Execute commands on SSH server using plink.exe in .bat file

Question

I am very new to batch scripting and have the following in a batch file:

echo off
setlocal

SET cluster="cluster"

( 
    cd "C:\path"
    python script.py -nodes %cluster% -type worker -index 1 -batch 64 > log.log 2>&1
) | plink.exe -ssh user@host -pw password 

cd "C:\path2" 
python worker.py -nodes %cluster% -type worker -index 0 -batch 64 > log.log 2>&1
pause

However, something's up with:

( 
    cd "C:\path"
    python script.py -nodes %cluster% -type worker -index 1 -batch 64 > log.log 2>&1
) | plink.exe -ssh user@host -pw password 

It does not seem like the python file runs on the remote server (or if it is, the log file is not saving). In addition, plink.exe gives me some weird output-- the below is what I see:

Using username "user".
[2J[?25l[m[H

[H]0;c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe[?25h[?25lMicrosoft Windows [Version 10.0.18363.1377][9X[9C
(c) 2019 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
[52X[52C
user@host C:\Users\user>[10X[10C[4;43H]0;Administrator: c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe[?25h
^

I also get the above output if I were to plink.exe -ssh user@host -pw password on cmd.exe.

However, I am more interested in understanding why the commands

cd "C:\path"
python script.py -nodes %cluster% -type worker -index 1 -batch 64 > log.log 2>&1
do not seem to be executed on the server.

The commands

cd "C:\path2"  
python worker.py -nodes %cluster% -type worker -index 0 -batch 64 > log.log 2>&1

seem to work fine as I see a log file being saved. It is the commands when sshing that do not.

Answer 1

To execute commands with Plink, use the -m switch, that you can use to provide a path to a file with a list of commands to execute:

plink.exe [email protected] -pw password -no-antispoof -m c:\local\path\commands.txt

Where the commands.txt will, in your case, contain:

cd "C:\path"
python script.py -nodes %cluster% -type worker -index 1 -batch 64 > log.log 2>&1

---

The Plink (plink.exe) can also accept the command on its command-line, like:

plink.exe [email protected] -pw password -no-antispoof "cd C:\path && python script.py -nodes %cluster% -type worker -index 1 -batch 64 > log.log 2>&1"