Re: Re: syncterm
  By: Michiel Broek to Rob Swindell on Wed Mar 22 2006 08:32 pm

 > Hi Rob,
 > 
 > Rob Swindell wrote to Michiel Broek:
 > 
 > 
 > RS>  > Short term solution is to change syncterm. At least I
want to try tha
 > RS> just
 > RS>  > to be sure that it can work.
 > RS>  > For the longer solution mbse needs it's own telnetd for
login, but th
 > 
 > RS> can
 > RS>  > then be made also to handle incoming mailer sessions on
port 23 like
 > RS> some
 > RS>  > other systems can do.
 > RS>
 > RS> That change to SyncTerm has been made. Did you get my last message on th
 > RS> topic?
 > 
 > The one from a week to two weeks ago? Not a very recent one.

From a few days ago. It must have gotten lost (?). Here's a re-post:

-------------------------------------8<-------------------------------------
 > Hi Rob,
 >
 > I got some things figured out. Your bbs puts the telnet connection in binary
 > mode. My bbs runs from inetd and doesn't put the telnet connection into
 > binary mode.

Ah, that's a good clue. Synchronet puts both the send and receive channels into
binary mode before a file transfer (and restores them after).

And indeed, most Telnet clients will do the same.

 > Some terminal programs put the telnet connection in binary mode, but
 > syncterm does not.

Yes, an oversight on Stephen and mine's part. Since we mostly test with
Synchronet BBSes, it hasn't been an issue.

 > I experimented with minicom over modemu, and with some switches you can put
 > modemeu to force the telnet connection into binary mode or not. If I don't
 > set modemu binary then I get the same problems as syncterm has.
 >
 > I tried to put the connection into binary mode but that doesn't work because
 > in.telnetd sits between mbsebbs and the internet.
 >
 > My guess is that if syncterm sets binary mode most or all problems will be
 > fixed. Could you give me some ideas where I best could make the changes in
 > the syncterm source to try this?

I went ahead and made those changes, so if you cvs update and rebuild (or get
an updated binary from syncterm.bbsdev.net in a few days), you should be able
to test it out. If you have telnet command logging enabled, you should see them
in the SyncTerm log file output as well.

 > If that works then the next plan could be that I write my own telnetd, or
 > use some other way to answer the telnet connections.

That may not be necessary if all Telnet clients (or at least the ones you plan
to be compatible with) request binary mode (for both transmit and receive).

-------------------------------------8<-------------------------------------

 > RS>  > I also found that it doesn't harm that both the server
and the client
 > RS> put
 > RS>  > the connection into binary mode.
 > RS>
 > RS> That's correct. And for clarification a Telnet connection can have binar
 > RS> mode
 > RS> enabled in either (or both) directions.
 > 
 > I think both directions must be set, but I mean setting it twice (server and
 > client side) doesn't harm.

Yup, gotcha. Let me know how the SyncTerm update works for ya.

                                                  digital man

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