Linux Readile library through telnet

Hi, All.
In my Linux program I need to have a simple command line input and use
telnet as command console. I try to use Linux readline library. It
works when I use standard input and output. When I open socket,
associate file "dirstream" with it and make redirections:
         rl_instream = dirstream;
	 rl_outstream = dirstream;
the readline outputs prompt to remote telnet console, but I cannot
input the command. And I see following warning: "rl_prep_terminal:
cannot get terminal settings."
Can anybody give an advise?
Thanks in advance, Alex.

Sorry, "Readline Library"
"Alexander Baranov" <alexanderbaranov@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:c1161b98.0408131501.2e0b50d4@posting.google.com...
> Hi, All.
> In my Linux program I need to have a simple command line input and use
> telnet as command console. I try to use Linux readline library. It
> works when I use standard input and output. When I open socket,
> associate file "dirstream" with it and make redirections:
>          rl_instream = dirstream;
> rl_outstream = dirstream;
> the readline outputs prompt to remote telnet console, but I cannot
> input the command. And I see following warning: "rl_prep_terminal:
> cannot get terminal settings."
> Can anybody give an advise?
> Thanks in advance, Alex.

On 2004-08-14, Aleksandr Baranov <baranov@verizon.net> wrote:

>> In my Linux program I need to have a simple command line input
>> and use telnet as command console. I try to use Linux readline
>> library.

> Sorry, "Readline Library"

I doubt that the readline library impliments the Telnet
protocol.

http://rfc.net/rfc854.html

http://rfc.net/search.php3?phrase=telnet

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"Grant Edwards" <grante@visi.com> wrote in message
news:411d6c55$0$65604$a1866201@newsreader.visi.com...
> On 2004-08-14, Aleksandr Baranov <baranov@verizon.net> wrote:
>
> >> In my Linux program I need to have a simple command line input
> >> and use telnet as command console. I try to use Linux readline
> >> library.
>
> > Sorry, "Readline Library"
>
> I doubt that the readline library impliments the Telnet
> protocol.
>
> http://rfc.net/rfc854.html
>
> http://rfc.net/search.php3?phrase=telnet
>
> -- 
> Grant Edwards                   grante             Yow!  CALIFORNIA is
where
>                                   at               people from IOWA or NEW
>                                visi.com            YORK go to subscribe to
>                                                    CABLE TELEVISION!!
Well, being unexperienced,  I've asked a wrong question. Really, I don't use
telnet, I  want to make a telnet-like terminal. I created TCP server,
connected a stream with the socket and work with this stream as with input -
output device.   Now I would like to make Readline handle incoming
characters from this stream. Sorry for inaccuracy.

On 2004-08-14, Aleksandr Baranov <baranov@verizon.net> wrote:

>>>> In my Linux program I need to have a simple command line input
>>>> and use telnet as command console. I try to use Linux readline
>>>> library.
>>
>>> Sorry, "Readline Library"
>>
>> I doubt that the readline library impliments the Telnet
>> protocol.
>>
>> http://rfc.net/rfc854.html
>>
>> http://rfc.net/search.php3?phrase=telnet

> Well, being unexperienced, I've asked a wrong question.

No worries.

> Really, I don't use telnet,

The phrase "I ... use telnet as command console" wasn't
accurate?

> I want to make a telnet-like terminal. I created TCP server,
> connected a stream with the socket and work with this stream
> as with input - output device.  Now I would like to make
> Readline handle incoming characters from this stream. Sorry
> for inaccuracy.

So you're not using telnet at all, and you've written your own
TCP-connected console client and server programs?  

Sounds like you're trying to re-invent telnet. :)

When I've wanted to do what you're describing, I've always just
implimented the bare minimum of the telnet protocol and then
used telnet clients.  Since that's not what you're doing (and I
know little about the readline library), I'll bow out of the
discussion...

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Aleksandr Baranov wrote:
[...]
> Well, being unexperienced,  I've asked a wrong question. Really, I don't use
> telnet, I  want to make a telnet-like terminal. I created TCP server,
> connected a stream with the socket and work with this stream as with input -
> output device.   Now I would like to make Readline handle incoming
> characters from this stream. Sorry for inaccuracy.
> 
> 

I think you may be wanting to send lines to the server, rather than characters.
If that's the case, I'll assume some things.

Readline will help you edit lines locally in your terminal without the server ever
knowing that you are backspacing, using command completion, or whatever. When the line
is ready, hit enter, and the composed line is sent at once? If this is the case, readline
and TCP don't care about each other.

If you want the incoming characters from the connection to be processed through readline,
then things get a little deeper. Readline wants to know a little about who it's sending
characters to - such as whether it can do smart or dumb backspacing. This knowledge comes
from the terminal type, such as ANSI, VT100, xterm, etc.

It this really what you want to do? You'll have to send characters one at a time. Maybe
a little more explanation would help.



Server|read|TCP-------------------TCP|write|Term Client|keyboard|human
Server|write|TCP------------------TCP|read|readline|Term Client|display|human

If this is what you want to do, it's not making a lot of sense to me, sorry.

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Alexander Baranov wrote:
> the readline outputs prompt to remote telnet console, but I cannot
> input the command. And I see following warning: "rl_prep_terminal:
> cannot get terminal settings."
> Can anybody give an advise?

You have two options.

