The clusterssh software is extremely useful when you have to manage large number of machines. It allows you to send the same commands to several different machines and obtain the results interactively, in a standard xterm.
Installing clusterssh under Slackware is not very difficult, provided you first install the TK and the x11 protocol for Perl.
Here is how to do it:
Make sure you do this as root, since this allows the new Perl packages will be installed for all users.
Hence:
$ su - root Password: # perl -MCPAN -eshell cpan[1]>
If this is the first time you use Perl CPAN, it will probably require a few information before showing you that cpan[1]> prompt. Don't worry, as the CPAN installation is mostly automatic, and require very little input from the user.
This is as simple as typing:
cpan[1]> install Tk
A long compilation list should then follow. Once the compilation is finished, the TK library should be installed on your system, ready to be used by clusterssh for its GUI.
Again, something very simple:
cpan[2]> install X11::Protocol
The X11 protocol for Perl allows clusterssh and other Perl-based software to send and receive commands and messages to the X11 interface.
Since you install this as root the Perl test suite may fail, with messages such as this one:
Running make test PERL_DL_NONLAZY=1 /usr/bin/perl5.10.0 "-Iblib/lib" "-Iblib/arch" test.pl 1..3 ok 1 Can't find DISPLAY -- guessing `unix:0' at test.pl line 32 Connection to server failed -- (version 11.0) No protocol specified at test.pl line 32 make: *** [test_dynamic] Error 255 SMCCAM/X11-Protocol-0.56.tar.gz /usr/bin/make test -- NOT OK
It's perfectly OK, the x11 protocol package has been compiled properly: it's just that the test suite cannot be completed.
To complete the installation, you should therefore leave CPAN, and do the following:
cpan[4]> exit root@katsu:~# cd .cpan root@katsu:~/.cpan# cd build/ root@katsu:~/.cpan/build# ls Tk-804.029-KkB6p7/ X11-Protocol-0.56-19o9Pv/ root@katsu:~/.cpan/build# cd X11-Protocol-0.56-19o9Pv/ root@katsu:~/.cpan/build/X11-Protocol-0.56-19o9Pv# make install
The make install command shown above should complete the installation of the x11 protocol and allow you to run clusterssh.
This part is relatively simple, as:
$ ./configure $ make $ sudo make install
... should be able to take care of it!
Once installed, usually in /usr/local/bin/, run clusterssh by typing:
$ cssh surfer galactus
This immediately open two terminals: one to the galactus machine and another to the surfer machine. Use the main clusterssh window to type your commands and watch dual ssh goodness in action!