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III. Files in the CUTCP Distribution
IV. Sundry Facts about TCP/IP Packages for DOS
VI. Customizing the CONFIG.TEL File
Several different TCP/IP packages for DOS machines are used on the UIUC campus. Among them are NCSA Telnet, the Clarkson University TCP Communication Package (CUTE/CUTCP AKA Clarkson Telnet), and FTP Software Inc.'s PC/TCP. The Clarkson package is popular because it is free and its remote login software supports both VT102 and IBM 3270 terminal emulation.
The most recent version of CUTCP is the Rutgers University Interim-1.0 release. Included in the package are the standard TCP/IP applications for remote login (telnet and tn3270) and file transfer (ftp), along with a few other utilities (ping, lpr, lpq, lprm).
This guide is intended as a supplement to (not a substitute for) the documentation that comes with the Clarkson TCP Communication Package. Hopefully it will provide you with enough information to retrieve and install CUTCP in your lab or building. It will also cover some issues that are not addressed in the standard documentation.
The authoritative ftp source for CUTCP is ftp-ns.rutgers.edu (previously ftp.clarkson.edu). The most recent version supported by Rutgers is in the /pub/msdos/cutcp/current directory. Retrieve the file called cutcp-b.zip. It contains all the binaries and documentation.
Note: The version of CUTCP supported by Clarkson University is available on the same ftp server in the directory /pub/msdos/cutcp/clarkson. A ZOO archive named cutcp.zoo contains the binaries. Documentation for this version is in a separate text file called telnet.doc in the same directory.
The file cutcp-b.zip is an archive containing the entire Rutgers version of the Clarkson TCP Communication Package. If you opt to restore the original directory structure of the CUTCP files when you unzip the archive, the following directories will be created under the current directory or target directory (otherwise all of the CUTCP files will be placed in the current directory or target directory):
CUTCP
CUTCP\BIN
CUTCP\DOC
CUTCP\DOC\LPR
Documentation files are automatically written to the CUTCP\DOC and CUTCP\DOC\LPR directories and the binaries (executables) and configuration files are written to CUTCP\BIN. The following files come with the distribution:
CONFIG.TEL Sample configuration file (THIS
FILE MUST BE CUSTOMIZED FOR
MACHINES ON YOUR NETWORK!)
FTPBIN.EXE Client/Server FTP program
LPR.EXE An LPQ program from the University
of BC
LPRM.EXE An LPRM program "" ""
LPQ.EXE An LPQ program "" ""
PING.EXE A DOS-based ping utility
TELBIN.EXE Telnet/Rlogin/Rshell VT102 w/ FTP
and RCP server
TELPASS.EXE Manages Password file for ftp
server
TESTKEY.EXE Shows keycodes for your keyboard
TN3270.EXE Telnet/Rlogin/Rshell VT102/3278 w/
FTP and RCP server
TN3270.TBL Sample 3270 keymap table, shows
program defaults
README.LPR Generic documentation for the LPR
utilities.
RELEASE Information about the Rutgers
release of CUTCP
TELNET.DOC Documentation for the CUTCP
package
in ASCII format
MANUAL.DOC Documentation for the LPR utility
in ASCII format
MANUAL.PS Documentation for the LPR utility
in PostScript format
MANUAL.MSW Documentation for the LPR utility
in MS Word format
MANUAL.STY Documentation for the LPR utility
in an unrecognized format
Once you have unZIPped the files, you may find it convenient to copy them all onto a single floppy disk.
1. Of the two remote login applications that come with the Rutgers CUTCP distribution, the most commonly used is tn3270.exe. This is a because it supports 3270 emulation. Normally this is the executable file that is called in the telnet.bat file.
2. CUTCP is based on NCSA Telnet for DOS version 2.2. A more recent release of NCSA Telnet is available at ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu in the /PC/Telnet/msdos directory. It has more bells and whistles than release 2.2 and CUTCP, but still doesn't support 3270 emulation.
3. CUTCP and NCSA Telnet both use a configuration file named config.tel. The CUTCP and NCSA config.tel files are similar but NOT interchangeable.
4. The 3270 RESET function does not work in Clarkson's tn3270.exe program. The function is required by several AISS applications including Keymaster.