- make a new login account; have the shell call your program (ie, call
your program from .profile / .login / .whatever)

- make a new login account; change the shell for thi account to be your 
program.

If all this sounds weird to you, then you need to read the man pages for 
login(1), bash(1), and probably getty(8).

Kelly

"Bryan Hackney" <bh.remove@bhconsult.com> wrote in message
news:ONqTc.10284$MD.6138@fe1.texas.rr.com...
> Aleksandr Baranov wrote:
> [...]
> > Well, being unexperienced,  I've asked a wrong question. Really, I don't
use
> > telnet, I  want to make a telnet-like terminal. I created TCP server,
> > connected a stream with the socket and work with this stream as with
input -
> > output device.   Now I would like to make Readline handle incoming
> > characters from this stream. Sorry for inaccuracy.
> >
> >
>
> I think you may be wanting to send lines to the server, rather than
characters.
> If that's the case, I'll assume some things.
>
> Readline will help you edit lines locally in your terminal without the
server ever
> knowing that you are backspacing, using command completion, or whatever.
When the line
> is ready, hit enter, and the composed line is sent at once? If this is the
case, readline
> and TCP don't care about each other.
>
> If you want the incoming characters from the connection to be processed
through readline,
> then things get a little deeper. Readline wants to know a little about who
it's sending
> characters to - such as whether it can do smart or dumb backspacing. This
knowledge comes
> from the terminal type, such as ANSI, VT100, xterm, etc.
>
> It this really what you want to do? You'll have to send characters one at
a time. Maybe
> a little more explanation would help.
>
>
>
> Server|read|TCP-------------------TCP|write|Term Client|keyboard|human
> Server|write|TCP------------------TCP|read|readline|Term
Client|display|human
>
> If this is what you want to do, it's not making a lot of sense to me,
sorry.
>
Well. I would better explain from the beginning. I will have a single board
computer with Linux, which will receive data from serial port, process it
and transfer through Ethernet. It will not have keyboard and monitor.
Somehow from time to time will I have to issue commands to it. I decided to
do it using Ethernet connection.  I'm going to create a simple TCP server
and bind it with a stream. I decided to use port 123. Then I will connect
notebook to the network and run "telnet <IP address> <port> on it. Now my
notebook's telnet is ready to send characters and my SBC computer starts
receiving these characters from the stream associated with TCP server. My
program has to handle incoming characters from remote telnet console
characters, handle left and right arrows, DELs, BS etc. On getting CR the
obtained string has to be processed by parser.
While I was in the middle of this work I was told that the readline library
does all this routine work and all, that I have to do is to install it and
make it work with stream rather than with standard input and output.
I installed the library, it works fine with standard console, but I cannot
make it receive characters from stream. Instead it outputs warning:
"rl_prep_terminal: cannot get terminal settings."

Thats the whole story.

On 2004-08-14, Aleksandr Baranov <baranov@verizon.net> wrote:

> Well. I would better explain from the beginning. I will have a
> single board computer with Linux, which will receive data from
> serial port, process it and transfer through Ethernet. It will
> not have keyboard and monitor. Somehow from time to time will
> I have to issue commands to it.

I'd recommend using the Telnet protocol, since then you won't
have to write a client program.

> I decided to do it using Ethernet connection.  I'm going to
> create a simple TCP server and bind it with a stream. I
> decided to use port 123. Then I will connect notebook to the
> network and run "telnet <IP address> <port> on it.

But in another post, you said you _weren't_ using Telnet. Which
is it?

> Now my notebook's telnet is ready to send characters and my
> SBC computer starts receiving these characters from the stream
> associated with TCP server. My program has to handle incoming
> characters from remote telnet console characters, handle left
> and right arrows, DELs, BS etc. On getting CR the obtained
> string has to be processed by parser. While I was in the
> middle of this work I was told that the readline library does
> all this routine work and all, that I have to do is to install
> it and make it work with stream rather than with standard
> input and output. I installed the library, it works fine with
> standard console, but I cannot make it receive characters from
> stream. Instead it outputs warning: "rl_prep_terminal: cannot
> get terminal settings."

Readline probably expects to be connected to a tty device.
You're connecting it to a TCP socket.  There are various
termios ioctl() calls that tty devices support that sockets
don't.

The standard way to handle this problem is for the telnet
server (which you are writing) to use a pty pair to pass data
to/from the "shell" (in your case the readline library).  That
way the "shell" (readline) program sees a tty device like it
expects.

If you _are_ using Telnet, then you could just put it in
line-buffered mode with local echo enabled, and then the
editing is done by client program, rather than the server
program..

Or you could hack the readline library so it doesn't expect a
tty device and just deals with a byte stream.

Do you have enough memory to install busybox on your SBC?
IIRC, it impliments a telnet server, shell, and command-line
editor...

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On 2004-08-14, Kelly Hall <khall@acm.org> wrote:
> Alexander Baranov wrote:
>> the readline outputs prompt to remote telnet console, but I cannot
>> input the command. And I see following warning: "rl_prep_terminal:
>> cannot get terminal settings."
>> Can anybody give an advise?
>
> You have two options.
>
> - make a new login account; have the shell call your program (ie, call
> your program from .profile / .login / .whatever)

We don't know if he _has_ a shell on his SBC, if he's running any
sort of init or getty, or ...

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