Run shell script on Linux box from a shortcut/app in Android?

Question

I have an Ubuntu box which runs XBMC, which crashes occasionally. Since I have no keyboard connected,I have to SSH in, kill xinit, then restart it. I was wondering if there's an elegant way of doing this from my Android tablet, so I don't have to go to my desktop PC.

I've used ConnectBot and can log in, but typing is laborious, even using the edit keys to scroll back up through the buffer. It seems as though it should be possible to script this so that I can execute a shortcut, or at least select a predefined script to be executed.

This would seem to have plenty of applications, and there could be a site of scripts - restart webserver, reboot, email logs etc

Solution

Coversal might be the application you are looking for:

a universal remote control for Android which supports wide range of protocols and applications such as UPnP, XBMC, VLC, MPlayer, etc

Apart from the protocols mentioned above, Coversal can be set to use custom commands over SSH. Its GUI is designed specifically for media applications, but you can bind each button provided to any function you want.

Install the "SSH Custom" plugin for Coversal, using its integrated Plugin Manager.

Create a new control set, using the SSH plugin.

:

Long press on your control set, press setting and add the desired command list. You may use existing names (start_playback, stop, etc) or add new ones with Add cmd. You may enter any shell command here.

:

Switch to the Keymap tab and assign your commands to the desired buttons. Add appropriate captions where possible.

Switch back to the application's main screen, tap your control set and swipe right to the remote to use it.

Comments

[Michael Hampton]

Sounds like you need a better (virtual) keyboard.

[melat0nin]

I use Swype and it's great, but for something that's a repetitive task that never changes it seems silly to type in the commands each time

[melat0nin]

This looks like a potentially interesting solution, I'll take a look at it. Thanks for the comprehensive answer!

[balki]

This project is discontinued