5. In order to telnet to a particular port from the DOS command line with Clarkson telnet or tn3270, the entire hostname (or IP address) and port number must be surrounded by double quotes, for example: telnet "garcon.cso.uiuc.edu 620"
6. CUTCP, NCSA Telnet, and PCTCP allow you to set a password for your FTP server so that only selected users can open a session with your machine. Setting passwords is STRONGLY ADVISED. If an unauthorized user accesses your machine with an ftp client, he or she can erase or overwrite files.
7. With tn3270, although it is possible to have multiple vt100 telnet sessions open at the same time, you can only have one 3270 session open at a time.
Installing the Clarkson University TCP Communications package it is not difficult if you are reasonably familiar with DOS. You will need to know how to create directories, copy files, and create and edit ASCII text files.
In order to create and edit files you should have access to an ASCII text editor. EDLIN is not recommended because the lines in the config.tel file are quite long and difficult to edit with EDLIN. Word processing software is also not recommended, because you may inadvertently forget to export the file to ASCII, in which case your configuration files will be unreadable by DOS and CUTCP. EDIT, the text editor that comes with DOS version 5 and higher, is a reasonable choice. There are also many public domain and shareware editors available. If you are comfortable with one particular editor, you may want to carry it on a floppy disk so that you can take it with you to other machines.
The following steps describe how to install CUTCP. It is assumed that you have already installed an Ethernet card in your computer and have initialized the card with a packet driver. Detailed information on the latter procedures can be found in the guides Purchasing and Installing an Ethernet Card for an IBM PC or Compatible and Packet Drivers for IBM PCs and Clones.
1. If you do not already have the CUTCP files on floppy disk, make a master disk for yourself. All of the files will easily fit on a 1.44 MB, 3.5" diskette. If your site has older PCs without 3.5" disk drives, you may also want to make a set of 5.25" master disks.
2. Create a new directory on the hard drive. This will be the location for the CUTCP files. Common names used on campus for this directory are \CUTCP, \TELNET, \NET, and \NETWORK. Whatever name you decide to use, try to be consistent with all of the machines at your site. This will make installation and troubleshooting much easier.
Some net admins like to create a NET or NETWORK directory and then create separate subdirectories underneath it for each network application (e.g., \NETWORK\CUTCP, \NETWORK\GOPHER, \NETWORK\NUPOP, etc.)
If the owner of the target machine obviously uses a different scheme for organizing his or her files, ask whether the name you have in mind will be acceptable. Otherwise name and locate the new directory in a manner consistent with the rest of the hard disk.
To create a new directory, get the DOS prompt and enter md d:\directory_name where d: is the letter of the target drive and directory_name is the name if the directory you want to create. For example:
md c:\cutcp
3. Insert your master CUTCP disk into a floppy drive and use the DOS COPY or XCOPY command to copy all files into your newly created directory. For example:
xcopy a:*.* c:\cutcp
or
copy b:\ c:\cutcp
If the target disk only has a small amount of space available, you may want to only copy a few crucial files to the target directory. In such circumstances, copy the following files:
tn3270.exe (or telbin.exe if the user will not require 3270 emulation)
ftpbin.exe
config.tel
telpass.exe
4. Change to the directory containing the CUTCP software. Protect the FTP server by creating a password for it with the telpass.exe utility. At the DOS prompt, type the command telpass filename where filename is the name of the password file that will be created. For example, if your password file will be called password, type telpass password.
Then read and follow the on-screen instructions to create one or more passwords.
5. While in the directory containing the CUTCP software, use a text editor to edit the config.tel file. Replace parameters with the information about the PC and network on which you installed the software as described below. Detailed information about the config.tel file is provided in section VI of this guide.
The following parameters MUST be checked and changed if necessary. (For more information, refer to the guide entitled Important Network Names and Numbers for Configuring TCP/IP Software.):
myip=128.174.#.# (unique to your machine)
netmask=255.255.#.# (use the same number for every
machine on your subnet)
hardware=packet (always packet )
passfile=c:\cutcp\password (give the full name and path of the
password file.)
