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Matias Barrios
Asked: 2019-03-09 17:16:35 +0800 CST

Ssh exit code not working within function

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So I have a function that looks like this. It's an oversimplified example but its enough to demonstrate my issue.

For some reason, I can not get the exit status of the ssh remote command. It does not matter if I give exit 0, or true or if I give a command that throws a success command, the end result is the same, I always get 1.

The thing is, this code works perfectly when ran from a script, but not if I do it from a function.

function hello(){
      while read user password
      do
          ssh -n -q user@host 'exit 0' ; echo $?
      done <<< "$( cat creds.txt )"
}
ssh

2 Answers

  1. Remember that ssh doesn't allow to pass the password as an argument. You will need to use an external utility like sshpass or public/private key.

    With sshpass, the function will look like this:

    function hello(){
      while read user host password
      do
          sshpass -p "$password" ssh -n -q $user@$host 'exit' ; echo $?
      done <<< "$( cat creds.txt )"
}

    I tried the script with a list of 2 hosts; one with a good password and one with a bad password:

    5 # result of a bad password
0 # result of a good password
    • 2

  2. It looks that you want to do automation for Linux machines. It is time to start learning ansible or any other configuration management.

    Please read also about XY problem.

    • 1