Chapter 6: Telnet (2 of 6) -- Using TELNET

Using TELNET
     Most telnet sites are fairly easy to use and have online help systems.
Most also work best (and in some cases, only) with VT100 emulation.
Let's dive right in and try one.
     At your host system's  command line , type

          telnet access.usask.ca

and hit enter.  That's all you have to do to connect to a telnet site!
In this case, you'll be connecting to a service known as Hytelnet, which
is a database of computerized library catalogs and other databases
available through telnet.  You should see something like this:

          Trying 128.233.3.1 ...
          Connected to access.usask.ca.
          Escape character is '^]'.


          Ultrix UNIX (access.usask.ca)

          login:


     Every telnet site has two addresses -- one composed of words that
are easier for people to remember; the other a numerical address better
suited for computers.  The "escape character" is good to remember.  When
all else fails, hitting your control key and the ] key at the same time
will disconnect you and return you to your host system.  At the login
 prompt , type

        hytelnet

and hit enter.  You'll see something like this:

                            Welcome to HYTELNET
                                version 6.2
                            ...................

   What is HYTELNET?         <WHATIS>     .        Up/Down arrows MOVE
   Library catalogs          <SITES1>     .        Left/Right arrows SELECT
   Other resources           <SITES2>     .        ? for HELP anytime
   Help files for catalogs   <OP000>      .
   Catalog interfaces        <SYS000>     .        m returns here
   Internet Glossary         <GLOSSARY>   .        q quits
   Telnet tips               <TELNET>     .
   Telnet/TN3270 escape keys <ESCAPE.KEY> .
   Key-stroke commands       <HELP.TXT>   .


                          ........................
                      HYTELNET 6.2 was written by Peter Scott,
         U of Saskatchewan Libraries, Saskatoon, Sask, Canada.  1992
     Unix and VMS software by Earl Fogel, Computing Services, U of S 1992

      The first choice, "<WHATIS>" will be highlighted.  Use your down
and up arrows to move the cursor among the choices.  Hit enter when you
decide on one.  You'll get another menu, which in turn will bring up
text files telling you how to connect to sites and giving any special
commands or instructions you might need.  Hytelnet does have one quirk.
To move back to where you started (for example, from a sub-menu to a
main menu), hit the left-arrow key on your computer.
     Play with the system.  You might want to turn on your computer's
screen-capture, or at the very least, get out a pen and paper. You're
bound to run across some interesting telnet services that you'll want to
try -- and you'll need their telnet "addresses.''
     As you move around Hytelnet, it may seem as if you haven't left
your host system -- telnet can work that quickly.  Occasionally, when
network loads are heavy, however, you will notice a delay between the
time you type a command or enter a request and the time the remote
service responds.
     To disconnect from Hytelnet and return to your system, hit your q
key and enter.
     Some telnet computers are set up so that you can only access them
through a specific "port."  In those cases, you'll always see a number
after their name, for example:  india.colorado.edu 13. It's important to
include that number, because otherwise, you may not get in.
     In fact, try the above address. Type

                telnet india.colorado.edu 13

and hit enter.  You should see something like this:

                Trying 128.138.140.44 ...

Followed very quickly by this:

               telnet india.colorado.edu 13

                Escape character is '^]'.
                Sun Apr  5 14:11:41 1992
                Connection closed by foreign host.


     What we want is the middle line, which tells you the exact
Mountain Standard Time, as determined by a government-run atomic clock
in Boulder, Colo.