Correct all parameters for the following name entries (near the bottom of the file) and remove hash marks (#):
name=mynameserver host=vixen.cso.uiuc.edu hostip=128.174.5.58 nameserver=1 name=backupserver host=uxc.cso.uiuc.edu hostip=128.174.36.254 nameserver=2 name=lastserver host=ns.indiana.edu hostip=198.88.18.1 nameserver=3 name=mygateway host=node.domain.uiuc.edu hostip=128.174.#.# (unique to your subnet) gateway=1
6. Once the config.tel file has been edited, test the configuration by trying to log in to a remote machine. To do so, enter the command tn3270 machine_name at the DOS prompt where machine_name is the fully-qualified domain name of the remote machine. If you do not have an account on a remote multi-user machine, try accessing the AISS computer with the following command:
tn3270 uicmvsa.aiss.uic.edu
If you are able to get to a login prompt or a welcome screen, the machine has been successfully configured. Note: In order to login to some computers on this campus and at other locations, the name and IP address of the PC must be registered with the UIUCnet host manager and entered into the Domain Name System (DNS). If you get as far as a login screen and then you are dumped back to DOS, try again using the AISS machine name given above. If the AISS address works and another doesn't, your machine is probably not registered.
7. Once you have configured at least one computer at your site, you may want to copy the edited config.tel file onto your master CUTCP diskette(s). In subsequent installations, you will only have to edit the myip= parameter.
8. Create a telnet.bat file using the example below as a model. If the machine already has a directory for batch files, put the new batch file in it. Otherwise, put it in the same directory as the CUTCP software. (When you create the file, replace the directory name \CUTCP in the example below with the name of the directory in which the CUTCP software is installed ):
echo off
c:\cutcp\tn3270 -h c:\cutcp\config.tel %1 %2 %3 %4
The -h parameter tells tn3270 where to look for the config.tel file. This allows the config.tel file to be in a different directory than the executable, which can be advanta-geous on networks.
The following telnet.bat file starts a session with a default host (ux1.cso.uiuc.edu) if the user doesn't enter any parameters after the telnet command:
echo off
if %1'==' goto default
c:\cutcp\tn3270 -h c:\cutcp\config.tel %1 %2 %3 %4
goto end
:default
c:\cutcp\tn3270 -h c:\cutcp\config.tel ux1.cso.uiuc.edu
:end
9. Make sure that the directory containing the telnet.bat file is in the default path for your PC. If not, add the directory name to the PATH statement in the autoexec.bat file.
10. Test the telnet.bat file to make sure it works by using it to start a remote login session. For example:
telnet ux1.cso.uiuc.edu
11. Create an ftp.bat file using the example below as a model. If the machine already has a directory for batch files, put the new batch file in it. Otherwise, put it in the same directory as the CUTCP software. (When you create the file, replace the directory name \CUTCP in the example below with the name of the directory in which the CUTCP software is installed.):
echo off
c:\cutcp\ftpbin -h c:\cutcp\config.tel %1
12.Test the ftp.bat file to make sure it works. For example:
ftp ftp.cso.uiuc.edu
13.TADA! You're done.
The beginning of the config.tel file contains important information about the network configuration of your machine and default settings for the telnet software. Somewhere toward the middle of the file, however, you should see groups of lines with each group headed by a line beginning with the keyword name (e.g., name=ux1). Each of these groups describes the parameters to be used when communicating with a specific machine on the network, and the keyword name is used as a delimiter to separate one machine-specific entry from the next (as well as to provide a short, descriptive name for each system, which can be used in lieu of its IP address or domain name). The first name entry begins with the text name=default. This entry contains the default values used for any session that doesn't have a specific name entry in your config.tel file and also determines the settings of parameters that are not otherwise specified in a named entry. If you are not satisfied with the default values for screen colors, the scrollback mode, the default keyboard map, etc., you can change them. Any changes you make will affect all sessions that do not have a specific entry in your config.tel file.
