[Ssh-sftp-perl-users] Need help using passphrase with key pairs in Net::SFTP::Foreign

[Russ B. <us...@gm...>]

I have Net::SFTP::Foreign working fine when my key pairs have an empty
passphrase.  But I have been directed to no longer use key pairs that
are not protected by a passphrase.

In the code below I successfully use "Expect" to pass the passphrase,
complete the login and even list the contents of the remote directory.

 But I can not then get Net::SFTP::Foreign to to utilize the
connection that Expect has established ($conn). Documentation implies
that transport => $conn should do the trick but it is not working in
the example below.

Any help will be gratefully appreciated.

Note that I am using Net::SFTP::Foreign to control the Tectia ssh
client, which is installed at /opt/tectia/bin/sshg3.  I have no
trouble controlling sshg3 except when the key pair
has a non-empty passphrase.

#!/usr/bin/perl

use Net::SFTP::Foreign;
use Expect;

$Net::SFTP::Foreign = -1;
my $tectia_ssh_client = "/opt/tectia/bin/sshg3";
my %feed_server;
$feed_server{server} = "server01";
$feed_server{directory} = "/export/home/tuser";
my @sshargs = ('-v');
my $passphrase = "some secret group of words";
my $timeout = 20;
my $delay =120;
my $user = "tuser";
my $host = "server01";
my @pattern = "Passphrase for the private key:";
my $logfile = "/export/home/tuser/mylog.txt";

$Expect::Exp_Internal = 1;

my $conn = Expect->new;
$conn->raw_pty(1);
$conn->log_stdout(1);
$conn->log_file($logfile);
$conn->spawn("$tectia_ssh_client $user\@$host")
    or die "spawn command failed";
$conn->expect($timeout, @pattern);

$conn->send("$passphrase\n");
$conn->expect($timeout, "bash");
$conn->send("ls -l\n");
$conn->expect($delay, "bash");

###  === this is where things stop working ======

my  $sftp = Net::SFTP::Foreign->new(transport => $conn);

if (($sftp->error) || ($sftp->status)) {
     print "\n";
     print "transport did not connect!  $0\n";
     print "sftp error: ".$sftp->error."\n";
     print "sftp status: ".$sftp->status."\n";
} else {
   print "Got a connection without errors\n";
}

 eval {
      $files_in_directory = $sftp->ls("$feed_server{directory}");
  };

   if (($@) || ($sftp->error)) {
     print "sftp--> error: ".$sftp->error."\n";
     print "\n";
     print "Directory Listing Problem on host: $feed_server{server} $0\n";
     print "Directory = $feed_server{directory}\n";
     print "ERROR = $@\n";
  } else {
       print "File in directorty: \n";

       foreach (@$files_in_directory) {
         $longlist = $_->{longname};
         $shortname = $_->{filename};
         print $longlist;
      }
  }