Differences in CLI/SSH Session Recordings on PAM

Products

• CA Privileged Access Manager (PAM)

Issue/Introduction

PAM has been configured for CLI-based session recording for Linux devices, but some recordings have the video controls greyed out with a scroll bar on the side. Why does this occur?

Static/Scroll CLI Session Recording Sample, while the connection is established using MindTerm:

To playback the recording scroll bar on the right hand side is requied to be moved up and down


In the above connection using MindTerm, the playback buttons are greyed out as displayed under

 

Motion Playable CLI Session Recording Sample, the connection is established using Putty as a TCP/UDP service using the SSH protocol:

In the above connection using MindTerm, the playback buttons are NOT greyed out as displayed under:

Environment

Privileged Access Manager, all releases as of April 2025.

Cause

This is working as per design, this is not a problem with the product.

When a connection to a Target Linux/Unix host using the build-in MindTerm applet, the session recording is stored as a text file without a time file (<file_name>.txt.time).



When a connection to the same Target Linux/Unix host is performed using Putty as a TCP/UDP service, the session recording file is stored as a text file along with an additional txt.time file.

The file names will be visible in the remote session recording host that is configured as the session recording location as demonstrated above. The additional txt.time file is what enables the playback control on the bottom of the session recorder viewer, a screenshot of the same is available below.

Resolution

SSH Applet(Mindterm) : Scroll bar
TCP/UDP Service using SSH protocol: Play

If you prefer to have a playable video-like session recording for SSH then please use setup the TCP/UDP Service with SSH protocol.
The Mindterm session recording will not be a motion video but rather a scroll of texts.