117 lines
5.6 KiB
Plaintext
117 lines
5.6 KiB
Plaintext
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NOTES ON USING TYMENT AND TELENET
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by Michael A. Banks (mike_banks)
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(A quickie guide to logon numbers, error messages, and other
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useful information that packet switching networks tell you,
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visually and aurally.)
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Excerpted from THE MODEM REFERENCE, by Michael A. Banks.
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Published by Brady Books/Simon & Schuster
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Copyright (c) 1988, 1989, Michael A. Banks.
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Permission to copy to other systems or BBSs, is hereby granted,
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provided this and all text in this file is retained as-is,
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complete and unmodified. Permission to distribute in any other
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form, electronic or hardcopy, MUST be obtained from the author.
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Packet Switching Network User error messages
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If you make an error when entering an online service's
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address (which on either Telenet or Tymnet can sometimes include
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backspacing with ^H, or entering an unrecognizable address or
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command attempt), you are given another chance. Telenet will
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flash a question mark and redisplay its @ prompt. Tymnet will
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display an "Error" message and redisplay its prompt. (Tymnet
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allows you only three tries before it disconnects; Telenet will
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usually continue to redisplay its prompt until you get it right.)
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Node and port numbers
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When you dial into a packet switching network, you'll see a
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series of numbers; these designate the node's number and the
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number of the port being used.
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On Telenet, the first thing you'll see at the sign on (after
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you press <RETURN> twice) is the Telenet network herald, followed
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on the next line by two numbers, like this:
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TELENET
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513 16H
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The first number (513 in this example), designates Telenet's
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internal address for the node I'm using (it also happens to be
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the local area code). The second number (16H) identifies the
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port in use.
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Tymnet displays two numbers in this format:
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-7075-012-
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The first number is the node number (it may be four or five
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digits). The second is the three-digit number of the port in
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use.
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Some nodes also display what Tymnet calls a "slot" number
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between the node and port numbers, like this:
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-7075-02-012-
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Connection failure messages
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You will, on occasion, experience failed connections. These
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may be due to network problems (see the next section) or an
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extremely heavy load on the local node, in which case a Telenet
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node will send the message "LOCAL CONGESTION," and Tymnet will
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send the message "try again in 2 minutes." (The proper response
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to this is to hang up and try again later.)
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If the problem is with the online service, you may receive
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any of several messages, these from Telenet:
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<service> NOT ANSWERING
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<service> NOT REACHABLE
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<service> NOT RESPONDING
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<service> REJECTING
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or these from Tymnet:
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host down
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host shut
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host out of ports
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host not responding
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host not available thru net
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When you see one of these messages, contact the online
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service's customer service department by voice phone, or hang up
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and try again later.
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Identifying Network trouble
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If you seem to be having persistent problems with a network
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connection, it's a good idea to call the network's customer
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service number. Equipment does malfunction at times, and the
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networks may not be aware of a problem for some time if you don't
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advise them of it.
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It is sometimes difficult to identify the network as the
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source of your online trouble, but if any of the following happen
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you can be sure it's the network:
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* There is no answer or a persistent (for more than two
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hours) busy signal at the local node number.
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* You get an error message when you enter a legitimate
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online service address.
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* Your connection with an online service is interrupted and
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you see a message something like "<name of service>
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disconnected <cause> <number string>" or "LOCAL PROCEDURE
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ERROR" or ***POSSIBLE DATA LOSS <cause> <diagnostic>***".
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If you're not sure whether the trouble is in your local
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node, there are a couple of ways you can check on this. The
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first is to sign off/hang up and try to get through to the online
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service you are accessing using a different access number, or via
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another network. Or, you can dial up the network and see if
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accessing its information service results in online problems.
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When you experience network trouble, make a note of the node
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and port numbers discussed, earlier, along with ay error messages
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and/or unusual displays, and the time the trouble occurred.
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These will help the network service people isolate the trouble.
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#
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Interested in modem communications? Check out THE MODEM
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REFERENCE, by Michael A. Banks and published by Brady Books/Simon
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& Schuster. Recommended by Jerry Pournelle in Byte, The New York
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times, The Smithsonian Magazine, various computer magazines, etc.
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If you're a Reflex 2 user (or a Reflex 1 user looking to
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upgrade to Reflex 2), you'll find QUICK & EASY GUIDE TO REFLEX 2
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of interest. Written by Michael A. Banks and published by
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Compute! Books in early 1990, the book provides everything you
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need to get Reflex 2.0 up and running now!
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Want the lowdown on getting more out of your word processor?
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Read the only book on word processing written by writers, for
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writers: WORD PROCESSING SECRETS FOR WRITERS, by Michael A. Banks
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& Ansen Dibel (Writer's Digest Books).
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