NCSA's PC Telnet Frequently Asked Questions:
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What is the development status of Telnet?
Development on PC Telnet halted in early '94. NCSA is not currently
devoting resources to it, other then basic technical support.
(See code availability and derivative software)
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How do I unzip the file?
Files on our server are zipped using pkzip. If you have the
version 204G you will be able to unzip any file, while previous
versions may not unzip all files from our server. You can
obtain pkzip in the PC/Telnet/msdos/misc directory of our
server.
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Someone asked:
"Can you explain rwin, mss, and mtu in the config.tel file?"
Sure, Rwin is the TCP sliding window. The window allows transfers to
proceed without waiting for an acknowldgement for every packet, but
rather transmitting (up to) a window of data before waiting for
acknowlegments. If the window size equals the mss, then there is no
window, because every packet must be acknowledged. If large windows
are selected and data is lost, the entire window may have to be resent,
hence the warning that larger is not always better. During a transfer,
both sides of the connection continually advertise what their free
space in the window is, so that the transfer side can control data flow
to only send what the receiving side can accept.
Mss is the maximum segment size that the TCP connection advertises to
the other side. The other side then sends packets up to this size. In FTP,
all of the data packets except the last will probably be this big.
Mtu is the maximum size of outgoing packets on the TCP connection. When
transmitting FTP data to a host, packets will be this big, unless the
host advertizes a smaller mss. For Telnet and the FTP control connection,
packets are sent per character, so this is never an issue.
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What do I do when Telnet is running out of memory?
The latest version of Telnet takes around 400k to run. If you
have memory problems, reduce or comment out the scrollback
buffer in the the config.tel file.
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How do I use packet drivers?
Packet driver information
To use the packet driver interface:
You would install the packet driver according to its instructions. In the
config.tel file, you would use the options:
hardware=packet
ioaddr=[software interrupt of the driver]
for example if you are using 0x60 as the software
interrupt, it would read ioaddr=60
Places to look for packet drivers:
Crynwr Packet Driver Collection (see the end of this file)
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How do I run Telnet with a Novell network?
From a user:
/********/
There is a packet driver that sits on top of the ODI interface
called odipkt. odipkt.com is available from hsdndev.harvard.edu
(128.103.202.40) in /pub/odipkt.
There is a sample net.cfg file in that dir. A note should be made that
the order of the envelope statements is the order that they are assigned.
(I found the order backwards from the doc).
load: lsl
(odi driver from vendor or from wsgen disk odi dir)
odipkt 1 (If envelope for ethernet_ii is the second one
in the net.cfg file, odipkt 0 otherwise)
ipxodi
netx
Now telnet and ftp work fine while connected to the novell network.
/******/
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Will Telnet run in MS Windows?
NCSA's PC Telnet was not designed to be run in MS Windows. Some users
have reported success when they increase the size of memory available
in the PIF file....others have not gotten it to work at all. Check
the background option when you load Telnet.
NCSA has a version of Telnet under development for MS Windows. It is
currently in its beta version and can be found in the /Telnet/PC/windows
directory on our ftp server (ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu). Although there
is no official tech support for WinTel, you can send questions or
comments to wintel@ncsa.uiuc.edu.
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Does Telnet support TN3270 teminal emulation?
NCSA's PC Telnet does not support TN3270 but there is hope.
There is another help file called CUTCP which tells you how to get
ahold of CUTCP, a variant on our Telnet, that supports TN 3270 terminal
emulation. They do not support this version but do have a discussion
list where you usually can get answers from other users.
We do not plan to have support for TN3270 in the future.
(see the entry on CUTCP at the end of this file)
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Can we modify your source code?
NCSA's PC Telent source is in the public domain and you are welcome to
modify and redistribute it. You can get this off of our ftp
server (ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu) in the Telnet/DOS directory under
the file name tel2308s.zip. If you'd like to send us your modifications
we'd like to consider them for possible inclusion in any next release
of PC Telnet.
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What are the system requirements for Telnet?
