Linux server disconnects inactive telnet sessions

[Debbie Fleith]

Is there a setting that can stop the server (or prolong it) from disconnecting telnet sessions automatically after a period of inactivity?

[Craig Kelley]

It's probably your shell that is hanging up, not the telnet server. Try running 'bash' after logging in and see if it still disconnects you.

[Kodjo Agbenu]

Hello,

Check the shell TMOUT variable.

export TMOUT=120

will disconnect your session after 120 seconds of inactivity.

Good luck.

Kodjo

[Debbie Fleith]

Does the TMOUT variable exist for both /bin/sh and /bin/bash?

What does it default to if not explicitly set with the profile?

[U.SivaKumar_2]

Hi,
Yes it exists.
#vi /etc/profile
put this line
TMOUT=0
Now logout and login again. Now the session will never timeout for any user in the server after login.

Now if you want to Increase the timeout of
telnet session , before logging in the server.
( you might have seen that if you keep the telnet session open without giving login name
and password it will disconnect after some time) do this.
#vi /etc/login.defs
LOGIN_TIMEOUT 1000
1000 - seconds

regards,
U.SivaKumar

[I_M]

Hi

Check if /bin/bash = /bin/sh.

On my system, /bin/sh link to /bin/bash.

So both of them have TMOUT.

regards,

[Steven E. Protter]

Its a security risk to set the timeout to zero.

The Linux default for Red Hat 7x is 180 seconds(15 minutes). That is reasonable.

[J._1]

add:
set autologout=0

to your .login file

[Steven E. Protter]

Correction: 180 seconds is 3 minutes. 1800 seconds is 15 minutes. That's more appropriate.