telnet can't connect to localhost [solved]

[Saladin]

I know, ssh is more secure. But I'm testing a MUD codebase, so ssh won't work. Besides, the computer is not connected to the internet, so I'm not particularly worried about security.

Anyway, I keep getting an error message:

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telnet: Can't connect to remote host (127.0.0.1): Connection refused

I'm on Lupu 5.2.8.

[Semme]

Hey, if that message was spit out by the BusyBox telnet, you should grab the real deal in PPM >> inetutils.

[trapster]

Are you running a telnet server? Try it after running telnetd.

[Saladin]

Thanks guys! Still can't get it working though.

I got inetutils-1.4.1. Tried to make a pet package of it (because the computer I'm working on can't 'make'). When I installed the package, and checked root/.packages, it looked like the package hadn't installed a single file. So I thought I'll just make install on the other computer, and copy the files over via disk.

Make install gives me this:

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Making install in headers
make[1]: Entering directory `/tmp/inetutils-1.4.1/headers'
make[2]: Entering directory `/tmp/inetutils-1.4.1/headers'
make[2]: Nothing to be done for `install-exec-am'.
make[2]: Nothing to be done for `install-data-am'.
make[2]: Leaving directory `/tmp/inetutils-1.4.1/headers'
make[1]: Leaving directory `/tmp/inetutils-1.4.1/headers'
Making install in libinetutils
make[1]: Entering directory `/tmp/inetutils-1.4.1/libinetutils'
source='ttymsg.c' object='ttymsg.o' libtool=no \
	depfile='.deps/ttymsg.Po' tmpdepfile='.deps/ttymsg.TPo' \
	depmode=gcc3 /bin/sh ../depcomp \
	gcc -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -I. -I. -I.. -DPATH_WTMPX=\"/usr/local/var/log/wtmpx\"    -I../include    -g -O2 -c `test -f 'ttymsg.c' || echo './'`ttymsg.c
ttymsg.c: In function 'ttymsg':
ttymsg.c:135: error: lvalue required as left operand of assignment
make[1]: *** [ttymsg.o] Error 1
make[1]: Leaving directory `/tmp/inetutils-1.4.1/libinetutils'
make: *** [install-recursive] Error 1

Attempting to copy does this:

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Copying /tmp/inetutils-1.4.1/include/glob.h as /mnt/sdc1/inetutils-1.4.1/include/glob.h
ERROR: Operation not permitted
Copying /tmp/inetutils-1.4.1/include/fnmatch.h as /mnt/sdc1/inetutils-1.4.1/include/fnmatch.h
ERROR: Operation not permitted
Copying /tmp/inetutils-1.4.1/include/crypt.h as /mnt/sdc1/inetutils-1.4.1/include/crypt.h
ERROR: Operation not permitted
Copying /tmp/inetutils-1.4.1/include/arpa as /mnt/sdc1/inetutils-1.4.1/include/arpa
Copying /tmp/inetutils-1.4.1/include/arpa/telnet.h as /mnt/sdc1/inetutils-1.4.1/include/arpa/telnet.h
ERROR: Operation not permitted
Copying /tmp/inetutils-1.4.1/include/arpa/ftp.h as /mnt/sdc1/inetutils-1.4.1/include/arpa/ftp.h
ERROR: Operation not permitted
Copying /tmp/inetutils-1.4.1/include/arpa/tftp.h as /mnt/sdc1/inetutils-1.4.1/include/arpa/tftp.h
ERROR: Operation not permitted
Copying /tmp/inetutils-1.4.1/include/protocols as /mnt/sdc1/inetutils-1.4.1/include/protocols
Copying /tmp/inetutils-1.4.1/include/protocols/talkd.h as /mnt/sdc1/inetutils-1.4.1/include/protocols/talkd.h
ERROR: Operation not permitted
Copying /tmp/inetutils-1.4.1/include/tftpsubs.h as /mnt/sdc1/inetutils-1.4.1/include/tftpsubs.h
ERROR: Operation not permitted

I installed this package, which at least gives me a different kind of error. Now, instead of this

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telnet: Can't connect to remote host (127.0.0.1): Connection refused

it says

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Trying 127.0.0.1.
Connected to 127.0.0.1.
Escape character is '^]'.

Then after several seconds, I get

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Connection closed by foreign host. 

and it returns my prompt.

[npierce]

What does /etc/hosts.allow look like?

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cat /etc/hosts.allow

[Saladin]

At the moment:

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ALL: LOCAL

I've changed it a few times based on suggestions from google, but it doesn't seem to make a difference in this instance. I still get the same "Connection closed by foreign host. "

[npierce]

That looks good, assuming you are still trying 127.0.0.1 or localhost.

