How to end a script line that needs CTRL-D keyboard shortcut to signal the end of transmission (EOT)

Products

• Management Center
• SSL Visibility Appliance Software

Issue/Introduction

There some products that runs over Common Operating Environment (COE) where their "inline" command line statement require a Ctrl-D Keyboard shortcut to signal the End of Transmission (EOT). Due to this reason pressing Ctrl-D on keyboard to signal EOT is not possible.   

e.g.

SSL_visibility(config-login-banner)# inline message banner1
Enter the login banner message below and end it with a Ctrl+D
 
content_analysis(config-ssl)# inline ca-certificate cert1
Enter the certificate below and end it with a Ctrl-D

Please note that Management Center Scripting feature is NOT in any type of scripting language.  Rather, they are collection of CLI commands that are executed in the order shown within the script itself to devices that supports them.  Scripts can be executed on the following devices:  

Blue Coat ProxySG appliance
Advanced Secure Gateway
Content Analysis appliance
SSL Visibility 4.x appliance
Reporter 10.3 and later

 

With no proper EOT signal where the command line requires it, running the script result may varies.

- Manage Device may indicate script successfully installed but not preserving the content of the script; 

- Script may take a very long time or hung state or;

- Error: Script execution produced an error Error 

 

Resolution

Download the attached script_with_ctrl_d.txt file for script samples.  This text file can be viewed and copied using MS Windows notepad or Notepad ++

You can copy character on line 5  (this is the EOT equivalent) and paste it to your script line where it needs the CTRL-D .      Note that when using windows notepad,  the character may only shows as small square as it is a non-printable character.   Notepadd ++ may show it as EOT 

Attached screenshot.png  shows what line 5 on the script looks like after pasting it to your MC script.