Following the default settings for telnet, you should see several other machine-specific entries in your config.tel file. Remember, each machine-specific entry begins with the line name=value where value is replaced with a descriptive name for the system. The parameters following the keyword name may be on separate lines, or they may be on the same line, each separated from the next by a semi-colon, colon, or space. In addition to the systems already specified in your config.tel file, you can add entries for the machines you access on a regular basis. The example on the next page shows three machine-specific entries in a config.tel file (with comments)--one for accessing the on-line library system (beginning with name=library), one for accessing the CITES UNIX machine ux1 (beginning with name=ux1), and one for accessing the CITES IBM mainframe VMD (beginning with name=vmd).
name=library #descriptive name for library
#system
host=illinet.aiss.uiuc.edu #domain name
#of library system
nfcolor=WHITE #screen color settings for all
nbcolor=blue #sessions with library
rfcolor=red
rbcolor=cyan
ufcolor=black
ubcolor=white
scrollback=200
name=ux1 #descriptive/short name
#for ux1
hostip=128.174.5.59 #IP address for ux1
erase=backspace #backspace key functions as
#standard backspace
copyfrom=library #borrow other parameters from
#entry named library
name=vmd #descriptive/short name
#for VMD
host=vmd.cso.uiuc.edu #domain name for VMD
keymap=vmd.tbl #use custom keyboard map file
#called vmd.tbl for this
#session.
Once you have added machine-specific entries to your config.tel file, you can access these systems by typing the name of your telnet executable file or batch file followed by the value entered for the name of the entry. For example, to open a session with the library, you could type: telnet library. The telnet software will look for an entry with the name library in your config.tel file and use the parameters specified after name=library until it encounters the next name=value entry in the file--in the case of our example, name=ux1. Note that the entry for VMD only contains values for name, host, and keymap. When parameters are not specified in an entry, the values defined in the entry name=default will prevail. Thus a machine-specific entry can be very brief, containing only values for the keywords name and host or hostip; or the entry can be quite extensive, containing custom values for every possible parameter.
You can add as many machine specific entries to your config.tel file as you like. Most users find it convenient to add the names of systems that they access regularly via telnet or ftp. A list and description of some of the parameters that you can include in each entry is given below
Parameter Description
name=value User-assigned name for system. Replace
value with a short name you can remember
easily.
host=fully.qualified.domain.name The domain name for the system
you want to reach. Replace
fully.qualified.domain.name with the
actual domain name of the host you want
to contact. If you want to designate a
port number as well, separate it from
the domain name with a colon and
surround the entire value with double
quotation marks (e.g., host
="garcon.cso.uiuc.edu:625").
hostip=###.###.###.### The IP address of the host you want to
contact. If the IP address is not
included, telnet will contact one of the
nameservers listed in your file to
resolve the domain name given with the
host parameter. Including the IP address
will generally speed up the time it
takes to connect to the specified host.
erase=(backspace or delete) Determines the function of the
backspace key for the session. Some
hosts prefer the backspace key to be
delete and others prefer the backspace
key to be backspace. Set this parameter
to erase=backspace or erase=delete.
scrollback=numeric value Determines the number of lines that can
be viewed in scrollback mode. Scrollback
uses 86 bytes per line saved. Set your
scrollback value to as mall number if
you are concerned about running out of
memory. The typical range is 100 to 200
(e.g., scrollback=200).
The following parameters set the screen
colors for the session. Possible colors
are black, green, blue, magenta, cyan,
red, yellow, and white. Foreground
colors typed in all upper case appear in
high intensity. Background colors in
all upper case cause characters to blink
nfcolor=color normal foreground color
nbcolor=color normal background color
rfcolor=color reverse foreground color
rbcolor=color reverse background color
ufcolor=color underline foreground color
ubcolor=color underline background color
copyfrom=name Causes the session to use the same
parameters specified in another named
session in the file. For example,
copyfrom=ux1 would cause the current
entry to use he same parameters as those
specified for the session named ux1
unless alternative parameters were
explicitly designated.
keymap=filename.tbl Uses the custom keyboard map as
specified by the value entered for
filename.tbl. Clarkson Telnet provides
the user with a default keymap for vt100
sessions and a 3270 keymap for tn3270
sessions. The user can create
additional custom keyboard maps and
associate them with particular sessions
by using this parameter. Otherwise
default.tbl will be used for sessions
using vt100 emulation and tn3270.tbl for
sessions using 3270 emulation.
2. Do not modify or delete any line in the config.tel file if you are uncertain about its function.
3. If a comment wraps around to a second or third line, be sure that each line begins with a pound sign (#).
4. Even if you do not have a copy of the entire CUTCP user's guide, have the section pertaining to the config.tel file on hand for reference as you make your changes.
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