Subj : BBS Setup question
To   : Aceboy
From : Amcleod
Date : Tue Feb 12 2002 12:02 am

  Re: BBS Setup question
  By: Aceboy to All on Tue Feb 12 2002 07:46 am

 > I'm trying to set up a BBS and I don't understand this whole telnet thing.  
 > can be at the terminal or the computer downstairs which is networked and tel
 > to my PC's IP address and it works, but when I go to a computer at say work 
 > try it doesnt work.  What am I doing wrong and how can I set it up that I ha
 > a name to telnet to.  Like my BBS is called The DarkSide BBS.  If anyone can
 > help me I'd appreciate it.

You have not described your setup too well, but anyway...

You can telnet to any machine that is reachable on the network.  If you don't
have a domain name, you can telnet to the IP address instead, assuming you know
what it is.

Telnetting from work to home;  you will need the IP address (or domain name, if
you have one) of yopur PC at home.That would be the external interface.  So if
you have a network card but you connect to the internet via PPP, then you need
to telnet to the PPP interface's IP address.  

If you have more than one machine, chances are you are using some sort of IP
Masquerade (AKA NAT, ICS, etc).  If so, then only the gateway box is directly
reachable from outside (because there is only one IP address assigned to your
connection).  The other machines on the inside (maybe with IP addresses in the
192.168.###.### range?) are not accessible from outside.  You may reach them,
but to do so you have to:  i) set up the gateway to do PORT FORWARDING to an
internal host, so when you connect to the gateway it actually passes through
the connection to an internal machine.  Or ii) first telnet to the gateway,
then once you have logged on there, telnet from there to the internal machine
you want to use.  Note:  telnet isn't terribly secure so use ssh if you can.  I
use ssh to our gateway from outside, but then i telnet from there on to the
internal machines if need be.

.