34 replies to this topic

[Mad Hatter]

Posted a few weeks ago about putting up a TI-99/Geneve realted BBS running on actual hardware (a Geneve running Tim Tesch's S&T BBS), but with only dial-up access only. Well, as of yesterday I got the system on the internet. If you're familiar with how to use TELNET, then go to the following address:

telnet://heatwavebbs.com

You should be able to copy & paste that link into your browser window if you're using XP or lower. You can also use Windows 7 or Vista to Telnet(as long as the TELNET client is enabled. There are guides online regarding how to do this). Alternatively in XP you can pull up the DOS C:/ prompt and simply type "telnet heatwavebbs.com". When using this DOS TELNET client I get double-characters when I type and the screen is quite small, but it will still get the job done. There are also several good 3rd party shareware Telnet clients out there available for download such as NetTerm.

Just a couple notes. If you attempt to connect and it just hangs then times-out without connecting, you may need to lower your firewall settings, or even temporarily turn it off. A firewall exception for Port 23 may also need to be added to your firewall policy to allow incoming connections to that port. If you have the firewall set correctly and you still cannot connect, then someone else may be logged into the BBS, or I may be using the computer, so keep trying!

This BBS is still a work in progress.

[InsaneMultitasker]

If using Windows, HyperTerminal seems to handle things fairly well. I tested a file transfer using 1K Xmodem and sucessfully downloaded a 150+ sector file.

Good point re: firewalls as some folks use software that may block those ports. I unpacked some of the Geneve stuff and am trying to find the BBS software updates I sent Richard in April - they'll improve performance to a degree.

[OLD CS1]

Mad Hatter, on Sat Jul 30, 2011 7:24 PM, said:

telnet://heatwavebbs.com
...
Just a couple notes. If you attempt to connect and it just hangs then times-out without connecting, you may need to lower your firewall settings, or even temporarily turn it off. A firewall exception for Port 23 may also need to be added to your firewall policy to allow incoming connections to that port. If you have the firewall set correctly and you still cannot connect, then someone else may be logged into the BBS, or I may be using the computer, so keep trying!

I guess someone else is logged in. I just tried from a non-firewalled location and was unable to connect.

What telnet server are you running? Is it possible to show a banner to other connections that the line is busy?

[Mad Hatter]

I'm actually using a Lantronix UDS-100 serial-ethernet adapter. The basic setup looks like this: Router (via ethernet) TO--UDS--TO Geneve (via RS-232.) Some others have connected okay so I'm not sure what the issue is. Maybe someone else was on the BBS, although there aren't alot of users. If your firewall isn't the issue then I'd just say make sure you're using port 23 when you TELNET. If you're pasting it into your browser make sure you don't have HTTP:// or HTTPS:// in there before the TELNET:// command (I'm sure you already know this though).

What client were you using to TELNET?

A banner would be a good idea, and I have seen this used on some C-64 BBSes which only operate one instance of the software (such as this). Not sure if that can be configured with the UDS or not but I'll definitely look into it.



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OLD CS1, on Sat Jul 30, 2011 8:42 PM, said:

Mad Hatter, on Sat Jul 30, 2011 7:24 PM, said:

telnet://heatwavebbs.com
...
Just a couple notes. If you attempt to connect and it just hangs then times-out without connecting, you may need to lower your firewall settings, or even temporarily turn it off. A firewall exception for Port 23 may also need to be added to your firewall policy to allow incoming connections to that port. If you have the firewall set correctly and you still cannot connect, then someone else may be logged into the BBS, or I may be using the computer, so keep trying!

I guess someone else is logged in. I just tried from a non-firewalled location and was unable to connect.

What telnet server are you running? Is it possible to show a banner to other connections that the line is busy?

[InsaneMultitasker]

InsaneMultitasker, on Sat Jul 30, 2011 8:42 PM, said:

I unpacked some of the Geneve stuff and am trying to find the BBS software updates I sent Richard in April - they'll improve performance to a degree.

UPDATE: Found the base files and remotely installed them. I initially tried to transfer the files from my UDS-connected Geneve to your BBS but ran into corrupted records in both directions. Transferring between PC & Heatwave worked as did transferring between my PC and my Geneve. This may be the same problem I ran into a few years ago.

[Mad Hatter]

Great, thanks for the software tune-up. "S&T BBS for 2011", as Richard said.

InsaneMultitasker, on Sat Jul 30, 2011 11:46 PM, said:

InsaneMultitasker, on Sat Jul 30, 2011 8:42 PM, said:

I unpacked some of the Geneve stuff and am trying to find the BBS software updates I sent Richard in April - they'll improve performance to a degree.

UPDATE: Found the base files and remotely installed them. I initially tried to transfer the files from my UDS-connected Geneve to your BBS but ran into corrupted records in both directions. Transferring between PC & Heatwave worked as did transferring between my PC and my Geneve. This may be the same problem I ran into a few years ago.

