Execute command over SSH while logging live output

Question

I'm trying to log the output of a remote ssh command.

I'm current using

ssh USER@IP | tee -a ~/random.log

and then run the command I need to run on the remote server which then logs to random.log.

I need this to be able to run in the background, currently it exits when I quit/close terminal.

I cannot log on the remote server as it is a router with very little free space (>800kb).

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered May 05 '14 at 14:50

2

You can use screen on the local machine as well, to prevent stopping the exit if you close your terminal window.

screen

and in the screen session,

ssh USER@IP | tee -a ~/random.log

If you accidentally close the window, just use screen -r to reattach. Note that this will not survive a reboot of your local machine.

answered May 05 '14 at 14:50

Sven

That sounds great. The remote command I'm running is outputting "live", e.g. `tail -f`. Will this still work? – Stephen May 05 '14 at 14:53
Yes, it should work. – Sven May 05 '14 at 14:54
screen/tmux is great. Exactly what I needed. – Stephen May 06 '14 at 06:28

score -2 · Answer 2 · answered May 05 '14 at 15:01

-2

Tested this pretty quick between two linux boxes and it seems to work alright:

ssh USER@IP "command_to_show_router_log" | tee -a (local_copy_filename)

I used "tail -f (logfile)" in the "command_to_show_router_log" but since you mentioned this is a router, your syntax might be different.

answered May 05 '14 at 15:01

raidekoptix

This doesn't run in the background and it's exactly the solution the OP came up with that didn't suit his needs. Read and understand the question before posting an answer. – Sven May 05 '14 at 15:04

2 Answers2