On Thu, May 24, 2001 at 01:24:03PM -0700, Matt Dillon wrote:
>
> :Because `all telnet really does is connect to sockets' is patently
> :false. Check out the nearly 100 RFCs detailing the TELNET protocol.
> :Almost none of these make much sense to do over UNIX domain sockets
> :[1].
>
> Huh? Oh yah, *that* protocol. Telnet only does that if the server
> is a telnetd. Otherwise it's just straight character I/O.
What I am saying is that we really should have a separate app to do
`just straight character I/O' over whatever medium. There are already
several in the ports tree.
> Any
> experienced sysad knows this from telneting to the web server or
> smtp server or pop server, etc etc etc. Being able to telnet to a unix
> domain socket is no different.
I don't often use telnet for this. Rather, I use netcat. I do
recognize that other folks do this. In practice, no harm comes of it.
In principal, I think it is silly to try to talk TELNET with something
that you know shouldn't be talking TELNET.
> Unix domain sockets are a good test of experience. They are obscure
> enough that many people don't even realize they exist (and even fewer
> know that you can pass file descriptors over them). But unix-domain
> sockets are extremely useful in all manner of applications and the
> more sophisticated programmers use them all over the place. Being able
> to telnet to one is natural. Over the years I've probably
> written the 'connect to unix domain socket' program 50 times because
> it wasn't standard in a system. Now it is. Yahhh.
I agree with the sentiment here. I just don't agree with sticking it
in telnet. Perhaps paradoxically, I wouldn't mind so much if inetd +
telnetd were updated to support PF_UNIX, too. Then, at least, there
would be something to talk NVT to over PF_UNIX :-)
But as the original submittor said, this thread is getting silly. I
merely wanted to note my objection, not argue about it. I should have
also noted that I would have liked /some/ discussion of this on
freebsd-net before it was committed, but hey, it's -CURRENT.
Cheers,
--
Jacques Vidrine / [EMAIL PROTECTED] / [EMAIL PROTECTED] / [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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