How do I enable the telnet server?

[RickB]

I can't pause live TV at the moment.

When I log in via ssh (root@myhummy), I cannot change anything on /mnt/hd2 because it's mounted as a read-only file-system.

To fix my hard drive problem, I think I need to get into Maintenance Mode. To do this I need to use Telnet.

My Hummy seems to be not responding on the standard Telnet port (23). How do I enable the Telnet server?

--
Running HDR-Fox T2 1.03.12/2.23
The SSH server is working and I can log in.
There is also MongooseHTTPd and Samba smbd/nmbd, according to my port scanner. No other ports are open.

 

[Black Hole]

The Telnet server comes with installing the CF and runs from the solid state store (ie not the HDD), so I'm not sure what the problem might be unless you have disabled the Telnet server in the Dropbear settings. (That said, my Dropbear settings say Port 22...)

 

[Ezra Pound]

To fix my hard drive problem, I think I need to get into Maintenance Mode. To do this I need to use Telnet.

If you have access to your Humax via SSH, isn't it possible to get to the Maintenance mode option via the tmenu command line option? or is the problem obtaining the fix-disk option after a Maintenanance mode boot is achieved?

humax# tmenu
Menu version 1.10
Enter system PIN: ****
 
      /-------------------------\
      |  T E L N E T  M E N U  |
      \-------------------------/
 
  [ Humax HDR-Fox T2 (humax) 1.03.12/2.22 ]
 
    1 - Restart into maintenance mode.
    2 - Remove web interface password.
stat - Show what the box is currently doing.
    x - Exit and close connection.
rset - Reset custom firmware environment.
srma - Set return-to-manufacturer (RMA) mode.
diag - Run a diagnostic.
  cli - System command line (advanced users).
 
Please select option:

 

[raydon]

If you have ssh access then simply entering "fix-disk" from the command line will prompt you before rebooting into the Maintenance Mode menu. However dropbear will no longer be running so you will no longer have ssh access, and without telnet either you could find yourself locked out.
You can check that the telnet server is running first by entering "ps x | grep utelnetd"

 

[Black Hole]

I think I got confused between Telnet and SSH, but the Dropbear settings might still explain the lack of Port 23.

 

[prpr]

If the Telnet server is normally disabled, it is run up on port 24 in maintenance mode, so it should not be possible to lock yourself out.

 

[RickB]

Thanks for the advice people.

Fix-disk did the stuff. My Hummy is apparently working sweetly now!

 

[Black Hole]

What did you do - go in on port 22? Was standard Telnet disabled in Dropbear settings? Some feedback would be useful.

 

[RickB]

At some stage earlier, I probably disabled Telnet from the web-if. I can't remember for sure but it's likely.

Ssh was working fine, and allowed me to log in once I'd discovered the default credentials (user: root, password: humax).

The 'tmenu' command brought up the so-called Telnet menu. I selected Maintenance Mode, via a restart. The boot-up took some time then the display showed 'MAINTENANCE'.

I could now log in via Telnet this time, instead of ssh. Once logged in, I simply ran the 'fix-disk' command and waited for it to complete, saying 'y' to its 'Y/N' questions. I took over an hour I guess. With a 'reboot', the Humax restarted again, this time to be a normally-functioning machine.

Rick

PS Telnet is still disabled on my machine. I don't feel a need to enable it.

 

[af123]

Telnet is always started in maintenance mode. The standard version on port 23 which by default asks for the system PIN and displays a menu and another on port 24 that always drops straight into a shell.

Many people choose to disable telnet once SSH is set up as it is not encrypted and only secured by the system PIN.

 

[Ezra Pound]

would it be possible to add Telnet to the 'status' command, so it's status could be checked from the Web-If or via ssh??

 

[prpr]

would it be possible to add Telnet to the 'status' command, so it's status could be checked from the Web-If or via ssh??

Telnet daemon status doesn't belong anywhere near the status command.
You can check it from the Web-If via the settings for the dropbear package, which is where anyone who wants to disable it would actually have disabled it.

 

[raydon]

I think what Ezra actually meant was the service command. I seem to recall that originally it was contained within the Service Management page of the webif and personally I preferred it there. Not only did it allow you to disable it from there, but you could also determine it's actual status. Something that the dropbear settings does not provide.

 

[Ezra Pound]

I think what Ezra actually meant was the service command.

Yes, sorry I meant the service command, if Telnet can only be disabled by dropbear then maybe the line only needs to be included in 'service' if dropbear is running, but I don't think it would do any harm to be present anyway

 

[prpr]

I think what Ezra actually meant was the service command.

In that case I agree. I suggested adding the NTP service there as well, but I'm not sure it got picked up. I added it to my boxes OK.

if Telnet can only be disabled by dropbear then maybe the line only needs to be included in 'service' if dropbear is running, but I don't think it would do any harm to be present anyway

The trouble is that the list is static, in /mod/etc/modservices