Run DOS 2.0 or later on a machine with 384K minimum memory, install
a packet driver or use an ethernet card supported in hardware:
3COM 3C501 Etherlink, 3COM 3C503, 3COM 3C505, AT&T Starlan 10,
Western Digital WD8003EB, MICOM NI5210,
Ungermann-Bass PC-NIC (same as IBM Baseband Adapter)
Western Digital WD8003E EtherCard PLUS
IBM Micro Channel boards:
Ungermann-Bass NICps/2, 3COM 3C523 Etherlink/MC, Western Digital WD8003A
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Can I use Telnet over a serial connection (modem)?
Yes, using Crynwr Software's slip8250 packet driver. You must call the slip
server with a communications program that has the ability to hold the
line when another program is running. The packet driver will then 'find'
the open line and when telnet is run, it will interface with the packet
driver and you will then have the connection you need.
Unfortunately, we do not have any instructions on SLIP.
(see Cywnr's brochure at the end of this file)
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Can I use Telnet with AppleTalk?
From a user:
To load telnet from the dosprompt [nothing telnet-specific in
config.sys or autoexec.bat we use the following sequence:
lsl.com
ltalk.com
atalk.com
ashare.com
compat.com
d:\network\telnet\telbin -n -h d:\network\telnet\config.tel
where all of the atalk stuff would be in the current directory and all
of the telnet stuff is in d:\network\telnet.
broadcast=255.255.255.255
netmask=255.255.255.0
hardware=atalk # network adapter board (Appletalk)
interrupt=60 # I have an Apple or Farralon card and PhoneNET Talk
# remember to run COMPAT.COM for NCSA to run on
# LocalTalk
#interrupt=5C # I have a TOPS Flashcard
mtu=512 # maximum transmit unit in bytes
maxseg=512 # largest segment we can receive
rwin=512 # most bytes we can receive without ACK
=-=-=
Some PhoneNet users have been successful with the 2.3.03
version of Telnet but not the latest 2.3.05. 2.3.03 is still available
on our anonymous ftp server or via our archive server in the
/Telnet/DOS/contributions directory.
Using an Appletalk network involves some special considerations. First,
you must load the Appletalk driver into memory. Version 1.0 of the
"ATALK.EXE" driver was used in the development of NCSA Telnet.
The second consideration involves the "interrupt=" line. The "interrupt="
line in your CONFIG.TEL file refers to the software interrupt the
Appletalk driver is using, not the hardware interrupt the card is set to.
For example, if your Appletalk card is set to IRQ2, you should not set
the "interrupt=" line to "2". Instead, the value should be set to the
software interrupt, usually "interrupt=60" or "interrupt=5C".
Static addressing does not work at the current time in NCSA Telnet 2.3
using the AppleTalk driver. Therefore, NCSA Telnet ignores any IP address
you set in your CONFIG.TEL file, and assigns an IP address to your PC by
the Appletalk gateway.
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How do I scroll back the screen?
You can scroll in one line increments using the scroll lock. Press
the scroll lock in and use the arrow keys to increment by one line.
To turn off this feature, just turn off the scroll lock.
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How do I remap keys?
When remapping keys refer to Appendix E of the 2.3 docs. There is also
information in chapter 7, Installation and Configuration, page 7.8 and the
sample config.tel file we provide with Telnet.
From Chapter 7:
keyfile=filename "specifies an additional keyboard mapping file to provide
move key definitions. This file over-rides the definitions
in the telnet.key file."
From the config.tel file:
#keyfile=keymap.key #pathname of your keyboard re-mapping file.
Re-mapping will over-ride the default telnet.key file and you will
have to include all keys in this new file. You can easily do this by
copying the contents of the telnet.key file into the newfile and then
add the remap information.
There is an ascii version of the documentation in the contributions directory
on our ftp server (ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu).
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How should I send bug reports/questions/comments?
As more software has been developed and released by the NCSA
Software Development Group (SDG), questions and comments from
users have increased dramatically. Sometimes getting responses
takes longer than you--or we--would like. There are some things
you can do to get a quicker response when you send electronic
mail and phone SDG Technical Support.
