Baslinux mailing list

[sindi keesan <keesan AT sdf.lonestar.org>]

On Mon, 18 Oct 2004 3aoo-cvfd AT dea.spamcon.org wrote:

> sindi keesan wrote:
> > I want to be able to telnet via nullmodem cable from
> > a computer using DOS to a computer using BL2.
>
> You might find it more convenient to use that same nullmodem
> cable to direct-connect to your Linux box.  Run an ordinary
> terminal program (like telix, commo or terminate) on the DOS
> box, skip the dialing part and logon to COM1 (/dev/ttyS0) of
> the Linux box.  All you have to do on the Linux box to get
> this to work is to uncomment the s1 line of /etc/inittab
> (naturally you have to set your DOS terminal program for
> the same speed you have in /etc/inittab).  Note: reset your
> Linux box for the new /etc/inittab to take effect.

I did this one time and them forgot to undo inittab and wondered why the 
mouse would not work.  (I set ttyS0 to something else).  But it was rather 
complicated to do a kermit file transfer.  A plain telnet and kermit file 
transfer would be easier.  I don't have telix or common, I have kermit.

I will practice with this first anyway.  I don't think I needed any com 
program the way we did it but it was 2 years ago.

> I am currently using the above method to access a headless
> box (which is stacked between my main box and my monitor).
> The headless box auto-boots BasicLinux and I run commo
> (in DOS) on my main system to access it.  When finished,
> I execute "shutdown -r now", listen for the headless box
> to reset, turn it off, and then exit commo.  No problem.
>
> > I have kermit (which does telnet and file transfer) at
> > both ends.  Apparently I need to have a telnet server
> > on the linux computer, which might be the same as the
> > inet daemon.
>
> No, the inet daemon is something different.  It is the
> supervisor that calls telnetd.  inetd runs continuously
> watching for incoming requests.  When it gets a request
> for telnet, it wakes up telnetd.  When it gets a request
> for ftp, it wakes up ftpd.  And so on.  inetd is not
> necessary.  It is quite possible to run the various inet
> servers individually, but it is usually more efficient
> to run inetd alone and let it call the servers when they
> are needed (rather than running the various servers
> continuously).
>
> > The BL2 FAQ says to install 'the telnet server' but which
> > package is this?
>
> /slakware/n6/tcpip1.tgz


Apart from the file in.telnetd do I need anything else from this package? 
I don't want to install 2.5MB of files if not needed.  The package 
description says 'basic utilities', no details.

> > I already have two telnet programs
>
> Those are probably just client programs for telnet.  What
> you are looking for is a telnet server (telnetd).
>
> > What is the server named?
>
> The telnet server in tcpip1.tgz is called in.telnetd.
> The prefix means it is designed to be called from inetd
> (but you can get around this by using the -debug parameter).
>
> > pppd /dev/ttyS0 115200 192.168.1.1:192.168.1.2 local crtscts noauth
>
> That runs pppd (on both systems) to create a network between
> the two systems.  You will see a similar line in ~/netsetup
> in BL3.  So, on the DOS system, you need pppd and telnet.
> And, on the Linux system, you need pppd and telnetd.

Okay, I will install telnetd and give this a try.
I have epppd on the DOS system but have not been using it.  What
do I do with it?  I have been using a dialer that came with Arachne 
(miniterm) or Bobcat (dialnet?).

> > Can I use pppd instead of a telnet server somehow?
>
> No.  pppd is used to set up the network.  Then you need
> a client/server pair to use the network (in BasicLinux,
> send/receive are a simple client/server pair).
>
> > What do crtscts and noauth mean?  Something about how
> > packets are sent and maybe no need for authorizations
> > (security)?
>
> man pppd
>
> > I did manage once to do a kermit file transfer without
> > telnetting, between DOS and linux,
>
> I know little about kermit, so it is quite possible that
> kermit is able to act as a self-contained client/server
> pair (without requiring telnetd).

I will see what the kermit support person suggests about this.
He is apparently not working weekends any more.

> > and another time used a dumb terminal as a real terminal
> > to linux, both via nullmodem cable.
>
> That is the method I recommend.  It is much simpler to set
> up (assuming you can handle the set up of a DOS terminal
> program).

I used a dumb terminal without any terminal program.  Just modified some 
file to use ttyS0 as the dumb terminal hookup somehow.

Is DOS kermit a terminal program?

> > What I would like is to telnet from my DOS to my linux
> > computer
>
> AFAIK everything you do with telnet can be done with the
> dumb terminal option.
>
> > and do file transfers
>
> No problem.  Use lsz on the Linux box to download files
> to your DOS terminal.  You will find lsz (and lrz)
> in /slakware/a10/minicom.tgz

I want to upload from DOS to linux.  I don't have those for DOS, just 
xmodem/ymodem (in PCPlus, which needs me to slow down the computer due to 
a bug) and kermit file transfer.  THere is some way to add zmodem to 
kermit but I never figured it out.

> > and maybe even dial the net from linux
>
> No problem with a dumb terminal.

> > and use the DOS computer as a terminal somehow,
>
> That's what the dumb terminal option does.
>
> > letting me access the web from DOS
>
> CLI access, no problem.

Sounds perfect.  I will get back to this list if I have problems.

> > that way and download files directly to it
>
> It won't be direct.  First the files download from
> the net to the Linux box.  Then from the Linux box
> to the DOS box using lsz.

That is one way to move things from a shell account at sdf to one that I 
dial into, but I think I was also able to kermit-telnet them directly with 
just one step.  Telnet from one shell account to the other, go to a 
website, download a file and save not to home directory but direct file 
transfer via kermit.  I will try that some other time.    I want to be 
able to use links2 at the second bbs to occasionally download a file to 
the DOS computer if too large for floppy disk.  I suppose I could telnet 
to the second bbs directly.  I was hoping to get it to go from one bbs to 
the other to the linux computer to the DOS computer, but this was more of 
a challenge than a need, to learn something.

> > Then I could use an old (286) lunchbox computer (with
> > TTL plasma screen!) with DOS on it as a linux terminal
> > and DOS wordprocessor.
>
> Sure.  Direct-connect it to a serial port on the Linux box
> and run a DOS terminal program on the 286.
>
> > I don't want to learn DOS ethernet right now.
>
> Then the dumb-terminal option is the one for you.  Using
> telnet/ftp/kermit requires some sort of network to be set up.
> Whether you are talking DOS ethernet or DOS slip or DOS plip
> or DOS ppp, it all involves configuring a network.  Network
> configuration from DOS will be trickier for you than running
> a DOS terminal program.

Is there a DOS plip?  I used laplink pro but have only a DOS version.

> Cheers,
> Steven

If I get this working I will describe the process in detail for other 
beginners.  (Like I tried to do for plip).