clogin

Login to a Cisco device

$ clogin [hostname]

$ clogin -u [username] [hostname]

$ clogin -x [commands.txt] [hostname]

$ clogin -autoenable [hostname]

$ clogin [host1] [host2] [host3]

$ clogin -f [/path/to/.cloginrc] [hostname]

clogin [options] hostname [hostname...]

clogin is part of RANCID (Really Awesome New Cisco confIg Differ), a network device configuration management system. It provides automated login to Cisco and compatible network devices, handling authentication and enable mode transitions.
The tool uses Expect scripts to automate the interactive login process, supporting various authentication methods and device prompts. It can execute commands or scripts across multiple devices, making it valuable for network automation and configuration backup.
Credentials are typically stored in .cloginrc with restricted permissions. The tool supports SSH, telnet, and other access methods depending on device configuration.

-u username

Specify username for login.

Specify password (insecure, use .cloginrc instead).

Specify enable password.

Automatically enter enable mode.

Execute command after login.

Execute commands from file.

Use alternate configuration file.

Set login timeout in seconds.

Enable debug output.

Enable verbose output.

Credentials in ~/.cloginrc:

$ add user hostname username
add password hostname {login_pass} {enable_pass}
add method hostname ssh
add autoenable hostname 1

Requires Expect and Tcl. The .cloginrc file contains sensitive credentials; protect with chmod 600. Some device prompts may not be recognized without customization. Modern alternatives like Ansible or Netmiko may be preferred for new automation projects.

clogin was developed as part of RANCID (Really Awesome New Cisco confIg Differ) by Henry Kilmer and others at Shrubbery Networks in the late 1990s. RANCID was created to automate configuration backup and change tracking for network devices. The toolkit has grown to support numerous vendors beyond Cisco, with clogin handling Cisco-specific devices.

rancid(1), jlogin(1), expect(1)