Using Tcl packages on Cisco IOS

Although it's not exactly trivial, you can use standard Tcl packages with Tcl
shell on Cisco IOS by following this procedure:

$ tclsh
% pkg_mkIndex . *.tcl
% ^Z
$
  • Edit the pkgIndex.tcl file created with the pkg_mkIndex command and set the $dir variable to the IOS directory before the first package command (for example, set dir "flash:tcl/").
  • Alternatively, add the Tcl command set dir [file dirname [info script]] in front of the first package command. This command sets the $dir variable to the path of the pkgIndex.tcl file.
  • Transfer all the source files into a directory on the router's flash (or any other local storage device).
  • Configure the execution of the pkgIndex.tcl file at tclsh startup with the scripting tcl init configuration command (for example, scripting tcl init flash:tcl/pkgIndex.tcl).

When you have completed these steps, the pkgIndex.tcl file will be executed every time the Tcl shell is started in Cisco IOS, defining all the packages you've prepared. Now you can use the package require name Tcl command to load the packages you need in your Tcl script.

2 comments:

  1. Great post, thanks!
  2. And if you don't want to waste time with packages, just do "source disk0:mylibrary.tcl" inside your TCL script to load the library.
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