[needs-packaging] libnet-ssh-perl-perl

[FrancisT]

The package Net::SSH:Perl (and related packages such as Net::SFTP) is an extremely useful wrapper to allow scripting of commands on remote machines vis SSH. Installing it in Ubuntu is complex to put it mildly.

Some instructions are here:
http://www.csclug.org/?q=node/128

There are other places that indicate that once upon a time this package may have been available in early 2007 but if so it seems to have gone now.

Note that adding support for this package would also mean adding support for other useful packages such as Math::Pari

[Patrick Hoffmann (sobran)]

I just found this two packages:

http://packages.ubuntu.com/jaunty/libnet-ssh-perl
http://packages.ubuntu.com/jaunty/libnet-sftp-foreign-perl

[FrancisT (francis-turner)]

The packages Patrick found are alternatives (and IMO less usable alternatives) to Net::SSH::Perl

To quote from
http://search.cpan.org/~turnstep/Net-SSH-Perl-1.34/lib/Net/SSH/Perl.pm

One advantage to using Net::SSH::Perl over wrapper-style implementations of ssh clients is that it saves on process overhead: you no longer need to fork and execute a separate process in order to connect to an sshd. Depending on the amount of time and memory needed to fork a process, this win can be quite substantial; particularly if you're running in a persistent Perl environment (mod_perl, for example), where forking a new process is a drain on process and memory resources.

It also simplifies the process of using password-based authentications; when writing a wrapper around ssh you probably need to use Expect to control the ssh client and give it your password. Net::SSH::Perl has built-in support for the authentication protocols, so there's no longer any hassle of communicating with any external processes.

[Brian Murray (brian-murray)]

*** This is an automated message ***

This bug is tagged needs-packaging which identifies it as a request for a new package in Ubuntu. As a part of the managing needs-packaging bug reports specification, https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QATeam/Specs/NeedsPackagingBugs, all needs-packaging bug reports have Wishlist importance. Subsequently, I'm setting this bug's status to Wishlist.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Sandro Cazzaniga (cazzaniga-sandro)]

Note that this package is also usefull as dependencie of others softwares.

[FrancisT (francis-turner)]

I just saw that in 13.10 you added support for Net::Appliance::Session which does much the same thing and is sufficient for my basic needs here. However I would prefer to use Net::SSH::Perl if it were possible

[salva (sfandino)]

Net::SSH::Perl was removed from Debian a long time ago because of its dependency with libpari that has a non-free license. Anyway, Net::SSH::Perl is an old and unmaintaned module with lots of bugs.

You may like to use Net::OpenSSH instead which is already available in Debian/Ubuntu, and maybe with the Net::OpenSSH::Compat adapter (also available) which is compatible with Net::SSH::Perl at the API level.