Set terminal/inquire in SYLOGIN

[Thomas A. Williams]

I guess I'm missing something in the "set terminal/inquire" logic. I'm coming in via either telnet (TN device), or SSH (FT) device, so the "/inquire" isn't done. That means DEC_CRT, Advanced video, etc. doesn't get set. I need the "set term/inquire" to set these up. Can someone explain why the F$LOCATE is there? I've tried Attachmate Extra, WRQ Reflection, and Hyperterminal, and they all come back with a device type of "unknown" when I do a "show terminal". After a "set term/inq", I get a VT Device type.

[Hoff]

If you're refering to the DCL code I think you are (from SYLOGIN.TEMPLATE, and which is used for the default SYLOGIN.COM), I'm probably the OpenVMS engineer that implemented that stuff.

Some devices don't happen to like receiving the /INQUIRE sequence and can do bad things, and ranging from clearing the screen or resetting the device, or showing some garbage characters on the device.

There are several ways to deal with the underlying "fun", and the current DCL logic was a brute-force approach to try to reduce the exposure to this.

If the existing DCL code doesn't work for you in your environment, do adjust the DCL and the associated tests to meet your particular local requirements.

Stephen Hoffman
HoffmanLabs LLC

[Ian Miller.]

TN is listed as a device NOT to do SET TERMINAL/INQURE as described in

http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=832390

You can modify the list in symbol TT_NOINQUIR to remove TN and FT if you wish a SET TERMINAL/INQUIRE to be performed for logins via telnet and SSH

[Richard Whalen]

Doing a set terminal/inquire when you are comming in via SSH can cause problems if the real desire is to use SFTP.

The SSH protocol has mechanisms for setting the terminal characteristics built into it, but the client and server have to both support the calls. Maybe one of the ones that you are using doesn't.

[Thomas A. Williams]

WOW, talk about fast replies! Anyway, thanks for the info. I wondering why the change from the old way. I suppose people complained about there screens getting reset. Wouldn't a plain "SET TERM/INQUIRE" without the /PAGE and /WIDTH leave the screens alone, or does the windows still get affected? It seems that would please everybody.

[Jan van den Ende]

Thomas,

>>>
It seems that would please everybody.
<<<

"If everyone spoke Esperanto (or ...) then there would be easy understanding allround"

Agreed, but the real world just happens to be "just a little" different. Alas...

Just mu EUR 0,02

Proost.

Have one on me.

jpe

[Hoff · Accepted solution]

Changing SYLOGIN or other such is fraught with peril, as I knew and as I re-learned.

There was an earlier change here that caused the regression tests to kick out with an error; with a difference in run-time behavior.

As for the command, various connection paths can and seemingly do react slightly differently, and the /INQUIRE sequence is (necessarily) far into its own land of the bizarre.

From vague memory -- this chance was a long time ago -- SET HOST with the /INQUIRE and without the width and height was clobbering the terminal size, and the width and height was clobbering telnet, and then there were the truly weird login modes.

Had I to do it over again, I would not have modified SYLOGIN to try to fix this. Save on those systems I am managing, where I already deal with this stuff regularly.