Using Lupu 5.2.8.6-20140106 and the Inetd-Telnet.pet package you linked to in your previous post, I do get a login prompt, and can login.

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# telnet 127.0.0.1
Trying 127.0.0.1...
Connected to 127.0.0.1.
Escape character is '^]'.

Linux 2.6.33.2 (localhost) (2)

puppypc login:

Do you still get these lines?:

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Trying 127.0.0.1...
Connected to 127.0.0.1.
Escape character is '^]'.

If I break /etc/hosts-allow I see the behaviour you described. But yours looks fine, so I'm not sure what else to suggest.

Perhaps some other change to Lupu has interfered with things. Have you considered booting with a pristine Lupu (no save file) by entering puppy pfix=ram at the boot: prompt, then reinstalling the Inetd-Telnet.pet and restarting inetd?

[Saladin]

Just tried booting without the save file, and it connects me to the login prompt, just like you said. Thank you very much for that.

But booting from the save file on two different computers still gives me this:

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Trying 127.0.0.1...
Connected to 127.0.0.1.
Escape character is '^]'.
Connection closed by foreign host. 

It's strange. I thought maybe it was an installed package interfering, so I just installed every package I have on the one computer into my pristine Lupu, and it still connects just fine.

So I can just transfer all my files over to a new save file and I'm set. I'm a little worried that it will just happen again, but I guess if that does happen, I'll have a better idea what causes it.

[npierce]

You're welcome. Glad to hear you got it going, even though the reason that there was a problem is still a mystery.

If you still have the old save file, trying to connect and failing, then running this command might or might not provide a clue:

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grep telnetd /var/log/messages | tail

But if you are happy with your new save file, don't bother. Sometimes it is best to leave an obsolete mystery unsolved and move on.

[Saladin]

I haven't created a new savefile yet. I've been running low on hard drive space, so I want to be sure to backup everything first.

And I do want to know what causes this, just to be sure it won't happen again.

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sh-4.1# grep telnetd /var/log/messages | tail
Mar  5 22:40:13 puppypc authpriv.warn in.telnetd[732]: refused connect from 127.0.0.1 (127.0.0.1)

[npierce]

After failing with "Connection closed by foreign host", what output, if any, do you get from these two commands?:

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grep 127.0.0.1 /etc/hosts
diff /initrd/pup_ro2/etc/hosts.allow /etc/hosts.allow

[npierce]

[EDIT, 13:54 UTC]
Before editing /etc/hosts, save the output from these commands for a clue as to what went wrong:

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ls -l /etc/hosts
ls -lc /etc/hosts

[/EDIT]

The error message that you found in /var/log/messages indicates that you probably don't have an entry for 127.0.0.1 in your /etc/hosts file. If the grep 127.0.0.1 /etc/hosts command suggested in my previous post doesn't give you any output, that would verify that it is missing. If so, add a line like this to the file:

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127.0.0.1 localhost puppypc

But replace "puppypc" with the output from this command if different:

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hostname

[Saladin]

After failing with "Connection closed by foreign host", what output, if any, do you get from these two commands?:

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grep 127.0.0.1 /etc/hosts
diff /initrd/pup_ro2/etc/hosts.allow /etc/hosts.allow

No output from either. They just immediately give me new prompts.

[EDIT, 13:54 UTC]
Before editing /etc/hosts, save the output from these commands for a clue as to what went wrong:

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ls -l /etc/hosts
ls -lc /etc/hosts

[/EDIT]

The error message that you found in /var/log/messages indicates that you probably don't have an entry for 127.0.0.1 in your /etc/hosts file. If the grep 127.0.0.1 /etc/hosts command suggested in my previous post doesn't give you any output, that would verify that it is missing. If so, add a line like this to the file:

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127.0.0.1 localhost puppypc

But replace "puppypc" with the output from this command if different:

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hostname

Actually, I think I can tell you what went wrong myself. I was following a guide to get some network option to work with Wine a few months ago, and I changed that file several times. I must have been doing things wrong, because I never did get it to work.

Seeing that it was directly my fault is a big relief. It means that if I don't go messing with things, this might not go wrong for me again.

And fixing that file does fix telnet on this computer. But that's just the error message on this computer. The other computer reports nothing for "grep telnetd /var/log/messages | tail", and the "127.0.0.1 localhost puppypc" is already in /etc/hosts, yet it's still giving me the same "foreign host" error.

Edit: figured out the problem with the other computer: hosts.deny was set to deny all. No idea how that got like that, but I deleted that line, and everything runs fine.