pyRetroTerm

A modern terminal emulator built with PyQt6, featuring dynamic themes, real-time telemetry, and advanced terminal capabilities.

Features

Core Features

Telemetry Interface Features

• Modern terminal emulator with three-pane adaptive layout:
  • Left: Session management and device navigation
  • Center: Terminal interface with full emulation
  • Right: Device telemetry and status panels
• Dynamic theme system with live preview and hot-reload
• Multi-tabbed terminal support with session persistence
• Quick connect functionality for rapid device access
• Session search and filtering capabilities
• Adjustable layouts with resizable panes

Device Monitoring

• Real-time interface status monitoring with UP/DOWN indicators
• Live system resource tracking (CPU, Memory, Temperature)
• Environmental monitoring dashboard
• Automatic neighbor discovery via LLDP
• Debug logging with timestamped events
• Default route and network topology visualization

Terminal Capabilities

• Full SSH terminal emulation
• Secure credential management with encryption
• Multiple device type support (Linux, Cisco IOS, Arista EOS, etc.)
• Sessions organization and persistence
• Customizable text rendering and display options
• Zoom controls for accessibility

Dynamic Theming System

• Theme configuration via external JSON files for easy customization
• Rich set of included themes: Cyberpunk, CRT (Amber/Green), Dark/Light, Borland, Gruvbox, Nord, and more
• Simple theme creation and modification without code changes
• Real-time theme switching and reloading

Real-Time Telemetry

• Live device monitoring and statistics
• Interface status tracking
• Environmental monitoring (CPU, Memory, Temperature, Power, Fans)
• Real-time device information updates
• LLDP neighbor discovery

Integration Capabilities

Netbox Integration

• Bulk export of device configurations, organizing folders by site
• Preserves device metadata (model, serial, vendor info)
• SSL verification options for internal deployments
• Progress tracking for large deployments

LogicMonitor Integration

• Automated device import from LogicMonitor monitoring platform
• Geographic site-based organization
• Secure API key authentication
• Support for custom SSL certificates (e.g., Zscaler)
• Intelligent property mapping (model, serial, version)
• Progress tracking and status updates
• Configurable batch processing
• Persistence to YAML file for sessions use

Additional Integration Features

• Portable session management with YAML configuration
• Plugin system for extensibility
• Automated credential management
• Bulk import/export capabilities

Installation

Via pip

pip install pyretroterm
pyretroterm

From source

git clone https://github.com/scottpeterman/pyretroterm.git
cd pyretroterm
pip install -r requirements.txt
python -m pyretroterm.pyretroterm

Quick Start

1. Launch the application:

pyretroterm

2. For console mode:

pyretroterm-con

3. Install theme pack (optional but recommended):

   # Create themes directory in your installation
   mkdir themes
   
   # Download and extract theme pack
   curl -LO https://raw.githubusercontent.com/scottpeterman/pyretroterm/main/themes.zip
   unzip themes.zip -d themes/
   

4. On first launch:

   • Set up a master password for credential management
   • Configure your session settings
   • Choose your preferred theme from the expanded theme collection
   • If themes don't appear, ensure theme JSON files are in the 'themes' directory

Interface Overview

Main Window Layout

The interface is divided into three main sections:

• Left Panel: Session management, search, and quick connect
• Center Panel: Active terminal session with full terminal emulation
• Right Panel: Device telemetry, controls, and monitoring

Device Information Display

• Real-time device status and information
• Interface status monitoring with visual indicators
• Environmental metrics (CPU, Memory, Temperature, etc.)
• LLDP neighbor discovery and topology
• Routing table and network information

Theme System

The application includes several professionally designed themes:

• Cyberpunk (neon blue accents)
• CRT Amber/Green (classic terminal looks)
• Dark/Light modes for different environments
• Borland (nostalgic IDE style)
• Modern themes (Nord, Gruvbox, Solarized) Each theme provides consistent styling across all panels and includes:
• Custom border designs and panel layouts
• Color-coded status indicators
• Readable typography and contrast ratios
• Live preview and hot-reload capability