WHEN YOU CONTACT SDG TECHNICAL SUPPORT
State the correct name and version number
Begin with the full name of the product, including version number
(i.e., NCSA Telnet for the Macintosh v2.5 or NCSA Telnet for PCs
v2.3.08). Macintosh users also need to let us know if you are using
MacTCP and if so, what version.
If you are reporting a software problem, including answers to the
following questions is also useful:
o What is your config.tel file?
o What type of ethernet card or AppleTalk card are you using?
o What operating system are you using? Which version are you
using (i.e., System 6.0.7 or System 7 for Mac users)?
o What kind of gateway are you using?
o What messages are listed on your console screen?
o What kind of computer were you trying to connect to? A Sun
workstation or a VAX system, for instance?
o What operating system (including its version number) was
that computer running? UNIX, VMS, or ULTRIX, for instance?
o What happened? A detailed description of the problem you
encountered is important so we can try to recreate your
experience.
Upgrade to latest version
SDG supports only the current versions of Telnet, so you need to
update to the latest official version before you report a problem.
Now that Mac Telnet 2.5 has been released, we no longer support
version 2.4, and now that PC Telnet 2.3.08 has been released, we no
longer support version 2.2. Beta versions are also unsupported.
Be patient
Do not send a message every day if you have not yet received a
response. SDG Technical Support receives many telephone and
electronic mail messages a day and sends out approximately [many]
responses every month. Sometimes it is not possible to respond to
every message as quickly as we would like.
Please mention if your message is a follow-up to a previous one.
Sometimes you'll receive an answer that brings up new questions
or a solution that does not work the way you expect. If you need to
contact SDG again, do not assume that SDG Technical Support
remembers that you sent a message earlier. When we know you
have sent other messages, we can search for your previous
messages in our database.
Limit your questions to NCSA software
SDG Technical Support only answers questions about NCSA-
developed software. We cannot answer questions about variants
of NCSA Telnet. Because NCSA-developed software is in the public
domain, others can modify our source code and distribute it as a
variant. We know there are many variants of NCSA Telnet, but we
are not familiar with them all. In addition, SDG does not support
commercial products and is not the source to find out how to
contact these companies. NCSA does not support users modifying
the source code.
Read the manual
Before contacting SDG Technical support, take a few minutes to check
the manual. A large percentage of the answers we send out come
directly from the documentation. We would rather spend that time
helping you work out bug fixes or considering your suggestions that
might improve NCSA software products.
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HOW TO GET CUTCP
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11/12/90 - How to Copy CUTCP/CUTE 2.2TN/TC-D
You can obtain the latest version of CUTCP/CUTE via
anonymous FTP or via Email.
1. Anonymous FTP to
omnigate.clarkson.edu
(128.153.4.2)
in binary mode, retrieve
pub/cutcp/v2.2-D/cutcp.zoo
This is a Zoo archive, you may use Zoox.exe to uncompress
this file on your DOS machine. If you do not have
Zoox, you may also retrieve that file from omnigate
pub/cutcp/zoo201.exe
2. Send email to
archive-server@sun.soe.clarkson.edu
Subject:
send cutcp cutcp.zoo
If you need to get a copy of zoox.exe, be sure to
send cutcp zoo201.exe
For a list of files in this directory, you can ask for
send cutcp Index
You will receive a collection of files which you should reassemble
and decode (uudecode is the default format).
After decoding, an output file will be placed in your directory.
This file has a strange name. You should download the file
in binary mode to your PC as 'cutcp.zoo'.
For additional information on the archive server, send a
mail message to the server with the command
help
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The Crynwr Packet Collection
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Availability
The Crynwr packet driver collection is available on CD-ROM, by mail,
by FTP, by email, by UUCP and by modem. The drivers are distributed
in three files: pktd11.zip, which contains most executables and
documentation, pktd11a.zip, which contains the first half of the
remaining files, and pktd11b.zip, which contains the second half of
the remaining files.
