In general the command language for the cisco servers should be self-explanatory. The command "help" will list all available commands. You may type "?" at any point in a command to find out what possibilities are legal at that point in the command.
The terminal server may be in either of 2 modes. Initially, you are in command mode. In this state, you are talking to the command scanner on the terminal server. The most common command to type at this point is the name of a host. That will cause the server to connect you to the specified host. If the host you want to talk to uses Unix, you may prefer to use the rlogin command, e.g. "rlogin topaz" to connect to topaz. See below for the difference.
Once you have connected to a host, the terminal server is in the connected state. At that point, characters that you type go to the host. However there is an escape, which will allow you to issue commands to the server. By default, this character is ^^ i.e. control-^. The most common escape command is escape-x (typed as control-^ and then x). This will return you to command mode, without disturbing your connection to the system. When there is a connection open, a simple CR in command mode will reconnect you to the current system.
Note that it is possible to have more than one connection open at a time. To do this, simply use ^^x to return to command mode, and then type the name of a new host. You can switch between connections by using ^^x and then the "resume" command. "resume" takes an argument, which can be the number or name of the connection. Initially, the name is simply the name of the host you are connected to. (This can be changed with the "name" command.) Use the "where" command to look at your open connections. DONT FORGET TO LOG OUT OF ALL MACHINES WHEN YOU ARE FINISHED. Otherwise whoever uses your terminal next will end up with your jobs. If you want to change the escape character, the command "term escape N" can be used to change it. You can make sure that no one uses your terminal by locking it with the "lock" command.
By default, your terminal session will not have a local hold character. This character will stop output, much as ^S normally does when you are directly connected to a host. Type any character to resume output. We suggest that you use ^\ (control-\) so that it does not interfere with characters that you need to type for Emacs and other programs. Your system administrator may have already configured this for you. If this choice is bad for you, the command "term hold c" can be used to change it to the character "c". On Sun and VMS systems, ^S and ^Q will also work for stopping and starting output. However on some systems ^S will not work over the network, or there will be too long a delay for it to be useful. In this case the hold character is more useful.
If you are connected to several machines, you will not be notified if output appears on a connection other than the current one. This can be enabled by "term notify".
Things that you change with "term" will not last past your current session. If you are taking over a terminal that was recently in use, you can use "quit" to make sure that the old session is terminated, and you are starting clean. If you have a private terminal, it is possible for us to set things up so that settings will be remembered between sessions.
By default, connections are normally made using the "telnet" protocol. This is the official Internet standard protocol for remote terminal service. (In a few cases, connections to VAXes running the VMS operation system may be made using LAT, DEC's proprietary terminal server protocol.) There is an alternate protocol, called "rlogin". This is not an Internet standard. It was invented specifically for use with Berkeley Unix systems. You invoke rlogin by using the rlogin command to connect to the host. E.g. to connect to the host topaz,
telnet topaz - uses telnet rlogin topaz - uses rlogin lat topaz - uses LAT topaz - default protocol, which is telnetThe original Berkeley version of telnet did not do a very good job of handling flow control (^S and ^Q) or of aborting output when you hit ^C or ^O. For such systems, rlogin will give better results. However for Unix (e.g. Sun) and VMS systems using current software telnet should work at least as well.
If you use a microcomputer through a terminal server, you'll want to know about "term download". Normally, the cisco terminal server responds to several special characters, including your escape character (usually ^^) and your hold character (usually ^\). Certain software, e.g. XMODEM, requires the ability to send and receive every possible character. In order to use this software, you have to tell the terminal server to disable all of its special control characters. To do this, use the command "term download". Note that you must type this command to the cisco command level. This means that you should type it before you connect to the computer to log in, or you should get to cisco command level using ^^x, as described above. Once you have typed "term download", ^^x and ^\ will no longer have any special effect. You can still get back to cisco command level by hitting the BREAK key, if your terminal has one. Note that you do not need to use download mode to use KERMIT, but you do need to use it for most other file-transfer software, e.g. XMODEM or UUCP. Aside from turning off special characters, download mode changes the way the terminal server handles the Telnet protocol, so as to give you a transparent, 8-bit link to the host machine. This works only if the host machine implements Telnet in a matching way. Most Unix systems do. To get back into normal mode, type "term no download".
The administrator of your terminal server may want you to login to the terminal server. If it has been configured this way, the terminal server asks you for a user name and password. However if you type the "who" command, you'll see that the terminal server now knows who you are. If you're sharing a terminal, you can use the "login" command to change identities without disconnecting.
Either way, the terminal server checks your name and password against databases of allowed users. The terminal server itself doesn't have any user database. (It doesn't have any disk, so there's no place to store it.) This database is stored on some hosts at your site. You need to talk to your system administrator to get yourself put into the database, if you aren't already there.