[OLD CS1]

Mad Hatter, on Sat Jul 30, 2011 10:30 PM, said:

I'm actually using a Lantronix UDS-100 serial-ethernet adapter.

I recall seeing those before. Have considered using a few for the serial console port on some Solaris boxes. Internally, anyway -- console ports exposed to the Internet via telnet is a Bad Thing™.

Quote

What client were you using to TELNET?

Solaris and Windows command line, and AmiTelnet.

Quote

A banner would be a good idea, and I have seen this used on some C-64 BBSes which only operate one instance of the software (such as this). Not sure if that can be configured with the UDS or not but I'll definitely look into it.

I think those things are pretty configurable. I wanted a "welcome" banner and ISTR those would do the trick.

[Mad Hatter]

Still no luck connecting today? Tim connected a few times last night and I had another caller this morning.

[InsaneMultitasker]

Doesn't appear to be 'banner' functionality in the UDS10/100 devices

For anyone really good with Telnet, et al, got an odd situation here. MadHaatter is running the BBS on a Geneve in TI Mode (so for all purposes it IS a TI) connected to the internet via a UDS10 device.

File transfers work in 2 of 3 configurations:

1. Local PC->Hyperterminal->Internet->UDS10->BBS (Geneve) SEND/RECEIVE SUCCESSFUL
2. Local PC->Hypertermina->local network->UDS10->local Geneve SEND/RECEIVE SUCCESSFUL
3. Local Geneve->UDS10->internet->UDS10->BBS Geneve SENd/RECEIVE FAIL

Essentially, if I use the UDS device with my Geneve and 'dial' the Mad Hatter's BBS, transfers fail. What's more I get a local echo for every typed character. I've inspected the Xmodem packet received by my side and everything seems correct, including the start character, record# bytes, and the CRC. Possibly problem or config mismatch between the two UDS devices?

I've perused the C64 and Atari forums among other sources but haven't found a solution

[OLD CS1]

InsaneMultitasker, on Tue Aug 2, 2011 8:39 PM, said:

Doesn't appear to be 'banner' functionality in the UDS10/100 devices

hrmmmm My memory is fuzzy, then. I thought it was the UDS, but it must have been something else. I know I wanted to do SSH rather than telnet, so maybe I had found something to do that, instead.

Anyway, so it seems that transfers with a UDS on both sides fails. It would be interesting to see a dump on all three (sender, network sniff, receiver) to see if some bytes are being intercepted by the devices.

[Mad Hatter]

I just logged into an Atari BBS which is running via a UDS-10. I'll drop the SysOp a msg and see if he has any ideas. Although I think that it may be tough to get input as there probably aren't many users who are using the UDS to establish outbound comm. to a remote system which is also operating via a UDS. All I can think for now is to match up the Channel 1 settings and see what happens.

(And FYI to I/M re: his Atari system, I'm getting those ,J' echoes using HyperTerminal when I connect to his system, so he may not have something set correctly with the DisConnMode setting).

InsaneMultitasker, on Tue Aug 2, 2011 8:39 PM, said:

Doesn't appear to be 'banner' functionality in the UDS10/100 devices

For anyone really good with Telnet, et al, got an odd situation here. MadHaatter is running the BBS on a Geneve in TI Mode (so for all purposes it IS a TI) connected to the internet via a UDS10 device.

File transfers work in 2 of 3 configurations:

1. Local PC->Hyperterminal->Internet->UDS10->BBS (Geneve) SEND/RECEIVE SUCCESSFUL
2. Local PC->Hypertermina->local network->UDS10->local Geneve SEND/RECEIVE SUCCESSFUL
3. Local Geneve->UDS10->internet->UDS10->BBS Geneve SENd/RECEIVE FAIL

Essentially, if I use the UDS device with my Geneve and 'dial' the Mad Hatter's BBS, transfers fail. What's more I get a local echo for every typed character. I've inspected the Xmodem packet received by my side and everything seems correct, including the start character, record# bytes, and the CRC. Possibly problem or config mismatch between the two UDS devices?

I've perused the C64 and Atari forums among other sources but haven't found a solution

[marc.hull]

Hey Kyle....

Got on with a somewhat rinkydink application. Had an issue though. Whatever I typed was echoed back to me so my screen contained double of each character. Not sure if that will show up in the message or not. Kewl board, thanks for the effort. Any ideas on a good Telenet app ? This POS in my office has none.

Marc

[Mad Hatter]

Marc, I just logged in and checked and your posts were not double-echoed, they appeared normal. When I use the native DOS telnet client I get the same thing, so I don't use it. I have use the native XP comm client (HyperTerminal) with no issues, and I also tried NetTerm (shareware) without issues.

That being said I think there are still some issues with my serial/ethernet adapter which I still need to tweak.

