Re: tramp again

[Kai.Grossjohann@CS.Uni-Dortmund.DE (Kai Großjohann)]

Miles Bader <miles@lsi.nec.co.jp> writes:

> It's been a while since I last tried tramp, so I checked to see if I
> could a simple `su' today.  Here's what happened.
>
> First, I tried `/su:localhost:/etc', and tramp told me `you must use a
> username with the `su' method'.  This seems wrong -- 99% of the time,
> when someone su's they want to su to root; it's annoying enough that
> you have to type `localhost', but why should you have to type `root' too?

I agree that this is annoying.  I didn't think of providing short
filenames when I was working on Tramp initially.

I have now changed Tramp to assume "root" when the user name isn't
specified in the filename.  The change has not been committed yet,
I'll check it in with the next batch of changes.  I assume it's not
that urgent.

> Okay, anyway, I next tried `/su:root@localhost:/etc'.  Tramp asked me
> for a password, and I gave the root password.  Then tramp appeared to
> hang, displaying the message:
>
>    Looking for pattern \(Store key in cache\? (y/n)\)\s-*
>
> I guess it was actually looping; here's the *Messages* contents: [...]
> Here's the contents of the `*tramp/su root@localhost*' buffer:
>
>
>    mcspd15:~# 
>
> [I indented it; it's actually flush with the left margin]
>
> Has tramp been fixed to not use `shell-prompt-pattern' incorrectly yet?
>
> Maybe that's the problem.

I guess that the shell-prompt-pattern is still the problem.  I didn't
have much time to work on Tramp recently.  I have now committed
version 2.0.14 which tries to fix this.

Whenever Tramp looks for a shell prompt, it uses shell-prompt-pattern
in addition to the new variable tramp-shell-prompt-pattern.  The
default value for the new variable is the same as the default value
for shell-prompt-pattern.

> I did (setq shell-prompt-pattern nil) and tried again.

Well, now either Tramp doesn't recognize any shell prompts at all, or
it recognizes the string "nil" as the shell prompt.

> This time, it hung displaying:
>
>    Waiting 30s for remote `/bin/sh' to come up...
>
> Not sure what was wrong this time; the contents of the `*tramp...'
> buffer were the same as before, but *Messages* showed:
>
>    tramp: Opening connection for `root' using `su'...
>    tramp: Processing actions
>    tramp: Waiting 60s for prompt from remote shell
>    tramp: Looking for pattern ^.*\([pP]assword\|passphrase.*\):
>    Password: .......
>    tramp: Looking for pattern .*ogin: *
>    tramp: Looking for pattern nil

It seems it searches for the string "nil".

>    tramp: Found remote shell prompt.
>    tramp: Waiting 30s for remote `/bin/sh' to come up...
>    Quit
>
> Does tramp seem this fragile for anyone else?

I'm sorry that there are so many troubles with it.  It is, however,
not easy to get it right.  (At least not for me.)  I hope you're not
too angry and give me a chance to fix all the problems that appear.
I want to get it working right!

kai
-- 
A large number of young women don't trust men with beards.  (BFBS Radio)