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Xming Portable Putty

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March 21, 2007 - 8:36am
#1
Airlie
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Xming Portable Putty

Glad to see Putty added to the PortableApps.com lineup, I use Putty daily. You keep adding all my favorite apps.

Xming has a portable version of all the Putty apps, not just Putty itself. The Xming version stores settings and host keys as files, but can also read registry entries. The only thing it seems to lack is a way to get settings stored in the files back into the registry.

I personally prefer storing and reading the settings in files, using the registry at all seems somehow wrong for a portable app. It may be worthwhile to look at the Xming version and consider basing the PortableApps.com version off of it, or getting Xming to use the PortableApps.com format themselves.

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September 3, 2007 - 12:21am
crenner
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Joined: 2007-09-03 00:03
Xming Portable PuTTY

I agree 100%. I have been working on a U3 package of Xming's Portable PuTTY. I would have started making a Portable Apps version, but I couldn't find enough documentation to make a decent effort on this.

Here is a very PRELIMINARY U3 version of Xming's Portable PuTTY (I did this mostly as proof of concept, and have less than 1 day's work in this so far): http://cr.cyber-vault.com/Xming_PuTTY_U3_6.9.0.40_Sample.u3p

It has the following advantages over the current Portable Apps version:
* Can be run at the same time as other instances of PuTTY (even other versions)
* Can cleanly read both regular PuTTY registry entries and Xming Portable PuTTY configuration files
* Shares configuration cleanly with other PuTTY applications in the PuTTY distribution
* No UGLY registry backup-and-restore hacks (sorry, but but that is ONE UGLY HACK that Portable Apps is using for their release of PuTTY)

That being said, here is what is still wrong with it:
* It's a U3 package! If you don't have a U3 device, you cannot use it!
* It only has a menu item for PuTTY (even though all of the file are there, and they do work with each other)
* Some of the U3 folder hierarchy has been misused here (hey, this was my first attempt at a U3 program!) - Settings are stored in a directory that is volatile and will be erased when you uninstall the app, and the HOST executable path is overused instead of the DEVICE executable path.
* It REALLY needs more menu items, one for every EXE except PLink, and then one PLink item for every session stored in your sessions directory (I've considered using a DOS BAT file with choice to compensate for this, but I don't have the time for this ATM).

If I can find some good documentation on Portable Apps creation, I should be able to abandon my U3 project, and move the whole thing here! ESPECIALLY if I can create multiple menu items in a single package (something I don't think can be done with U3, and may not be able to be done with Portable Apps)!

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September 4, 2007 - 10:41am
John T. Haller
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Meh

I'd rather not touch unofficial forks of apps like security apps. PuTTY is solid because everyone trusts the developers. I'd like to try and get the main PuTTY devs to support config files.

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

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September 9, 2007 - 10:32am
(Reply to #3)
crenner
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Still on the same page...

John -

I don't disagree with you at all. I already sent an email to the PuTTY developers about this (making PuTTY support config files). If others would do the same, maybe they will actually do it! Please, please, please let the PuTTY developers know that you want the REAL PuTTY to officially support config files! The more people that express interest, the more likely this is to happen!

In the meantime, I needed a quick fix. I run multiple copies of PuTTY frequently, and the current Portable Apps version of PuTTY just could not meet my needs.

I wrote (more like threw together) a small application called PuTTY Launcher Tray. Unfortunately, the current version is U3 based (sorry, but U3 development is much more documented than Portable Apps development at this time), so if you don't have a U3 device, it won't work for you (OK, it SHOULD work if you try the hacks I mention later in this post, but I haven't tested it).

PuTTY Launcher Tray is written in AutoIt3, and compiled using the GUIWrapper for the same, ResHacker for the same, and UPX compressed. I have rolled it into a U3 package (including Xming's Portable PuTTY). If you want, you can download the Xming Portable PuTTY U3 Package (v 1.0.3). Source code for PuTTY Launcher Tray is available inside the U3 package itself. To get the source code for the U3 package, change the .u3p extension to .zip and unzip! I think I forgot to UPX compress the Xming Portable PuTTY apps, but I can do that in the next version, or you can do it yourself!

If you have a U3 device, just install the U3 package I have available for download, and you are ready to go. You now have a completely portable, multi-instance version of PuTTY, that can read from the registry as well as config files, and writes to config files. PLUS, all the PuTTY apps are included (except PuTTYtel, which I have NEVER needed to use), so you now have access to psftp, pscp, plink, and PuTTYgen, all of which share the same config files!

As with any free software, I make no guarantees or warranties. You use completely at your own risk!

I have every intention of converting this into a Portable App instead of a U3 package, but like I said, I needed a quick fix. If someone wants to hack my U3 version into a Portable App for themselves without recompiling the application, I suggest the following:
* PuTTY Launcher Tray was thrown together quickly, and does not have error trapping yet. It is dependent (at this time) on being on read/write media (no CD-ROMs or other read-only media yet).
* Unzip the U3P (change .u3p to .zip first if you are confused) file
* Put the Xming Portable PuTTY (yes, it must be the Xming version, or you will never have any config files!) applications in a folder on your removable media
* Put the PuTTY_Launcher_Tray.exe file anywhere you want on the removable media.
* Set the following two environment variables:
* U3_DEVICE_EXEC_PATH to the folder on your removable media with the Xming Portable PuTTY apps
* U3_DEVICE_DOCUMENT_PATH to your Documents folder on your removable media (usually the \Documents folder on your removable media if you already use any Portable Apps or U3 applications)
* Launch PuTTY_Launcher_Tray.exe from your removable media.

I'll get rid of the absolute dependence on the U3 environment variables when I make a Portable Apps version.

Actually, I'll save you some time on getting the source for PuTTY Launcher Tray. Here is the the source for PuTTY Launcher Tray Version 1.0.3. The include statements in the code are for include files that are part of AutoIt3.

If/When the official PuTTY program supports configuration files, I will definitely convert this program to use the official PuTTY binaries (UPX compressed, of course).

Anyone else who uses multiple PuTTY applications or uses multiple simulanteous instances of PuTTY (and needs to do so in a portable environment, PLEASE ask the PuTTY developers to implement support for config files (instead of registry use). The goal is to have an official implementation of PuTTY that can be configured to be 100% independent of the Windows Registry (and thus, completely portable)! Please be polite to the developers if you do make a request. They are providing powerful and robust encryption and communication software for free!

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September 9, 2007 - 12:51pm
(Reply to #4)
John T. Haller
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Portable Development

If you can make your app run from a single directory, it's portable and will work with the PortableApps.com Menu. No extra files or extra work required. It's dead easy to code something to be portable.

If you want it to be in PortableApps.com Format, it's just a matter of certain config files in certain directories. This is also dead easy. All you need to do is open up any PAF app and you'll see what I mean.

Once PuTTY supports config files, the official PortableApps.com version will use that instead of the registry (you won't need to duplicate the effort).

Remember, this site is not for U3 apps as U3 apps are not portable (they only work on certain proprietary hardware you have to buy that's being discontinued next year), so U3 apps should not be promoted here.

Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!

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