I want to use telnet to control MythTV. However when I type telnet in a shell I get 'command not found'

what do I have to do to enable telnet on Knoppmyth? When searching this forum all answers have led to 'use ssh'. I am already using scp and ssh on the box, but to control myth I want to use the telnet remote control feature.

Thanks in advance

Chris

What is the "telnet remote control feature"? Anything you could do in a telnet session you can do via SSH, with added security.

putty is your friend

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Mythtv allows you to control the frontend through a TCPIP socket, so you can open a telnet window to the mythfrontend box, on another computer such as your laptop or pda, and send commands to:

skip ahead 5 minutes
change channels
set a save point
exit myth front end
etc

this is often easier than using a remote control if you are not near the box or near the remote. I use ssh to connect to the Knoppmyth box, but i need to control the mythfrontend through this shell, and Telnet does not seem to be installed.

Putty is not my friend since I do not use Windows, which is also not my friend! but SSH is up and running, I just don't think I can use SSH to control Myth in this way.

info on the myth docs

http://www.mythtv.org/docs/mythtv-HOWTO-11.html#ss11.6

Please let me know how I can install or activate Telnet on Knoppmyth. I promise to write a wiki entry for it when it's done.

Ahh, I see now.

Which version of KnoppMyth are you using?

you must be telnet'ing to a mythtv process and not to telnetd. The frontend process is listening on a particular port.

You are not telnetting into a shell, you are using a telnet client to open a session to the myth process.

Seems the port is configurable

http://www.mythtv.org/docs/mythtv-HOWTO-11.html#ss11.6

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khrusher wrote:

you must be telnet'ing to a mythtv process and not to telnetd. The frontend process is listening on a particular port.

Of course! you are correct. Thanks for that answer. So the telnet server is not an issue, I knew that I would have to configure it in the myth setup. However I still have the issue that the telnet client does not exist on the knoppmyth box.

I am using SSH to log into the Knoppmyth box from a distance. When I am in the shell, I type 'telnet' and I get 'command not found'. Somehow there is no telnet client on Knoppmyth. It does not seem that apt-get install telnet works. I guess I can find a telnet to install from source. I just thought someone might know which package is missing.

Thanks for your help, khrusher and everyone.

instead of ssh'in into the box and then issuing telnet, why not telnet to your frontend box at the configured control port 'from a distance'

you dont need to be on the box to telnet to one of its ports.

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I think there's a simple "telnet" client library in both the Python samples and Perl stuff already installed on the system...

/usr/lib/python2.4/telnetlib.py
/usr/share/perl5/URI/telnet.pm

I'd probably write a little Python program to do the actual controlling myself...

tjc, that is exactly what I am going to do! As soon as I learn Python. At this time I just want to do a couple of things on my sister's knoppmythbox, and I am in a different city. I think those simple telnet clients will be just fine for my task. Thank-you for pointing them out.

khrusher, I could telnet from another box, but I did not want to open the port. However, now that you mention it, I wonder if her DD-WRT has a telnet client or room to install one. I could do that too, Telnet from the router to the mythbox after using ssh to connect to her router.

Thanks everyone for the help and suggestions.

apt-get install inetutils-telnet ?

For scripting, you might consider expect (apt-get install expect). It is good for things like automated control of command line interfaces.

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