One special character is defined as the "escape" character. It is normally ^^, i.e. control-^. This character is used to prefix commands to the terminal server when you are in the middle of a session. The most commonly used command is escape-x (in the usual case, this is typed as ^^ and then x). This has already been described above. It suspends your session and returns you to the terminal server command processor.
In addition, when you are using telnet, the escape commands shown below are defined. Most of them are fairly esoteric. However interrupt and abort output are often useful as alternatives to control-C and control-O on Unix and VMS. By typing them as telnet escape commands the terminal server is able to abort output immediately. If you do control-C and control-O normally, you'll sometimes get several screens of output before they take effect. Break is often useful for IBM systems, since the break key on your keyboard often does not work over the network. The telnet escape command version of break should always have the right effect.
escape-b - break - equivalent to hitting the break key
On Unix, does a "quit", which interrupts the
current program and causes it to coredump.
On VMS, seems to be the same as interrupt.
escape-c - interrupt - stop the current program. On Unix
and VMS, this is equivalent to control-C, but
stops output more quickly.
escape-h - backspace - this is normally equivalent to
the backspace key, control-H
escape-o - abort output - On Unix and VMS, this is
equivalent to control-O, but stops output more
quickly.
escape-t - are you there? - Request the system to print a
brief status message. On VMS and on Unix
systems that implement control-T, this is
equivalent to control-T.
escape-u - erase line
IBM mainframe software is generally designed to work with special IBM terminals, referred to as 3270's. (The term 3270 is used here to refer to several families of terminals that developed from the original model 3270.) If you use a standard asynchronous terminal or PC to access an IBM mainframe, you may not be able to use certain software, and other software may run only in a degraded "dumb terminal mode". The cisco terminal servers contain a 3270 emulator, which allows normal terminals to act like 3270's. In order to use this emulator, you should use the "tn3270" command when connecting to an IBM mainframe. E.g. to connect to the computer "rutadm" using 3270 emulation, use the command "tn3270 rutadmin". (It is possible for the system administrator to set things up so that you get tn3270 by default when connecting to certain systems. In this case you can simply type the name of the system.) Not all of the cisco terminal servers have the tn3270 command, becasue it takes up too much memory for older processors. If your terminal server does not implement the command, you will get one of the following two messages:
% Unknown command or computer name,
or unable to find computer address
Trouble allocating tn3270 structures
In order to use tn3270, the terminal server must know what kind of terminal you are using. To set your terminal type, use a command like "term term vt100". You must type this command to the terminal server before connecting to the IBM system. In place of vt100, use the actual kind of terminal you are using. To see a list of the terminals that the terminal server knows about, use the command "show ttycap all". The output will look something like this:
wyse wy|wyse v55 V5|v55|v55w|vi55|visual 55 v200 V2|v200|vi200|visual 200 with function keys default d0|default|vt100|v100|vt100-am|vt100|dec-vt100The names separated by |'s are all equivalent. Sometimes several different kinds of terminals are the same as far as our software is concerned, or the same terminal type is known by several names.
If you are using a microcomputer communications package, your documentation should say what kind of terminal it emulates. If it does not, we suggest trying "vt100".
Software designed for 3270's normally uses PF keys and other special keys on the 3270 keyboard. Because normal terminals do not always have these keys, tn3270 uses a "keymap" to let you type special 3270 keys by using sequences of normal keys. To see the keymap current in effect, use the command "show keymap". Here's what a keymap looks like. (This one is the keymap you get if you don't specify something else.)
generic{ clear = '^z'; flinp = '^x'; enter = '^m';
delete = '^d' | '^?'; insrt = 'E ';
synch = '^r'; reshow = '^v'; eeof = '^e'; tab = '^i';
btab = '^b'; nl = '^n'; left = '^h'; right = '^l';
up = '^k'; down = '^j'; einp = '^w'; reset = '^t';
xoff = '^s'; xon = '^q'; escape = '^c'; ferase = '^u';
pa1 = '^p1'; pa2 = '^p2'; pa3 = '^p3';
pfk1 = 'E1'; pfk2 = 'E2'; pfk3 = 'E3'; pfk4 = 'E4';
pfk5 = 'E5'; pfk6 = 'E6'; pfk7 = 'E7'; pfk8 = 'E8';
pfk9 = 'E9'; pfk10 = 'E0'; pfk11 = 'E-'; pfk12 = 'E=';
pfk13 = 'E!'; pfk14 = 'E@'; pfk15 = 'E#';
pfk16 = 'E$'; pfk17 = 'E%'; pfk18 = 'E';
pfk19 = 'E&'; pfk20 = 'E*'; pfk21 = 'E(';
pfk22 = 'E)'; pfk23 = 'E_'; pfk24 = 'E+';
}
For example, to hit the 3270 "clear" key, type ^Z (control-Z). Note
that there are two different ways to hit the 3270 delete key: ^D
(control-D) or ^?. ^? means the key labelled DELETE or RUBOUT. (On
PC keyboards, the key labelled with a left arrow may do this.) The PF
keys (denoted pfk1 through pfk24) are generated by hitting the escape
key (denoted E) and then another character. (Note that "insert" is
also done this way: it is escape followed by space.) The escape key is
normally labelled ESC or ALT. Note that the characters used for the
PF keys have been chosen so they are arranged the same way as the real
PF keys. There are normally 12 PF keys at the top of the keyboard.
