> i.e. there is no device that make a shell or a telnet client available to a > terminal and I will have to roll my own.
You may of course choose to DIY but there have been several common and cheaply-available-used solutions presented to you. The default behavior of most terminal servers (single port or otherwise) is, "connect your terminal, hit RETURN a few times, Telnet/rlogin/SSH/whatever to whatever host you desire." Thanks, Jonathan