Many scripts use only @login, @enable, and device commands to implement their functionality. However, some devices have non-standard Telnet or SSH interfaces that do not work with @login and device commands. For example, some devices have non-standard login procedures for which the @login command does not work. Other devices have menu-driven interfaces rather than a standard command-prompt-style interface. For whatever reason, if @login, @enable, or device commands do not work for a particular device, provides a set of low-level commands that can be used to interact with virtually any device, no matter how non-standard its interface might be.

The @connect command allows a script to precisely control the process of logging in to a device. The @write command allows a script to control exactly what input is sent to a device. The @read command allows a script to read output from a device and optionally store it in the database.