Telnet Exit Program Problem

> Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 16:16:07 -0500
> From: Ray Peterson <rpeterso@witc.tec.wi.us>
> Subject: Telnet Exit Program Problem
> 
> We downloaded and created the "Telnet Exit Program" examples from IBM's
> AS/400 Web Site last July.  Everything seemed to be working OK until
> recently when we discovered that if one of the devices being used
> becomes "varied off", all new sessions are blocked until the device is
> "varied on".  Has anyone else experienced this problem?  Or was it
> designed this way intentionally?

As a matter of fact, I discovered that if a device gets varied off for security
reasons, the system API's do not return the device in the list of "existing"
devices on the system (it's essentially unavailable and "invisible").  Since the
Telnet Exits assume if the device is not in the list, it must not exist, it
makes an attempt to create the device.  Due to being varied off for security
reasons, the create fails until the device is varied back on.  This continues
for new sessions of the same root name...and causes a "blocking" effect.

I was trying to figure how to solve this problem...and came to a less than
elegant solution.  You have to create the QSYS/QSYSMSG queue and monitor for
CPF1397.  I wrote some programs to "monitor" for this and create a disabled
device log for the Telnet Exits, but it requires the monitoring program to run
continuously, and that you run the companion "vary on" program to remove
disabled devices from the log.  I don't have an elegant way to run the
monitoring program continously without interfering with any existing programs of
that nature, and other than submitting a batch job (you don't want the samples
to be starting batch jobs...do you?).

All this is in the new telnet44.savf and telnet44.zip that is supposed to hit
the Tech Studio by Thursday 10/28.  These new versions contain code demo'ed at
San Antonio COMMON.  Check the modlog.txt for a list of updates.  Before you use
these, two PTF's are required for support - SF57990 (5769SS1) and MF22842
(5769999) or any supersede.  Also, the installit.txt is what I recommend for
"quick install", and is something that I use myself.

-- 
J.S. (Jeffrey) Stevens  AS/400 TCP/IP (Telnet/WSG/LPD)
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