RFC 1091 (rfc1091) - Page 2 of 7

Telnet terminal-type option

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RFC 1091              Telnet Terminal-Type Option          February 1989


      IAC SB TERMINAL-TYPE SEND IAC SE

         Server requests client to transmit his (the client's) next
         terminal type, and switch emulation modes (if more than one
         terminal type is supported).  The code for SEND is 1. (See
         below.)

      IAC SB TERMINAL-TYPE IS ... IAC SE

         Client is stating the name of his current (or only) terminal
         type.  The code for IS is 0.  (See below.)

3. Default

      WON'T TERMINAL-TYPE

         Terminal type information will not be exchanged.

      DON'T TERMINAL-TYPE

         Terminal type information will not be exchanged.

4. Motivation for the Option

   On most machines with bit-mapped displays (e.g., PCs and graphics
   workstations) a client terminal emulation program is used to simulate
   a conventional ASCII terminal.  Most of these programs have multiple
   emulation modes, frequently with widely varying characteristics.
   Likewise, modern host system software and applications can deal with
   a variety of terminal types.  What is needed is a means for the
   client to present a list of available terminal emulation modes to the
   server, from which the server can select the one it prefers (for
   arbitrary reasons).  There is also need for a mechanism to change
   emulation modes during the course of a session, perhaps according to
   the needs of applications programs.

   Existing terminal-type passing mechanisms within Telnet were not
   designed with multiple emulation modes in mind.  While multiple names
   are allowed, they are assumed to be synonyms.  Emulation mode changes
   are not defined, and the list of modes can only be scanned once.

   This document defines a simple extension to the existing mechanisms,
   which meets both of the above criteria.  It makes one assumption
   about the behaviour of implementations coded to the previous standard
   in order to obtain full backwards-compatibility.






VanBokkelen
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