Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!csd4.milw.wisc.edu!bionet!agate!ucbvax!ICAEN.UIOWA.EDU!dbfunk
From: dbfunk@ICAEN.UIOWA.EDU (David B. Funk)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apollo
Subject: Re: siologin_modem problem, Help
Message-ID: <8901310109.AA00948@icaen.uiowa.edu>
Date: 31 Jan 89 00:26:28 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: Iowa Computer Aided Engineering Network, University of Iowa
Lines: 59

In posting <133000001@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu>, Hugh   (gsg0384@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu) says:

> I have a problem:  
> ...
> Now it should stop and wait till I enter the code.  However, nineteen out
> of twenty, it shows the following screen:
> 
> AEGIS-DOMAIN/IX Kernel, revision 9.5.1  ...(the dial-in date time etc) ...
> Enter line access code:
> Invalid line access code.
> Enter line access code:
> You are out of chance.  Too bad... good by

Your problem is that the siologin process sees "return" characters
before it sees your attempt to type in the line access code. As the
line access code read is not echoed, you don't see the characters its
receiving. You are probably having 1 of 2 possible problems:

1)  When dialing in with your modem, do NOT hit the "return" key until
    after you see the "Enter line access code:" prompt. Any "returns"
    that you hit after the remote modem has answered the phone and before
    the prompt is issued, will be saved. Then the siologin process will
    see these saved-up "returns" and think that you are giving it a null
    line access code. It may take several seconds between the time that
    the remote modem answers the phone and the display of the prompt.
    During this time resist temptation to bang on the "return" key, you'll
    only cause this problem to arise. IE when calling in, give the command
    to your modem to dial the phone (EX: ATDT12345678 ) then take your
    hands off the keyboard of your terminal and WAIT. Don't even touch the
    keyboard until AFTER the "Enter line access code:" prompt appears. Yes,
    I know that on many other computer systems you have to dial in and then
    hit the "return" key several times to get a "login" prompt. Not so for
    Apollo, this will only cause your problem. If you are using a PC and
    some kind of terminal emulation program to dial your modem, check the
    progam to make sure that it's not doing something like this.

2)  If the preceding description is not true (you've followed the directions
    and it still bombs you out), then the Apollo is seeing characters from
    the answering modem before it sees them from you. If the answering modem
    on the Apollo end is emitting some kind of text to the Apollo when it
    picks up the phone (such as a result code like "connect 1200") then the
    siologin process will think that this is a bogus line access code and
    bomb out. Have the Apollo administrator check the modem to see if it is
    emitting some text when a user calles in. Many "smart" modems have lots
    of configuration parameters, which if not all set correctly can cause
    things like this to happen. One way to check this, disconnect the
    answering modem from the Apollo and connect it to a terminal. Make a
    call to it and watch the terminal screen. If at all possible, put the
    terinal in a mode that will cause it to display control characters as
    well as regular ones. Even a bare "cr" characer at this time will cause
    this problem.
      A variation on this problem is caused by phone line noise, not a modem
    setup problem. If the answering modem "hears" enough noise on the line,
    after it answers the phone and before it locks onto your modem's
    carrier, then it may spit out garbage characters. The monitoring
    terminal trick will also detect this problem. This problem is real tough
    to fix, you may have to try different modems at the Apollo end.

Dave Funk