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From: mckenzie@J.BBN.COM.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip
Subject: Re:  Bridge/Excelan VMS/TCP-IP problem
Message-ID: <8706121241.AA17545@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: Fri, 12-Jun-87 08:23:04 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.8706121241.AA17545
Posted: Fri Jun 12 08:23:04 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 13-Jun-87 20:12:35 EDT
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Steve,

The Telnet protocol was specifically designed to be symmetric; EITHER party to
a Telnet connection is permitted to suggest a shift to binary mode, although
both parties must agree before the shift takes place.  On the other hand,
Telnet is a specification of the PROTOCOL which takes place between two
systems; it is NOT a spec of the interface to the user of Telnet on either
system.  What you are asking for is provision, in the local interface, for one
Telnet user (the terminal user on the Bridge box, or the program on the uVAX)
to ask the local Telnet to suggest the use of binary mode, and for the other
user to agree that this is acceptable.

I do not think you will find anything in the Telnet specs on which to base a
claim that either interface MUST supply this functionality.  In fact, binary
mode is a Telnet OPTION, and by definition is not required.  So in my opinion,
neither of the Telnet implementations is "broken" in the sense you suggest.  [I
do believe Excelan is wrong if they told you the spec forbids them from
suggesting binary mode, but that's not, I think, the main point.] Rather, the
user community needs to convince one or both of these manufacturers that their
implementation would be much more useful if it provided the additional
functionality.  One way to do this is to switch from purchases of the less
useful product to a more useful product, although this may not be feasible in
your case.  Another way is to just keep up the pressure on the manufacturer.

Regards,
Alex McKenzie