Using the VSNL Shell Account

How to connect to the Internet and use the VSNL Shell account - with a few useful tips…

Welcome back.

Last month, I explained what sort of Internet accounts you can get in India (at the moment - things are likely to change soon now that the government has lifted the barrier on private Internet providers).

This month, I am going to address the actual connection process, and also give you a few hints on how get the most out of such a connection. We will be specifically discussing the VSNL Shell Account this month.

Before you connect…

Connecting to the Internet in with a Shell account is pretty easy - you dial the number of your Internet gateway using your modem, log in using your account name (User ID) and password, and you are on.

But hold on - let's make sure that we have all our settings in place before we do that.

First of all, check your modem. Is it an error-correcting one? It better be - trying to connect without MNP or V.42 is an exercise in frustration.

If you are using an external modem (as you should be), make sure that your serial cable that connects your modem to your PC is a good one. Specifically, ensure that the 9 critical wires on the 25-pin side of the cable (which connects to the modem) are properly connected to their counterparts on the other end of the cable (which connects to your PC). The 9 critical wires are those that are connected to pins 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 20 and 22. If you are using a cable with a 25-pin connector at each end, then these should be connected in a one-to-one fashion (i.e. pin 2 is connected to pin 2 on the other end, etc.). If you are using a 9-pin connector at the PC end of the cable, make sure they are connected in the following fashion:

25-pin 9-pin

2 -> 3

3 -> 2

4 -> 7

5 -> 8

6 -> 6

7 -> 5

8 -> 1

20 -> 4

22 -> 9

Some modem vendors try to get away with an incomplete cable - make sure that this is not the case with your cable. If it is, get a replacement before you try anything else.

Next, make sure you have the right communication software. Many of you are still using DOS and/or Windows 3.x. In this case, stay away from Windows-based communication programs and stick to DOS programs. If you are using Windows 95 or OS/2, Windows-based programs are feasible - the ones shipping with these two operating systems are pretty decent. For the moment, I assume you are using a DOS based program, specifically the one called Telix.

Configure the communication program so that your terminal speed is no more than 19200 bps, that terminal emulation is set to VT100 (or VT102), and that Hardware Flow Control (RTS/CTS) is enabled.

Next, use this program to configure your modem. Ensure that the modem is set for Hardware Flow Control (usually AT\Q3). Set the modem so that it does not get cut off by the 5 minute beep (ATS10=200) and also set the dial time-out to 90 instead of the default 45 (ATS7=90). Save these settings (AT&W) so that you do not have to repeat this everytime.

Connecting to the Internet

When you connect the first few times, I strongly suggest that you do so at 2400 bps instead of 9600/14400. The reason is that if your modem or line quality is not very good, you will have a disappointing time. Force your modem to connect at 2400 by making the appropriate setting in the modem (ATS37=6 in most cases, ATB6 in Motorola FasTalks at AT&N14 in ZyXEL modems).

Now you are ready to call into the Internet. But just before you dial, take a second to open a capture (log) file. In Telix, press Alt-L and enter a filename (e.g. SESSLOG.CAP). From now on, everything that appears on your screen will also be saved in this file.

Now dial the Internet number by typing ATDP followed by the correct number (if you have Tone Dialling available on your line, use ATDT instead). You can also make an entry in Telix's Dialling Directory (Alt-D) and use that to dial instead.

Once you connect to the Internet (in this case via VSNL's Gateway Internet Access Service), you will be prompted for a User ID and a Password. Enter them exactly as told to you by the Service Provider (remember that case is important - PRASANTO is not the same as prasanto or Prasanto - ditto for the password).

Online to the Internet

One you are connected and logged in, you will be shown a menu of options (VSNL has promised to give full shell access Real Soon Now, but for the moment you are still stuck with the menu).

Now, pay attention. If you are connected to a VSNL site other than Bombay, your VSNL user shell may have a horrible bug that could lock you out of your account if you are not careful. Follow these steps exactly to avoid this:

  1. Select the KERMIT option from the menu.
  2. Type this command : del shell.sem
  3. After you get a confirmation that the file has been deleted, type exit to quit from the Kermit program.
  4. If you do not follow these steps and lose the connection at some point (without specifically logging out), you may find that you cannot log in again and will have to call the 24-hour VSNL HelpDesk (which works from 9 to 5) to get the account released.

Exploring

Right, now you are all set and can explore the various options available to you in the VSNL menu.

There aren't too many choices to be made here. You have an Electronic Mail facility, you can use telnet to connect to other computers, ftp to transfer files from other computers and Lynx to browse the World Wide Web in text mode.

Here are a few tips that should speed up operations for you.

