Using rlwrap with an ssh session

Question

I am using SSH to login to an ubuntu server. However, I am not able to use commands such as tab auto-complete, or using arrow keys to view previous history. I have installed rlwrap on the remote machine and on my local directory. I was wondering if there was any way to use rlwrap to allow me to use these shortcuts on the server (or something else). The server is running Ubuntu Server edition 10.0.4.

Answer 1

Check your shell on the remote server, change it to /bin/bash if it is not

    chsh /bin/bash

Answer 2

I have some difficulty understanding your question (e.g. what commands are you running on the remote server? What is your local directory and how does one install rlwrap on it?. Does the input history of your login shell work properly?)

In general:

• When an interactive command doesn't have a usable (by way of the arrow keys) input history, type rlwrap in front of the command name. E.g.: rlwrap sqlplus instead of just sqlplus
• If you cannot use your arrow keys at all, even in your login shell, something is wrong with your installation. In that case you'll have to ask the remote machine's system administrator to help you. You could run rlwrap ssh remote.host from a shell prompt on your local machine as a stop-gap measure