Creating custom menu's to replace the login prompt

Issue:
How to create customized screen menu's for terminals serially attached to the Jetstream ports to provide Silent Telnet services.

Solution:

With this method the user will be offered a list of destinations as soon as the terminal is powered up on a serial port (the menu will not be present on the Admin port or through any network connection).

They will be able to select one of the destinations and when the user disconnects the list will be displayed again. Invalid selections will cause the screen to redraw.

Note: If a valid username is typed the user will gain access to the command line depending on their user level.

The login screen can also be modified to include titles and contact numbers (up to 300 characters including menu text). This method also has the advantage that it will work with almost any terminal type, the unix server handles more complex graphics (e.g. boxes) manipulation after the telnet session has been initiated.

This is configured as follows:

a. Upgrade the unit to a minimum of firmware version 2.3.0.

b. Create a language file with the personalised text and menus required. This is done by modifying the standard custom language (supplied on the CDROM) file by adding the screen text as in the example below (after the OEM1 line).

example of modified language file:
...
There is only one parallel port on this unit
There are no parallel ports on this unit
OEM_mode
OEM1
\n\n\n\n This is the Xstream menu\n\n\n\n Choose a option\n\n 1 Telnet to SCO\n\n
2 Telnet to Unixware\n\n>

Note usage of "\n" for new line.

Once this file has been modified, load it into the JetStream using TFTP with the netload command. The command is as follows:

Netload customlang /
e.g.
JS8500# netload customlang wilbur /xstream/english.txt

c. Next setup the menu entries. These are configured as users with a preset line service of telnet. For the example file above the users are called 1 and 2, configured as follows.

· Add the users called 1 and 2 with no password.
· If using the screen utility select change user and set the service to telnet and the ip_host to the ip address
of the destination.

lqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqquuser 1tqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqk
x username 1 language[english ] x
x screen switch[1 ] level[normal ] x
x service[telnet ] ip_host[165.154.129.196] x
x tcp port[23 ] callback[off] x
x phone number[ ] x
x idle timer[ ] session timer[ ] x
x framed ip[255.255.255.254] framed netmask[ ] x
x framed mtu[1500 ] framed compression[on ] x
mqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqqj

d. To enable the new menu/login screen and to bypass blank passwords issue the following command:
Set server OEM_mode 3
OEM mode 3 = OEM mode 1 = use custom language specified prompt + OEM mode 2 = bypass blank passwords

e. Set the JetStream port to a service of jslogin.

f. Save the setting and reboot. When the system comes back up you should get a terminal display like this:

This is the Xstream menu

Choose a option

1 Telnet to SCO

2 Telnet to Unixware

>


g. When the session is completed then the menu will reload.

Note that any valid user ID can still be entered at the prompt.


Article ID:
57
Published:
1/10/2003 8:48:18 AM
Last Modified:
7/27/2004 11:34:35 AM
Issue Type:
Configuration