Troubleshooting payloads

When developing a payload (or deploying a new payload which may require configuration or tweaking), it can sometimes be difficult to identify the reason it is not activating as expected.

There are several ways to debug a payload:

Running payloads in Arming & Configuration mode

Payloads can often be run interactively in Arming & Configuration mode via the web UI terminal, or via a SSH connection.

To run a payload interactively from a terminal, simply launch the payload script via bash:

root@squirrel:~# /bin/bash /root/payloads/switch1/payload

This method is the simplest when your payload does not require an offline mode - remember, if you change the NETMODE in your payload, you may lose network access to the Packet Squirrel!

While debugging, you may be able to comment out the NETMODE line in a payload. Remember to restore it when you're done!

Enabling SSH and the web UI in a payload

SSH and the web UI can be enabled in any payload mode where the Packet Squirrel has a network connection (NAT, BRIDGE, and JAIL) with the commands START_SSH and START_UI. Once SSH or the web UI has been started, you can connect to your Packet Squirrel and examine the state or re-run the payload.

Logging commands to a file

The output of commands can be sent to a file (see the chapter on Redirecting output for more information). This can help diagnose errors in a payload that can not be debugged interactively.

Remember that files in /tmp are not preserved over a reboot - but you can log to /root/, for example:

mkdir -p /root/payload_logs

command1 2>&1 >> /root/payload_logs/payload_debug.txt
command2 2>&1 >> /root/payload_logs/payload_debug.txt

Remember to use >> to add to the end of the log file instead of replacing it!