How to use SSH Secure Shell in VBScript

ActiveSocket provides an easy-to-use development interface to a variety of IP protocols. By using ActiveSocket, you can very easily create or enhance applications with network features.

ActiveSocket features the following: ICMP, TCP, UDP, HTTP and HTTPs with support for proxy servers and secure web sites, DNS, Telnet, NTP time protocol, SSH Secure Shell, RSH remote shell script interface, SNMP (Simple Network Management Protcol), SNMP Traps, SNMP Mib Browser, Sockets, WOL (Wake-On-LAN), IP-to-Country, and more.

ActiveSocket can be well integrated into VBScript environments.
This document describes how ActiveSocket can be integrated into VBScript.

Step 1: Download and install the ActiveSocket Toolkit

Download ActiveSocket from the ActiveXperts Download Site and start the installation. The installation guides you through the installation process.

Step 2: Create a new script

Create a new script using your favorite editor. You can simply use notepad. However, a VBScript editor is recommended, so you can browse through objects, objects properties and object functions.

You're now able to write a more advanced script to communicate using the ActiveSocket Toolkit.

Step 3: Create the ActiveSocket object in VBScript

Create a new VBScript file called DEMO.VBS. It is recommended to insert the following line on top of your code:

   Option Explicit

This statement requires that all variable names be defined (with the Dim statement), to avoid simple typos that can cause incredible headaches and long debugging sessions for something that should have never happened.

Now, declare the ActiveSocket object(s):

   Dim objSsh

Create the ActiveSocket object(s) like this:

   Set objSsh      = CreateObject( "ActiveXperts.Ssh" )

Now, add the following lines to the file to have your fist ActiveSocket VBScript program:

   WScript.Echo "Version: " & objSsh.Version
   WScript.Echo "Expiration Date: " & objSsh.Expiration Date

Step 4: Setup a simple TCP connection to a webserver

You can now setup a TCP/IP connection to a server.
The following VBScript code shows how to get a HTML page from a webserver:

Option Explicit

' Create a socket instance
Set objSocket      = CreateObject("ActiveXperts.Tcp")

objSocket.Protocol = objSocket.asPROTOCOL_TELNET

' Write some information to console
WScript.Echo "ActiveSocket " & objSocket.Version & " demo."
WScript.Echo "Expiration date: " & objSocket.ExpirationDate & vbCrLf

' Make a connection on port 80 to remote server
objSocket.Connect "www.activexperts.com", 80
Wscript.Echo "Connect to www.activexperts.com:80, result: " & objSocket.LastError
If objSocket.LastError <> 0 Then
   WScript.Echo "Error " & objSocket.LastError & ": " & objSocket.GetErrorDescription( objSocket.LastError )
Else
   If objSocket.ConnectionState = objSocket.asCONN_CONNECTED Then

     ' YES, connection established.
     WScript.Echo "Connection established" & vbCrLf

     strReceived = ""
     nCounter = nCounter + 1
	
     objSocket.Sleep 1000
	
     objSocket.SendString "GET /activsocket/demopage/ HTTP/1.1", True
     objSocket.SendString "Host: www.activexperts.com" & vbCrlf, True
	
     objSocket.Sleep 1000
	
     If objSocket.HasData Then
       strReceived = objSocket.ReceiveString
       WScript.Echo "RECV: " & strReceived
     End If
      
     objSocket.Sleep 1000
  
     ' And finally, disconnect
     objSocket.Disconnect
     WScript.Echo "Disconnect."
   End If
End If
WScript.Echo "Ready."

There are many working samples included with the product. You can also find them on the ActiveXperts FTP site: ftp.activexperts-labs.com/samples/asocket.

The ActiveSocket tool is a Network Communications ActiveX software component (SDK). This control supports SNMP, SMTP, POP3, Telnet, TCP, NTP, RSH, HTTP, HTTPs, FTP, DNS, ICMP and more, and can be used by any Windows development platform, including Visual Basic .NET, Visual CSharp .NET, ASP .NET (VB,CS), ASP, Visual Basic, Visual Studio/Visual C++, Delphi, PHP, ColdFusion, HTML, VBScript and any other ActiveX/COM compliant platform. The ActiveSocket Toolkit is an ActiveXperts Software B.V. Product.