Re: [leafnode-list] fetchnews doesn't connect

[lawrence.jones@xxxxxxx (Larry Jones)]

Frank Hrebabetzky writes:
> 
> In order to have a firmer base for discussions with my provider (who
> doesn't provide support for Linux), I would like to understand what telnet
> . 119 does. I only know telnet as a facility to use my computer as a
> remote terminal for another computer. But with respect to a news server
> and with that magical number as argument? Can it be explained in a few
> words? "man telnet" didn't help me much.

119 is the well-known port number reserved for news servers.  Telnetting
to that port connects you to the news server rather than the usual
telnet server.  When you connect to a news server, the news server is
obliged to send you a welcome message of some sort, after which you can
actually type commands and get responses back.  It's quite possible to
read news just using telnet, but it's not the friendliest user
interface.  In your case, however, it appears that the connection was
never established (telnet generally prints the "Trying" message when it
attempts to connect and a "Connected" message when it succeeds, but you
never got the "Connected" message).  That usually means that the server
machine is down, but you were able to ping it, so that must not be the
problem in this case.  The only other possibility is that something is
blocking the communication between your machine and the server -- have
you recently installed or reconfigured a router or firewall of some
kind?  If not, perhaps your ISP has.

-Larry Jones

Hmph. -- Calvin

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