Force telnet client into character mode

Question

I have an application where I accept a socket connection from a telnet client and put up a simple, keyboard driven character GUI.

The telnet client, at least on Linux, defaults into line-at-a-time mode, so I always have to do ^]mode char manually.

A skim of the relevant RFCs suggests that if my application simply sent the characters IAC DONT LINEMODE (\377\376\042) as soon as the client connects, the client should be forced into character mode. However it doesn't make any difference.

What's the simplest bit of code that would do the job? Ideally just a string to be sent... my application can absorb whatever junk the client sends back.

Answer 1

For what it's worth, solved it myself.

// IAC WONT LINEMODE IAC WILL ECHO

write(s,"\377\375\042\377\373\001",6);

gets the remote (at least telnet from an Xterm on a Linux box) into the right state.

Answer 2

Interesting. I had more luck sending

IAC WILL ECHO IAC WILL SUPPRESS_GO_AHEAD IAC WONT LINEMODE
255  251    1 255  251                 3 255  252       34

The IAC WONT LINEMODE seems to be redundant: my telnet client seems to get to the right state without it, but I left it in for completeness.