telnet.conf File Format for TCP/IP

Purpose

Translates a client's terminal-type strings into terminfo file entries.

Description

The telnetd daemon uses the /etc/telnet.conf file during terminal negotiation to translate a client's terminal-type strings into terminfo file entries. The telnet.conf file is used when a client's terminal does not correspond directly to a terminfo file entry. If this is the case, the telnet.conf file can map standard terminal names (defined in RFC-1060 Assigned Numbers) to terminfo file entries that the system can emulate.

Each line in the telnet.conf file can contain up to 255 characters. Lines beginning with a # (pound sign) are comment lines.

The telnet.conf file is structured in a two-column line format, with dashes separating the items in each column. The first column specifies a manufacturer, model type, and optional additional information. The second column specifies the terminfo file entry that corresponds to the manufacturer, model, and optional information in the first column. The items in the first column can be either uppercase or lowercase. The items in the second column must be lowercase. RFC-1060 specifies the first terminal type in the telnet.conf file. The format for the telnet.conf file is:

Manufacturer-Model-Options TerminfoModel-Options

Security

Suggested permissions for the telnet.conf file are rw-rw-r— or 664. Suggested ownership is root for owner and system for group.

Examples

Sample telnet.conf entries might look like the following:

DEC-VT100-AM vt100-am
diablo-1620-m8 1620-m8
h-19-a 19-a
TI-800 ti-800

In the first entry, the manufacturer is DEC (Digital Equipment Corporation), the model is VT100, and the AM option specifies automargin. In the second entry, the manufacturer is diablo, the model is 1620, and the m8 option specifies a left margin of 8 columns. In the third entry, the manufacturer is h (Heath), the model is 19, and the a option specifies ANSII mode. In the fourth entry, the manufacturer is TI (Texas Instruments), and the model is 800; no options are specified. For additional terminfo options, refer to the *.ti files in the /usr/lib/terminfo directory.

Files