Electronic Mail

VSNL does not provide you with any way to download all your mail in one shot. But there is a way by which you can do this. Here are the steps:

  1. Select the Download with Zmodem option.
  2. Some sites will now show you a list of files in your directory. Press Enter until, you are asked for a filename.
  3. Now type in the following very carefully: /usr/spool/mail/userid, where userid should be replaced with the name of your account (the login name you use to log in). For example, if your userid is "prasanto", enter /usr/spool/mail/prasanto.
  4. Now the contents of your e-mail file will begin to transfer to your computer. (If you have not enabled Auto-Zmodem download in your communication package, you will have to start the transfer manually by pressing PgDn and selecting Zmodem).
  5. When the transfer is completed successfully, verify that the file is now on your disk (it will be a file with a filename the same as your userid - in this case prasanto). You can do this by dropping down to DOS (in Telix this is with Alt-J) and using the DIR command to check it.
  6. While you are there, rename the file to a unique name (I use the convention yymmdd.eml, where yy is the year, mm is the month and dd is the day. For example, email I download on the 10th of January, 1996, would be renamed to 960110.eml). This step is important because the next time you download a mailbox, the same name would be used and your existing mail-file could get over-written.
  7. Now return to your communication program by typing EXIT.
  8. Now select the KERMIT option from the VSNL Shell Menu and delete the mail on the VSNL host by typing the command del /usr/spool/mail/userid (remembering to replace userid with your own login name).
  9. Now you can log out of VSNL and disconnect, then read you mail at leisure offline, using a text editor or a word processor.

Posting a message is cumbersome on VSNL - here is a way to speed things up:

  1. First of all, before connecting, create your message using a pure-ASCII text editor (such as NE, my own Teddy or the Windows Notepad). Save it as a file.
  2. Next, connect to VSNL, and select the E-Mail option. Choose to Compose a message. Now you will be asked the address to which the message is to be sent. Enter it exactly as it has been told to you (for example, my address is atul@iisc.ernet.in).
  3. Next, enter a subject for the message.
  4. Finally, your cursor will enter the message text area on the screen. Don't type anything now. Instead, press PgUp, which will bring up the Upload menu in Telix, and select ASCII. You will be asked for a filename - enter the name of the file in which you have saved the prepared message. Telix will now quickly send the prepared text to VSNL. At the other end, the E-Mail editor will think you are the fastest typist on earth, and will accept the text as if you have typed it yourself online.
  5. Once the message transfer is complete and the transfer screen disappears, press Ctrl-X to send the message on its way.

A better way to FTP

Most people will use the FTP facility offered in the VSNL menu to transfer files from remote computers to the VSNL computer. Here is a smarter way to do it:

  1. Select the Lynx - Browse the World Wide Web option from the menu.
  2. Once the screen settles down, press "g". You will be asked for a URL. Here enter the site you wish to connect to, prefixed with ftp://. For example, if you wish to connect to ftp.microsoft.com, enter ftp://ftp.microsoft.com. Press Enter.
  3. Now Lynx will connect to that site, and will show you a scrollable menu of directories and files available there. Navigate to the directory you are interested in, and highlight the file that you want. Now press Enter to download it to the VSNL computer.
  4. Lynx may now ask you what to do with the file - select Download.
  5. The file will now begin transferring to the VSNL computer. When it is complete, it will ask you what to do with it - select Save. It will ask you for a filename - the default is the original filename of the file, and pressing Enter now will accept it as such.
  6. Now Select "q" to quit from Lynx, and use the Zmodem Download option from the VSNL shell menu to transfer the file to your computer.

Accessing the UseNet

VSNL had promised UseNet (Newsgroups) access in its brochure, but appeared to have changed its mind later. Bottomline is that there is no convenient way to access the thousands of Newsgroups that form the heart of the Internet.

Well, where there is a will. There is a way…

  1. First of all, you need to configure the E-Mail program to read news. To do this, start the E-Mail facility,a nd choose Setup , then Config.
  2. Scroll down to the item that says NNTP Server and press "a". Enter the following exactly as shown: news.uni-stuttgart.de
  3. Press enter, then "e" to exit from the configuration process. Then Quit from the E-Mail program.
  4. Next, you need a file that contains the various newsgroup names, called .newsrc - which is actually just a text file that you can create yourself. It is simply a list of newsgroup names, each followed by a colon ":".

    For example:

    ....
    comp.os.linux.announce:
    comp.os.linux.answers:
    comp.os.linux.development.apps:
    comp.os.linux.development.system:
    comp.os.linux.development:
    comp.os.linux.hardware:
    comp.os.linux.misc:
    comp.os.linux.networking:
    comp.os.linux.setup:
    ....

    You can create a file with your favourite newsgroups, and call it .newsrc (the initial dot is important), and place it in your VSNL home directory.

  5. Now get back into the e-mail program Pine.
  6. Select Folders.
  7. Cursor down to the News groups item and press Enter.
  8. A little while later, the newsgroups will appear and you can select one. This will cause all the message topics in that newsgroup to be retrieved - unfortunately, this can take some time. Be patient.
  9. Finally, select the messages you want to read.

Have fun!

Winding down

OK, that's it for this month. Next month I'll give you more tips on how to make your life on the Internet a little easier.

In the meanwhile, let me know how you fare! Got any tips you think others should know about? Found any interesting places to visit? Let me know via E-Mail,a nd I'll try and cover them in future articles.

See you soon.