Telnet Connects AR-Cluster Sysop Manual

AR-Cluster provides a built in Telnet interface for user and node connections.  In the Cfg>IoDevices dialog, turn on the Telnet option.   The TCPIP port for Telnet connections defaults to port 23.  The telnet port can be moved to a different IP port if you want to run a closed access system. 

 

The Telnet Activity Timer serves as a keep-alive during extended periods of no activity on Telnet ports.  The Telnet Activity Timer works as follows.  Every 10 minutes we make a sweep of the Telnet node and user connect objects and if there was no activity for the last 10 minutes, we send out two Null characters.  Most of the time there is traffic every 10 minutes and the Telnet Activity Timer never activates.

 

The RESTART/TELNET   command can be used to disconnect all Telnet connections and restart the TELNET logic

Example:

restart/telnet   

 

 

Testing a Telnet Connection

 

To test your Telnet access, shell to DOS and determine the IP address of your ARC node with the IPCONFIG command.  A sample follows:

 

C:\>IPCONFIG

 

Windows NT IP Configuration

 

Ethernet adapter el3c5891:

 

        IP Address. . . . . . . . . : 44.74.25.178

        Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . : 255.255.0.0

        Default Gateway . . . . . . : 149.74.1.254

 

 

In this case, the IP Address of the machine is 44.74.25.178 so from the DOS command prompt type Telnet and do a Connect-Remote-System to the address of 44.74.25.178.  You should get the AR-Cluster user logon message as:

 

Connected to: 44.74.25.178

 

Welcome to the AB5K-3 AR-Cluster node Telnet port!

Please enter your call: AB5K-9

 

Hello Terry (AB5K-9)

Welcome to the AB5K AR-Cluster Node

WWV: SFI=153  A=5  K=1 Low,Qt-Act=>Low,Qt-Unset 7/12/99 18:00Z

Your last login was 7/7/99 13:39Z

Use SH/WXS to get the latest weather conditions

TIP: SH/CAL  Displays key amateur radio calendar events

35 nodes, 1 local / 719 total users  Uptime 17 06:12

New Mail:  Personal = 0   Bulletin = 13

AB5K-9 de AB5K-3    12-Jul 1855Z  arc >

 

 

Password Protection

 

Optional password can be applied to telnet users logging into your node.  To activate -Cfg>IoDevices>Telnet...>LoginPassword.  Make sure you set up a password for all node users Cfg>UsersLocal>Password.  Currently a blank password is acceptable and the password is case sensitive.  If password is enabled, the telnet login looks like:

        Please enter your call:password

 

 

Outbound Telnet Connections

 

AR-Cluster was intentionaly designed without outbound Telnet connections.  This is mainly to preven loops in the network.  You can add a outbound Telnet connection using the client application described below but please be careful to prevent loops in the network.  The following details are supplied by Eric, G0CGL sysop of GB7CGL.

 

To setup an outbound Telnet connection, you can use a 3rd party telnet manager application called TelMgr.  TelMgr operates as an AGW client. Even if you currently use only BPQ, you can interface ARC with AGW Packet Engine as supplied with your ARC install program.  The TelMgr client and can be downloaded as freeware from http://www.qsl.net/lu7did/

 

Instructions for setting up TelMgr are provided with the application and are simple. The key points are:

1. Define a loopback port in AGW Packet Engine.

2. Within the TelMgr .ini file define a callsign and SSID to identify it to AGW and   

3. Define the ip or hostname address of the destination cluster in the [TELNET.CLIENT] section

example: GB7DJK=gb7djk.dxcluster.net:7300  to facilitate an outbound connection from ARC to a DXSpider node that uses port 7300. 

 

The method of connecting is done via a script file executed from the AR-Cluster Scheduler. A connection via the AGW loopback port is made to the callsign-ssid of TelMgr and then a telnet connection is made to the distant node. As in any other script, provision can be made for the automatic transmission of your cluster callsign and any required login password.

 

Sample script (which in this case would be called gb7djk.scp)

 


PRINT          Starting connection to GB7DJK
CONNECT    GB7DJK, G0CGL-10, AGW11, 90                     ;connect to telmgr with call-ssid of g0cgl-10 on AGW loopback port (port 1), interface 1
WAITFOR        *** CONNECTED
PRINT          Connected to G0CGL-10

PRINT          Attempting to hop to GB7BIG
XMIT           t gb7djk.dxcluster.net:7300                                ;issue telnet request
WAITFOR        Please enter your call:
PRINT          Connected to GB7DJK

XMIT GB7CGL
WAITFOR        Password:

XMIT gb7cgl

WAITFOR        Welcome

 

Thanks to Eric, G0CGL for the details using TelMgr.