Also, because expect(1) defeats the entire "remote shell" aspect of SSH, which lets me do this from my workstation: ssh server tar zc /srv/http > http-backup

Also, because expect(1) defeats the entire "remote shell" aspect of SSH, which lets me do this from my workstation: ssh server tar zc /srv/http > http-backup.tar.gz Yes, that's a remote command whose output is piped to a local file. With imagination, ssh, and shell-fu, one can get very far with backup automation and testing.