xml | grep "$1)}'

Again, you can't nest quotes of the same type.

Read through your full ssh command, you have an open single quote after mastghg, this quote is CLOSED after the awk, and then opened and immediately closed again at the end of the command.

When you run
it looks like
when what you apparently want is
with the var3 in its own quote pair inside the outer quote pair. But you can't nest quotes of the same type like that. When you open one, the next one it runs into will close the first, it won't open a second. So this:
gets interpreted like this:

1 members found this post helpful.

Thank you it makes sense to me. I have now edited the command as below by removing quotes after mastghg

[karthik4455@karthik ~]$ ssh -q mastghg stats1.pl stats:dat | grep data | grep -w 0 | awk '{system("cat /opt/jhh/etc/configuration.xml | grep "$1)}'
cat: /opt/jhh/etc/configuration.xml: No such file or directory
cat: /opt/jhh/etc/configuration.xml: No such file or directory

I guess now the execution is not happening correctly. Output from the first part is not linked correctly with the latter. It goes well in the actual host.
[karthik4455@mastghg ~]$ stats1.pl stats:dat | grep data | grep -w 0 | awk '{system("cat /opt/jhh/etc/configuration.xml | grep "$1)}'
device="61574" name="hostname_A" ip="127.0.0.1" platform="Cisco" protocol="tcp" user="admin"
device="61575" name="hostname_A" ip="10.0.0.1" platform="Cisco" protocol="tcp" user="admin"

Your command to ssh has to be in quotes. You'll need to revisit how your quoting is performed inside your command itself. I think you can do without a couple of them, if not you might be able to delimit the inner ones. You need to watch out where that $1 is expanded though.

Can you suggest some other way to get this done like using "exec" or any other. I guess the current command set doesn't allow me to stop using double quotes.

You could try to delimit the inner quotes, or switch from single to double quoting where necessary, eg:
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2...e-bash-command