How can I create an SSH connection from a C# application?

Question

I am working on creating a GUI to interface with a Citrix XEN server. I dont know how to execute commands from my within my application on my widows system on the XEN Server. I was thinking using SSH but again I dont know how. Does anyone have an example of how to do this? How to establish a SSH tunnel when the user pushes a button? I want to be able to run the command xe vm-list and then display the output in a label. Thats just to start my next one will be to create a VM and name is what the user wants, but for now I just need to figure out how to execute commands on the XEN Server.

See also http://stackoverflow.com/questions/11169396/c-sharp-send-a-simple-ssh-command — MarkJ, Apr 10 '14 at 22:25

score 2 · Answer 1 · answered Nov 01 '10 at 16:26

2

I have used SharpSSH with great success.

This can be downloaded from http://www.tamirgal.com/blog/page/SharpSSH.aspx.

answered Nov 01 '10 at 16:26

Pieter van Ginkel

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do you have an example of how to setup up? – user770022 Nov 01 '10 at 16:28
The source file from sourceforge has an `Examples\sharpssh_samples` folder which contains a lot of samples which go into a lot of detail. – Pieter van Ginkel Nov 01 '10 at 16:30
this is not what I was looking for. I want it to all be hidden from the user. – user770022 Nov 01 '10 at 16:46
1

These classes allow you to connect with an SSH server without a console. The `SshExec` class has a `RunCommand` method which does exactly that. – Pieter van Ginkel Nov 01 '10 at 16:50
I have used SharpSSH too, it's not very reliable... I had to fix a few bugs myself to be able to make it work correctly – Thomas Levesque Nov 01 '10 at 16:55
Have you send patches to the creators? – Pieter van Ginkel Nov 01 '10 at 17:10

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Nov 01 '10 at 16:39

Finding yourself an ssh component will allow you to do more meaningful things, but at the base level, you can do something like this:

public void ExecuteExternalCommand(string command)
{
 try
 {
  // process start info
  System.Diagnostics.ProcessStartInfo processStartInfo = new System.Diagnostics.ProcessStartInfo("cmd", "/c " + command);
  processStartInfo.RedirectStandardOutput = true;
  processStartInfo.UseShellExecute = false;
  processStartInfo.CreateNoWindow = true; // Don't show console

  // create the process
  System.Diagnostics.Process process = new System.Diagnostics.Process();
  process.StartInfo = processStartInfo;
  process.Start();

  string output = process.StandardOutput.ReadToEnd();
  Console.WriteLine(output);
 }
 catch (Exception exception)
 {
  //TODO: something Meaninful
 }
}

Which will let you run arbitrary external executables via the cmd.exe interface and then respond to it.

Here's some Links:

Example Code's SSH Component
[MSDN Process Class docs][2]

How can I create an SSH connection from a C# application?

2 Answers2