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Grex Info Item 296: Help connecting to Grex with Telix
Entered by rickyb on Mon Nov 25 23:07:10 UTC 1996:

  Ever since I picked up this 486DX/66 with 14.4 modem I've had problems
connecting to grex.  I also have a 386DX/33 with a 14.4 modem and I have no
problem at all (um...I'll qualify that in a bit).
  On the 486 I am using Telix.  I configure for ANSI terminal (VT100), E71,
and 19200bps (next choice above 9600).  When I connect, I get the login
prompt, but whatever I type echos jibberish.
  I've tried with software flow control on and off, hardware flow control on
and off (both CTS and DTR), stripping last bit, etc.  Nothing seems to work!
  The only way I can connect is with ANSI, E71, _9600bps_, calling in on the
9600bps only line (761-5041)...which is what I'm doing now.

  On my 386 I use ComitLite for DOS.  I have no problem connecting to grex
at 14.4 by calling 761-3000.  BUT, I can't seem to configure telix on that
machine to work at all <groan>!  Perhaps I made a bad copy of the compressed
telix file, but I don't think so.

  any idea what's goping on with the bad connection using telix on a 486/66
at 14.4 using ANSI, E71 calling 761-3000?  I don't have this problem dialing
mnet or other bbs's using telix.

12 responses total.

#1 of 12 by ajax on Tue Nov 26 03:01:20 1996:

  What's probably happening is that your modem is trying to negotiate
error-correcting protocols with Grex's non-error-correction 2400 bps
modems.  This causes problems.  You can disable the protocols with a
modem command, usually something like "AT&K0".  If you're diailing
761-3000, you should also set the terminal program's speed to 2400,
but that's probably not critical.

  You can probably also connect with the error-correcting protocols,
but you'd have to send a couple "break" signals to Grex (the key for
sending a break depends on your comm program).

#2 of 12 by davel on Tue Nov 26 11:00:19 1996:

(or AT\N0 on some modems.  Pity there's no standard for this.)

#3 of 12 by rickyb on Tue Nov 26 14:40:55 1996:

I'll check the modem manual for the command to disable protocols.  I've tried
sending several (many) breaks but that hasn't helped.

If I set the terminal program speed to 2400bps isn't that defeating my
purpose?  I can connect at 9600bps now...I'd like to use 14.4.

#4 of 12 by robh on Tue Nov 26 15:33:53 1996:

Um, you do realize that Grex's maximum modem speed is 9600?
(For now.)

#5 of 12 by rickyb on Tue Nov 26 16:44:52 1996:

I guess I didn't know that...I thought it was 14.4.   #.

#6 of 12 by ajax on Wed Nov 27 06:42:54 1996:

  Grex has 14.4 Kbps modems, but they're set to 9600 bps due to
technical reasons.
 
  What I usually do is dial 761-5041 at 9600.  If it's busy, and I'm
anxious to get on, I dial 761-3000 at 2400.  I might luck into a 9600
bps modem dialing 761-3000, but I find trying to connect at 2400 is
more reliable, and usually don't mind the speed that much (I'd take
a 2400 dial-in over most telnet connections any day!)  You can try
connecting to 761-3000 at 9600, and drop the speed if you get a 2400
connection (or that may happen automatically); give it a try and see,
if it's important to you.
 
  The timing of sending the breaks is somewhat significant.  I usually
don't bother to turn of error correction, and just do the break thing.
It took some getting used to.  I wait until nothing is received for a
second or two, then send a break, and if it doesn't give me a clean
login: prompt, I wait another until another pause, wait a second or two,
and resend the break.  Also, the duration of the break signal you're
sending may be significant; I tend to use a 350 millisecond break.

#7 of 12 by rickyb on Mon Dec 2 14:41:47 1996:

Hmm.  Thanks, I didn't know you could change the duration of a break signal.
And yes, I usually just dial in to -5041 at 9600.  If it's busy, I try again
later.  The only time I use telnet in is if I'm trying to do "cut and paste"
stuff on the fly using windows clipboard or notepad (not very often).  I don't
know how to grab stuff and manipulate it, then include it into a post, all
while I'm on-line.  Perhaps my term pgm can't do it anyway.

#8 of 12 by mcpoz on Tue Dec 3 01:31:19 1996:

Rickyb, if your term program has copy & paste, and if you have windows, you
can paste onto a word processer, then once you are in a reply, go back and
copy it out of the processer and paste into a response.  Also, you can copy
directly out of conferences:  "!Extract Agora 20 5" (without quotes) would
print agora item #20, response #5 on your screen.  

"Extract Agora 20 5 > tempfile" would put the 5th response in Agora item #20
into a file.  You then could use the following sequence:        
        
                !Finger > tempfile
                (start a response)
                :R tempfile
                (option) :P to check response

#9 of 12 by davel on Tue Dec 3 10:11:24 1996:

(... but *don't* capitalize "finger" ...)

#10 of 12 by rickyb on Tue Dec 3 21:25:08 1996:

thanx guys.  my usual term program is run from DOS so i don't have cut &
paste.  my telnet client runs through my ISP via winsock so that's how i
usually do it.

glad to know how to do it in unix though.  even if a bit more 'cumbersome',
the time to use it will surely arise (has arisen several times, in fact).

any way to write a script or  macro to do this?

#11 of 12 by mcpoz on Wed Dec 4 01:27:56 1996:

I am sure there is, but I'm not capable of doing it.  Anyone else?

#12 of 12 by kentn on Wed Dec 4 05:03:54 1996:

Re 10: no cut and paste?  You're not trying!  There are several programs
for DOS that allow this.  I've never tried with Telix, but I was able to
get at least one to work well with Kermit's terminal.

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