ct(1)ct(1)NAMEct - Dials an attached terminal and issues a login process
SYNOPSISct [-hv] [-sspeed] [-wnumber] [-xnumber] telephone_number
The ct command enables a user on a remote terminal to communicate with
the Tru64 UNIX operating system over a telephone line attached to a
modem at each end of the connection.
OPTIONS
Prevents ct from hanging up the current line to answer an incoming
call. Sets the data rate where speed is expressed in baud. The
default is 1200 baud. Allows ct to send a running narrative to stan‐
dard error output. Specifies number as the maximum number of minutes
that ct is to wait for a line. The command then dials the remote modem
at 1-minute intervals until the connection is established or the speci‐
fied time has elapsed. Used for debugging. Produces detailed informa‐
tion about the command's execution on standard error output on the
local system. The debugging level, number, is a single digit between 0
and 9. The recommended default is 9. Specifies the telephone number
of the modem attached to the remote terminal. telephone_number can
include the digits 0 - 9, - (dashes) representing delays, = (equal
signs) representing secondary dial tones, * (asterisks), and # (number
signs). The phone number can contain a maximum of 31 characters.
DESCRIPTION
Once ct establishes a connection, a user on the remote terminal can log
in and work on the system.
A user on the local system issues ct with the appropriate telephone
number to call the modem attached to the remote terminal. When the con‐
nection is established, ct issues a login prompt that is displayed on
the remote terminal. A user on the remote terminal enters a username
at the prompt, and the operating system opens a new shell. The person
using the remote terminal then proceeds to work on the system like a
local user.
However, if there are no free lines, the ct command displays a message
to that effect and asks if the local user wants to wait for one. If
the reply is no, the ct command hangs up. If the local user wants to
wait for a free line, the ct command prompts for the number of minutes
to wait. The ct command continues to dial the remote system at
1-minute intervals until the connection is established or until the
specified amount of time has elapsed.
In order to establish a ct connection, the remote user contacts the
local user with a regular telephone call and asks the local user to
issue the ct command. However, if such connections occur regularly at
your site, your system manager might prefer that a specified local sys‐
tem automatically issues the ct command to one or more specified termi‐
nals at certain designated times.
The ct command is useful in the following situations: When a user work‐
ing offsite needs to communicate with a local system under strictly
supervised conditions. Because the local system contacts the remote
terminal, the remote user does not need to know the telephone number of
the local system. Additionally, the local user issuing the ct command
can monitor the work of the remote user. When the cost of the connec‐
tion should be charged either to the local site, or to a specific
account on the calling system. If the remote user has the appropriate
access permission and can make outgoing calls on the attached modem,
that user can make the equivalent of a collect call. The remote user
calls the specified local system, logs in, and issues the phone number
of the remote terminal without the -h option. The local system hangs
up the initial link so that the remote terminal is free for an incoming
call, and then calls back to the modem attached to the remote terminal.
After the user logs out, ct prompts the user on the remote terminal
with a reconnect option; the system can either display a new login
prompt or drop the line.
The ct command is not as flexible as the cu command. For example, you
cannot issue system commands on the local system while connected to a
remote system via ct. However, the ct command does have two features
not available with cu: You can instruct ct to continue dialing the
specified number until the connection is established or a set amount of
time has elapsed. You can specify more than one telephone number at a
time to instruct ct to continue dialing each modem until a connection
is established over one of the lines.
If you specify alternate dialing paths by entering more than one number
on the command line, ct tries each line listed in the
/usr/lib/uucp/Devices file until it finds an available line with appro‐
priate attributes, or runs out of entries. If there are no free lines,
ct asks if it should wait for one, and if so, for how many minutes.
The ct command continues to try to open the dialers at 1-minute inter‐
vals until the specified time is exceeded. The local user can override
this default by specifying a time with the -wnumber option when enter‐
ing the command.
NOTES
In order to establish a ct connection, the remote user generally con‐
tacts a local user (with a regular phone call) and asks the local user
to issue the command. Before issuing the ct command, be certain that
the remote terminal is attached to a modem that can answer the tele‐
phone.
EXAMPLES
To connect to a modem with an internal number 4-1589 (the - is
optional), enter: ct 41589
The system responds: Allocated dialer at 1200 baud Confirm
hang_up? (y to hang_up) To dial a modem, with a local telephone
number, attached to a remote terminal (dialing 9 for an outside
line and specifying a 3-minute wait time), enter: ct-w3
9=5551212 To dial a modem, with a long-distance number, attached
to a remote terminal (specifying an outside line and a five-
minute wait), enter: ct-w5 9=15555551212
FILES
Information about available devices. Dialing code abbreviations. Ini‐
tial handshaking on a link. Access permission codes. Accessible
remote systems.
SEE ALSO
Commands: cu(1), login(1), tip(1), uucico(8), uucleanup(8), uucp(1),
uuencode(1), uulog(1), uuname(1), uupick(1), uusched(8), uusend(1),
uustat(1), uuto(1), uux(1)ct(1)