[rancid] rancid-run won't get config login, `clogin` works, `rancid -d` does get config

[Chris Wopat]

I'm attempting to add a device to RANCID that acts a as a Cisco
device, but isn't. It's a unix server that responds to the cisco
'show', 'dir' commands and has a prompt that is cisco enough to have
RANCID log in. Yes I realize that new device types can be written and
that a wrapper sample script exists from 2005 or so. It's my personal
preference to get things working this way. Info:

All of the debugging that I have indicate that it should be working,
but it simply isn't. Here's the gist of what I'm doing

* RANCID logs in as unprivileged user. 'enable' is aliased to 'su -'
* The user prompts are basic HOSTNAME>, HOSTNAME#
* The root user has aliases for 'show', 'dir', etc to spit out info
that I want (cat a few config files, ls /etc/)

The testing I've done:

I can properly log in to the device and become root (enable) using
clogin. I can then issue commands, etc. I'm simply logged in as root.

    su -l rancid -c 'clogin HOSTNAME'


If I login using 'rancid -d HOSTNAME' it shows debugginfg info. The
history file of the root user on the server shows that it has issued
the appropriate commands. Additionally I can use the debugging info
found elsewhere in the thread to get a .new and .raw file. The
commands to get these debug files:

    su -l rancid -c 'env NOPIPE=y
PATH=${PATH}:/usr/local/libexec/rancid rancid -d HOSTNAME'


I can view the .new and .raw files in the rancid home users's dir.
Everything looks good.

The only thing that does NOT work is:

   su -l rancid -c 'rancid-run -r  HOSTNAME'

The logs it creates in /usr/local/var/rancid/logs/ show:

+ date
+ echo starting: Sun Nov 13 10:34:21 CST 2011
starting: Sun Nov 13 10:34:21 CST 2011
+ echo
+ [ -f /tmp/.group.run.lock ]
+ trap rm -fr $LOCKFILE;exit 1 1 2 3 6 10 15
+ touch /tmp/.group.run.lock
+ [ 0 -eq 0 ]
+ control_rancid -r HOSTNAME group
Trying to get all of the configs.
HOSTNAME clogin error: Error: TIMEOUT reached
HOSTNAME: missed cmd(s): dir /all slavedisk2:,show rsp
chassis-info,dir /all sec-slot2:,show diag,dir /all disk1:,show gsr
chassis,dir /all sec-nvram:,show diag chassis-info,dir /all disk2:,dir
/all sec-bootflash:,show spe version,dir /all slaveslot2:,dir /all
disk0:,show install active,show bootvar,dir /all slaveslot0:,dir /all
sec-slot1:,dir /all harddiska:,dir /all slavenvram:,show flash,dir
/all sec-disk2:,dir /all slavesup-bootflash:,dir /all sec-disk0:,dir
/all harddiskb:,show variables boot,show boot,show inventory raw,dir
/all slavedisk1:,show env all,show module,show controllers,show
diagbus,more system:running-config,dir /all slavedisk0:,show
debug,show idprom backplane,dir /all bootflash:,dir /all
sec-slot0:,dir /all sec-disk1:,write term,show vtp status,dir /all
sup-bootflash:,dir /all slot2:,dir /all harddisk:,dir /all slot0:,dir
/all sup-microcode:,show vlan,dir /all slavebootflash:,show
controllers cbus,dir /all slaveslot1:,dir /all nvram:,show
version,show vlan-switch,show redundancy secondary,show
running-config,show c7200,dir /all slot1:
HOSTNAME: End of run not found
=====================================

..repeat for 4 rounds.

Debugging on the server shows that the unprivileged user did
successfully log in but root's history file doesn't indicate that any
commands were issued, unlike when 'rancid -d' was run. What am I
missing that would make this all work fine with `rancid` and `clogin`
but not `rancid-run`?