[OLD CS1]

I noticed that when connecting from my Amiga with AmiTelnet, responses come extremely slowly. Not so with the XP telnet client (and it does not get double echos,) nor Solaris telnet. I have not yet tried Napsaterm on the Amiga, so I am not certain the problem is an issue with the Miggy.

[InsaneMultitasker]

It seems as if certain terminal emulators respond or otherwise 'tell' the host they are Telnet or not. I haven't read the appropriate RFC to see if this is the case. Maybe we can sleuth out an active, home-brew telnet guru that would know the answer.

MadH - I think your UDS is configured as best it can be, outside of the Telnet 0x40 Disconnect mode bit. But that's just my opinion

[InsaneMultitasker]

Quick update:

Been reading through RFC 854,856, 858 to better understand what's happening and using Ethereal to sniff the network packets.

When I connect from my PC via Hyperterminal to my local UDS10-connected Geneve, I find Hyperterminal negotiates with my local UDS device both upon a connection and upon initiating a file transfer. This negotiation is transparent to the attached device (Geneve). File transfers succeed.

When I connect from my PC via Hyperterminal to MH's BBS via the internet, I see no startup negotiation. (I don't know if this is a problem - could be proper operation for his config). When I initiate a file transfer via Hyperterminal, HT negotiates a binary transmission and the UDS responds in kind -- in the same manner as my local attempt. Again, file tranfers succeed.

I have not yet found a way for the UDS-attached device to initiate a Telnet negotiation. Indeed, whatever is connected to the UDS10 serial port probably isn't supposed to know how the data arrives - all it sees is a "modem" and serial IO. I don't know that we can go much further with two UDS-connected devices, unless there is some configuration magic we haven't discovered. For that, more time and sleuthing is required.

Oh, for a TI ethernet peripheral

[Willsy]

Mad Hatter, on Wed Aug 3, 2011 3:18 PM, said:

Marc, I just logged in and checked and your posts were not double-echoed, they appeared normal. When I use the native DOS telnet client I get the same thing, so I don't use it. I have use the native XP comm client (HyperTerminal) with no issues, and I also tried NetTerm (shareware) without issues.

That being said I think there are still some issues with my serial/ethernet adapter which I still need to tweak.

Setting local echo in DOS Telnet Client (XP):

1) Click Start, click Run, and then type telnet.exe to start the telnet program. For example, type telnet pop.microsoft.com 110
2) Type Ctrl+]
3) Type the following command:

set localecho
4) Press Enter on a blank line.

[Mad Hatter]

I think it's actually UNset localecho which is what we're looking to do. Nevertheless, UNSET and SET localecho still have the same result for me (from this particular computer that is)... double characters are echoed with each keypress.

[Mad Hatter]

If anyone has had issues connecting, or with seeing double-characters when you type, I have attached a fairly simple and user-friendly Telnet client to this message. After dialing out, ALT-E will turn off the local echo if you are seeing doubles.

Attached Files

•  mtelb12.zip   137.63K   4 downloads

[InsaneMultitasker]

Seems like the connection is stable and the BBS is humming along. I like the new intro and Info screens

This evening it dawned on me that when I transfered files between Richard's BBS and my Geneve, I did so through "thekeep"'s /dialout option. If Greg would entertain the idea, I wonder if it is possible to configure a telnet relay from thekeep to heatwave, providing both dial-up and telnet users a way to connect to your system.

[Mad Hatter]

Cool thanks Tim. I'm sure you noticed but you kind of were assigned as Co-Sysop (by default seeing as that you're the software author!).

I will have to speak to Greg about his. He included Heatwave as one of the boards people can dial-out to via his modem and land-line. Seeing that the modem service is down (hopefully just temporary!), maybe I can ask him to switch it to Telnet. Good idea!

InsaneMultitasker, on Wed Aug 10, 2011 11:01 PM, said:

Seems like the connection is stable and the BBS is humming along. I like the new intro and Info screens

This evening it dawned on me that when I transfered files between Richard's BBS and my Geneve, I did so through "thekeep"'s /dialout option. If Greg would entertain the idea, I wonder if it is possible to configure a telnet relay from thekeep to heatwave, providing both dial-up and telnet users a way to connect to your system.

[OLD CS1]

(asking sheepishly)

What does one do if one has forgotten his password?

[Vorticon]

Mad Hatter, on Thu Aug 4, 2011 1:44 AM, said:

I think it's actually UNset localecho which is what we're looking to do. Nevertheless, UNSET and SET localecho still have the same result for me (from this particular computer that is)... double characters are echoed with each keypress.

Same problem here with Win 7 or Ubuntu Linux. It works great however on the PCJr with the telnet client and a parallel network adapter

[InsaneMultitasker]

Just for fun I thought I'd attach the ANSI screen from Murder Motel running on the TI...

Attached Files

•  murdermotel.JPG   42.04K   15 downloads

[idflyfish]

I hopped on with my iPAD from a hotel in West Yellowstone last night. Didn't have time to explore but I will tomorrow.