Mail:
Columbia University distributes packet drivers on PC diskette by
postal mail. 5.25-inch 360K and 3.5" 720K diskettes are available;
please specify size. Two diskette sets are available, and two prices
are quoted for each; the first price is for the USA, Canada, and
Mexico; the second price is for shipment to all other countries. All
prices are in US dollars. Prepayment by check, MasterCard, or Visa
is accepted. If your check is not drawn on a US bank, please add $35
check-cashing fee.
1. Binaries and documentation: $35 / $40
2. Source code: $60 / $68
To order by credit card, please specify MasterCard or Visa, your card
number and expiration date, and sign and date your order. For further
information, call +1 212 854-3703, or write to:
Kermit Distribution, Dept PD
Columbia University Academic Information Systems
612 West 115th Street
New York, NY 10025
or send e-mail to kermit@columbia.edu (Internet) or KERMIT@CUVMA
(BITNET/CREN/EARN).
FTP/email:
The packet driver collection has its own directory devoted to it in
the SimTel collection, msdos/pktdrvr. The drivers are there, along
with a number of programs that use the packet drivers.
For security reasons the SimTel Software Repository is located on a
host that is not accessible by Internet users, however its files are
available by anonymous ftp from the primary mirror site OAK.Oakland.Edu
(141.210.10.117) located in Rochester, Michigan, and from the secondary
mirror sites:
St. Louis, MO: wuarchive.wustl.edu (128.252.135.4)
Corvallis, OR: archive.orst.edu (128.193.2.13)
Falls Church, VA: ftp.uu.net (192.48.96.9
Australia: archie.au (139.130.4.6)
England: src.doc.ic.ac.uk (146.169.2.1)
Finland: ftp.funet.fi (128.214.6.100)
Germany: ftp.uni-paderborn.de (131.234.2.32)
Israel: ftp.technion.ac.il (132.68.1.10)
Switzerland: ftp.switch.ch (130.59.1.40)
Taiwan: NCTUCCCA.edu.tw (140.111.1.10)
SimTel files may obtained by e-mail from various ftp-mail servers
or through the BITNET/EARN file servers. For details see file
/pub/msdos/filedocs/mailserv.inf. Gopher users can access the
collection through Gopher.Oakland.Edu. World Wide Web (WWW) and
Mosaic users can connect to the URL http://www.acs.oakland.edu to
access the files on OAK.Oakland.Edu.
Modem:
If you cannot access them via FTP or e-mail, most SimTel MSDOS
files, including the PC-Blue collection, are also available for
downloading from Detroit Download Central (313) 885-3956. DDC
has multiple lines which support 300/1200/2400/9600/14400 bps
(103/212/V22bis/HST/V32bis/V42bis/MNP). This is a subscription system
with an average hourly cost of 17 cents. It is also accessable on
Telenet via PC Pursuit and on Tymnet via StarLink outdial. New files
uploaded to SimTel are usually available on DDC within 24 hours.
CD-ROM:
Title: Packet Driver, WinSock & TCP/IP CD-ROM (aka Packet Driver CD)
Price: US$29.95/each
Brochures and order forms for the CD (paper and electronic versions)
will be available from:
Gopher: gopher.CDPublishing.com
FTP: ftp.CDPublishing.com
E-mail: <info@CDPublishing.com>
FAX: 604-874-1431
Phone: 604-874-1430
800-333-7565
Postal: CD Publishing Corporation
4824 Fraser Street
Vancouver, B.C. V5V 4H4
Canada
UUCP:
The packet driver files are available from UUNET's 1-900-GOT-SRCS, in
uunet!~/systems/msdos/simtel20/pktdrvr. Contact UUNET for more details:
UUNET Technologies, Inc.
3110 Fairview Park Drive, Suite 570
Falls Church, VA 22042
+1 703 204 8000 (voice)
+1 703 204 8001 (fax)
info@uunet.uu.net
UK UUCP:
Steve Kennedy's BBS is on +44 71 483 2454 (Telebit T2500 PEP/V32 ...)
2455 (USR HST/DS+)
Files will be in /pub
there will be an anonymous uucp (nuucp) account.
System name is "marvin"
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