The keys 1 - 9, 0, -, and = are normally in a similar position. PF
keys 13 through 24 are often generated by shifting PF keys 1 through
12. Note that the characters chosen for PF 13 through 24, ! through
+, are shifted versions of the characters chosen for PF 1 through 12.
To see all the keymaps available on the terminal server, use the command "show keymap all". To select a different keymap, use the command "term keymap-type XXX", where XXX is one of the keymap types listed in "show keymap all". If you choose a non-existent keymap type, the generic map shown above will be used. You can do "show keymap" to verify that you have selected the keymap that you intended.
The terminal server may also be configured to support SLIP (serial-line IP). This allows your PC to dial up, connect to the terminal server, and become an IP host. You will need some special software for your PC. Once you've dialed up and logged into the terminal server, you can normally start SLIP with the command "slip mypc" or "slip 131.108.1.1" where mypc is the hostname for your system and 131.108.1.1 is the IP address. You should talk to your system administrator to find out your hostname, IP address, and more about how SLIP should be used at your site. You may not have to type a hostname or IP address at all.
If you have an X terminal at home, you can also use X through the terminal server. Your site will normally have one or more machines running the X display manager, a program called "xdm". You'll have to find out which ones from your system administrator. You can start X from the terminal server by giving the command "xremote xdm topaz", where topaz is the name of your xdm server.
We stronly suggest that you use at least 9600 baud for XRemote. We also find that PEP (a protocol in use on Telebit modems) is inferior to the plain V.32 protocol. Your mileage may vary depending on your equipment and how you use it.
Here is a list of all user-level terminal server commands, as of release 9.0:
connect <host> Connect to host - same as just a host name disconnect <cn> Break the connection, by name or number exit, quit Close all connections and free the terminal lat <service> Connect to service using DEC LAT protocol lock Lock the terminal login Log in as a particular user name-connection Give a connection a logical name resume Make the named connection be current rlogin <host> Connect to host using Unix rlogin protocol show <cmd> Information commands, type "show ?" for list slip <addr> Enter SLIP mode systat Show terminal lines and users telnet <host> Connect to host using telnet protocol tn3270 <host> Connect to host using IBM 3270 emulation terminal Change terminal's parameters where Show open connections xremote Enter XRemote mode <cr> To resume connectionHere are the parameters you can set using the "term" command. Commands normally take two arguments, a keyword and value, e.g. "term speed 9600" to set the speed to 9600. However a few commands take only a keyword. They are commands that set a specific mode, e.g. "term download" to turn on download mode. The commands preceded by * can be used with "no" in front of them to cancel the effect, e.g. "no term download" to cancel download mode.
databits 5|6|7|8 number of data bits sent, must be consistent with your terminal or communications software. Normally 7 or 8. *download disables special characters, for use with XMODEM or other software that requires a completely transparent path *escape-character <decimal-number>|<control-char> to get special effects during a connection, type this and then another character. See section on "special escape commands" above. flowcontrol none|hardware|software [in|out] software flow control is ^S/^Q (XON/XOFF). Hardware flow control causes a hardware handshake between terminal server and terminal or modem. *hold-character <decimal-number>|<control-char> typing this character will pause output *length <length> number of lines on terminal. *width <width> width of lines on terminal *notify send message to terminal when data arrives on a connection other than the current one *padding <decimal-number> <count> send specified number of nulls after specified character (used primarily for older hardcopy terminals that need nulls to give carriage returns time to happen) parity none|even|odd|space|mark parity of characters sent, must be consistent with your terminal or communications software. *transport preferred telnet|pad|lat|rlogin|none when you use the connect command, try this method of connection first speed 300|600|1200|2400|4800|9600|19200|38400 line speed. Must match the speed of your terminal or mode *start-character <decimal-number>|<control-char> character used for software flow control *stop-character <decimal-number>|<control-char> character used for software flow control stopbits 1|1.5|2 number of stop bits after character. Must match your terminal or communications software. Typically 1 for modern terminals. telnet-transparent change carriage return handling. Try this if you are seeing extra blank lines. terminal-type <string> tell the system the type of terminal you are onHere are the things you can look at with the "show" command:
entry Incoming queue entries hosts Host/address cache lat <keyword> LAT Protocol information, type ? for list sessions Telnet and rlogin connections terminal Terminal parameters users Summary of active lines and connections version Hardware configuration and software version xremote <keyword> XRemote information, type ? for list
This man page was started by Chuck Hedrick and is currently provided as unsupported documentation by cisco. It's available from the anonymous ftp server ftp.cisco.com. Get the file README for more information.