here is the script I'm trying to get to work. The main operational part is the subroutine called 'GetConfig'

 #!/opt/SPECTRUM/bin/perl -w

# This script will capture the startup configuration of a
# Cisco BG OS device and print it to STDOUT.
#
# Error Codes:
#   0   = Success
#   255 = Usage error
#   254 = Invalid timeout value
#   252 = Connection error
#   251 = Login error
#   249 = Enable error
#   244 = Error retrieving configuration
#   253 = Unexpected output
#

use strict;
use warnings;
use Net::Telnet;

### Main ###
if( $#ARGV != 4 && $#ARGV != 5 )
{
    print "Usage: capture_startup.pl <device IP> <user> <pass> <enable
+_pass> <login_timeout_in_seconds> <capture_timeout_in_seconds>\n";
    print STDERR "Usage:  capture_startup.pl <deviceIP> <user> <pass> 
+<enable_pass> <login_timeout_in_seconds> <capture_timeout_in_seconds>
+\n";
    exit 255;
}
elsif( $ARGV[4] < 1 || $ARGV[4] > 600 )
{
    print "$ARGV[4] is the login timeout and must be an int between 1 
+and 600 seconds\n";
    print STDERR "$ARGV[4] is the login timeout and must be an int bet
+ween 1 and 600 seconds\n";
    exit 254;
}
elsif( $#ARGV == 5 && ( $ARGV[5] < 1 || $ARGV[5] > 600 ) )
{
    print "$ARGV[5] is the capture timeout and must be an int between 
+1 and 600 seconds\n";
    print STDERR "$ARGV[5] is the capture timeout and must be an int b
+etween 1 and 600 seconds\n";
    exit 254;
}
else
{
    my $capture_timeout = $ARGV[4];
    if( $ARGV[5] )
    {
       $capture_timeout = $ARGV[5];
    }

    my $errorCode = 1;
    my @data;
    my $errorString = "\nHost $ARGV[0]:  \n";

    ($errorCode,@data) = GetConfig( $ARGV[0], $ARGV[1], $ARGV[2], $ARG
+V[3],
                                    $ARGV[4], $capture_timeout );

    if( $errorCode == 0 )
    {
        # Success.  The startup configuration
        # content is in the data variable

        for( @data ) { print }; # print the configuration to STDOUT
        exit 0;
    }
    else
    {
        print STDERR $errorString;

        if( $errorCode == 253 )
        {
            print STDERR join " ", @data, "\nEnable password may be in
+valid\n";
        }
        else
        {
            print STDERR join " ", @data, "\n";
        }

        exit $errorCode;
    }
}

exit 0;


sub GetConfig
{
    my $deviceIP=shift;
    my $user=shift;
    my $pass=shift;
    my $epass=shift;
    my $login_timeout=shift;
    my $capture_timeout=shift;
    my @config;
    my $msg;

    my $telnet=new Net::Telnet();
    # $telnet->output_log;

    $telnet->timeout($login_timeout);
    $telnet->errmode('return');
    $telnet->prompt('/[\$#>]/');

    $telnet->open( $deviceIP );

    if( $telnet->errmsg )
    {
        $msg = "Error connecting to device:  ".$telnet->errmsg;
        $telnet->close;
        return( 252, $msg );
    }

    #first try login without username and just password
    $telnet->waitfor( Match => '/Password:/');
    if( $telnet->errmsg )
    {
        $telnet->login($user, $pass);
        if( $telnet->errmsg )
        {
            $msg = $telnet->errmsg;
            $telnet->close;
            return( 251, $msg );
        }
    }
    else
    {
        $telnet->cmd( $pass );
        if( $telnet->errmsg )
        {
            # can't use errmsg as it will give command timed-out
            # and we should really indicate bad password
            $msg = "login failed: bad password";
            $telnet->close;
            return( 251, $msg );
        }
    }
    $telnet->timeout( $capture_timeout);

    $telnet->print( "enable" );
    # check for auto enable after logging in
    $telnet->waitfor( Match => '/#/i' );
    if( $telnet->errmsg )
    {
        $telnet->waitfor( Match => '/Password: $/i');

        if( $telnet->errmsg )
        {
            # can't use errmsg as it will be pattern match timed-out
            $msg = "No password prompt after 'enable' command";
            $telnet->close( );
            return( 249, $msg );
        }

        $telnet->cmd( $epass );

        if( $telnet->errmsg )
        {
            # can't use errmsg as it will give command timed-out
            # and we should really indicate bad password
            $msg = "Enable failed: bad password";
            $telnet->close( );
            return( 249, $msg );
        }
    }

    # disabe paging
    # different commands for different devices, if they don't
    # work then we will get messages about problems later
    # specifically the "No prompt after 'sh start'" error
    # errmsg doesn't get set when these error and if we use print
    # and getlines to read for errors it causes problems with print "s
+h start"
    # later.
   #$telnet->cmd("term pager 0");
    $telnet->cmd("term length 0");

    $telnet->print( "sh start" );
    if( $telnet->errmsg )
    {
        $msg = "Device did not accept 'sh start' command:  ".$telnet->
+errmsg;
        $telnet->close( );
        return( 244, $msg );
    }

    while( my $line = $telnet->getline() )
    {
        # get configuration content

        if( $line !~
            /sh start|Building configuration|Current configuration|^\s
+*$/ )
        {
            push @config, $line;
        }
    }

    $telnet->waitfor(Match => '/[\$#>]/');

    if( $telnet->errmsg )
    {
        $msg = "No prompt after 'sh start':  ".$telnet->errmsg;
        $telnet->close( );
        return( 244, $msg );
    }

    if( @config <= 0 )
    {
        $msg = "No data retrieved, the capture timeout may be too low.
+";
        $telnet->close();
        return( 244, $msg );
    }

    if( scalar grep {$_ =~ /^%/} @_ )
    {
        # Ensure show start actually returned the config and not an er
+ror message containing '%'
        return( 253, @config);
    }

    return( 0, @config); # everything was okay, return the captured da
+ta
}
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