如何使用PSCP从服务器未知子目录复制指定文件至本地？

Great question! The catch here is that PSCP doesn’t have a built-in way to recursively search for files across subfolders directly. But we can pair it with a remote SSH command to locate the file first, then use that path to copy it over. Here’s how to do it step by step:

Step 1: Locate the file’s full path on the server #

First, we’ll use the find command (standard on most Linux/Unix servers) via SSH to find where FileName.txt lives under /temp:

ssh -pw Password User@Machinenumber "find /temp -name 'FileName.txt' -type f"

• -name 'FileName.txt': Targets the exact filename we’re looking for
• -type f: Ensures we only match files (not folders with the same name)
• This command will output the full path to the file (e.g., /temp/Subfolder2/FileName.txt) if it exists.

Step 2: Copy the file using the found path #

Once we have the path, we can pass it to PSCP. The method varies slightly depending on whether you’re using Windows Command Prompt (CMD) or PowerShell:

For Windows CMD #

Use a for loop to capture the output of the SSH command and feed it to PSCP:

for /f "delims=" %%i in ('ssh -pw Password User@Machinenumber "find /temp -name 'FileName.txt' -type f"') do pscp.exe -pw Password User@Machinenumber:"%%i" C:\Users\Desktop

The delims= part ensures we capture the full path even if it contains spaces (though your example paths don’t have them, it’s a safe practice).

For PowerShell #

It’s a bit cleaner—we can store the path in a variable first, then use it in PSCP:

$filePath = ssh -pw Password User@Machinenumber "find /temp -name 'FileName.txt' -type f"
pscp.exe -pw Password User@Machinenumber:"$filePath" C:\Users\Desktop

Important Notes #

• Multiple matching files: If there are multiple FileName.txt files in different subfolders, this will copy all of them to your desktop (later files will overwrite earlier ones). To avoid this, add -maxdepth 2 to the find command to only search one level deep under /temp:

  find /temp -maxdepth 2 -name 'FileName.txt' -type f
  

• Security warning: Putting your password in plaintext in commands is risky. For a safer approach, set up SSH key authentication—this lets you skip entering passwords entirely and avoids exposing your credentials.
• Server requirements: Make sure the remote server has the find utility installed (most standard Linux/Unix distributions do).

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者siddhartha