on(1)
Requires Optional NFS Services Software
NAME
on − execute command on remote host with environment similar to local
SYNOPSIS
on [−i | −n] [−d] host [command [argument] ... ]
DESCRIPTION
on executes a command on a remote host, using an environment similar to that of the invoking user where:
host specifies the name of the host on which to execute the command.
command specifies the command to execute on host
If command is not specified, on starts a shell on host. argument ... is a list of arguments for command.
The user’s environment variables are copied to the remote host, and the file system containing the user’s current working directory is mounted on the remote host via nfs(7). The command is executed on the remote host in the user’s current working directory.
Commands using relative path names that reference file system objects within the user’s current working file system will have the same behavior as running the command on the client. The behavior of commands using relative path names that cross the file system boundary or commands using absolute path names dependends on the organization of the remote host’s file system.
Implicit and explicit use of environment variables may also cause a command’s behavior to be dependent on the organization of the remote host’s file system. For example, the $PATH environment variable usually contains absolute path names.
Standard input, output and error of the remote command are connected to the appropriate file descriptors on the client.
The remote execution daemon (rexd) does not allow root to execute a remote command.
The signals SIGINT, SIGTERM and SIGQUIT are propagated to the remote command. SIGTSTP and SIGSTOP are ignored by the remote command. All other signals are delivered to the on command.
In order to execute a remote command, the remote host must be configured to execute rexd(1M).
Options
−i Interactive mode. This option is required for commands that must communicate with a terminal such as vi(1), csh(1), and more(1). Terminal mode changes are propagated to the rexd server. The standard input (stdin) for an interactive on command must be a tty. The −i and −n options are mutually exclusive.
−d Debug mode. Print diagnostic messages during startup of the on command. These messages are useful in detecting configuration problems if the on command to a specific host is failing.
−n No input mode. This option causes the remote command to get end-of-file (EOF) when it reads from standard input, instead of connecting the standard input of the on command to the standard input of the remote command. The −n option is required when running commands in the background. The −n and −i options are mutually exclusive.
DIAGNOSTICS
on: unknown host <host>
The host name <host> was not found in the hosts database.
on: cannot connect to server on <host>
The host <host> is down, unreachable on the network or not running rexd(1M).
on: can’t find <current_dir>
A problem occurred trying to find the user’s current working directory (<current_dir>).
on: can’t locate mount point for <current_dir>
A problem occurred trying to determine the mount point of the user’s current working directory (<current_dir>).
on: standard input (stdin) is not a tty
The standard input (stdin) of the on command with the −i option is not a tty.
on <server>: rexd: <message>
Errors that occur on the server <server> are propagated back to the client. These messages are documented in the DIAGNOSTICS section of rexd(1M).
AUTHOR
on was developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc.
SEE ALSO
INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT
8-bit data, 16-bit data, messages
Hewlett-Packard Company — HP-UX Release 8.05: June 1991