Device Support

Supported Network Operating Systems

• Cisco IOS
• Arista EOS
• Cisco NXOS (SSH)
• Juniper JUNOS
• Linux/Unix Systems

Telemetry Support

Each platform supports different levels of telemetry collection:

Full SSH Based Telemetry Support

• Interface status monitoring
• CPU and memory statistics
• Environmental monitoring (temperature, power, fans)
• LLDP neighbor discovery
• Routing table information
• Hardware inventory
• System information

Platform-Specific Capabilities

• Linux/Unix:

  • Dynamic hardware detection
  • Detailed CPU core monitoring
  • Memory usage with buffer/cache analysis
  • VMware environment detection
  • Temperature sensors with thresholds
  • Power supply status
  • Fan speed monitoring
  • Hardware platform detection
  • Enhanced security with sudo support

• Network Devices (IOS, EOS, NXOS, JUNOS):

  • Interface statistics
  • Protocol states
  • Hardware health monitoring
  • Power and cooling status
  • Configuration analysis
  • Routing protocol information

Extensibility

Driver Architecture

pyRetroTerm features a modular driver architecture that allows easy addition of new device support:

class CustomDriver:
    def __init__(self, hostname, username, password, optional_args=None):
        self.hostname = hostname
        self.username = username
        self.password = password
        self.optional_args = optional_args or {}
        
    def get_facts(self):
        # Implement device fact collection
        pass
        
    def get_environment(self):
        # Implement environmental monitoring
        pass
        
    def get_interfaces(self):
        # Implement interface status collection
        pass

Adding New Device Support

1. Create a new driver class implementing the standard interface
2. Add device-specific command parsing
3. Implement telemetry collection methods
4. Register the driver with the platform

Example: Custom Linux Driver Features

• Robust error handling and recovery
• Flexible command execution
• Privilege escalation management
• Dynamic capability detection
• Comprehensive hardware discovery
• Detailed system information collection

Configuration

Integration Configuration

Netbox Setup

1. Obtain your Netbox API token from your Netbox instance
2. Configure the connection:
   • Enter your Netbox URL (e.g., "http://netbox.yourcompany.com")
   • Input your API token
   • Optionally disable SSL verification for internal deployments
3. Click "Download" to start the import process
4. Save the generated YAML file

LogicMonitor Setup

1. Gather your LogicMonitor credentials:
   • Company name
   • Access ID
   • Access Key
2. Optional: Configure SSL certificate path for Zscaler
3. Run the import process
4. Save the generated YAML configuration

Sessions

Sessions are configured via YAML files. Example configuration:

- folder_name: Example
  sessions:
  - DeviceType: linux
    Model: vm 
    SerialNumber: ''
    SoftwareVersion: ''
    Vendor: ubuntu
    credsid: '1'
    display_name: T1000
    host: 10.0.0.104
    port: '22'

Custom Themes

Themes are defined in JSON files for easy customization and can be installed from the themes pack:

1. Download the official theme pack:

   curl -LO https://raw.githubusercontent.com/scottpeterman/pyretroterm/main/themes.zip
   

2. Extract to your themes directory:

   unzip themes.zip -d themes/
   

3. Themes folder is scanned at startup (or via UI) and dynamically loaded

4. Create new themes by adding JSON files to the themes directory

Example theme structure:

{
  "name": "my-custom-theme",
  "colors": {
    "background": "#1e1e1e",
    "text": "#ffffff",
    "primary": "#0affff",
    "secondary": "#888888",
    "border": "#444444"
  }
}

Security Features

• Protection of stored secrets
• PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256 key derivation (480,000 iterations)
• Fernet (AES-128-CBC) encryption with HMAC authentication
• Platform-specific secure