Connecting to other computers with UUCP

Errors when testing the connection with cu

This section suggests hot to respond to the messages displayed when testing the connection with the cu command fails.

Connect failed: CANNOT ACCESS DEVICE

If the connection fails and the system displays the CANNOT ACCESS DEVICE message, check the permissions on the device file. For example, to check the device file for tty1a, enter:

l /dev/tty1a

The ownership and permissions settings should look like the following:

   crw--w--w- 1 uucp  uucp     5, 0 Feb 14 12:00 /dev/tty1a

If, instead, the ownership and permissions for the device file look like this:

   crw------- 1 bin   terminal 5, 0 Feb 14 12:00 /dev/tty1a

verify that the line for the port in the /etc/inittab looks similar to the following:

   t1A:23:respawn:/etc/getty -t60 tty1A 3

If it does not, edit /etc/inittab and /etc/conf/init.d/sio and change the lines for the appropriate port.

NOTE: Because a new inittab file is created each time the kernel is relinked, you must also edit /etc/conf/init.d/sio to retain the changes in inittab.

To make your changes to inittab effective immediately, enter:

telinit q

Connect failed: SYSTEM NOT IN Systems FILE

If the /usr/lib/uucp/Systems file on your computer does not contain an entry for the system that you are trying to access, cu displays this message.

NOTE: This error message is often caused by an illegal character in the phone number, leading cu to treat it as a system name rather than a phone number.

To display a list of all the systems that your system is connected to, enter:

uuname

The system may display this error message if you used the -l option to specify a serial port and you entered the wrong line number. Verify that the line is configured properly.

Connect failed, NO DEVICES AVAILABLE

If cu fails to connect and displays the NO DEVICES AVAILABLE message, check to see that the /usr/lib/uucp/Devices file is set up correctly.

Verify that the line that corresponds to the device that you are using is uncommented. For example, the entry in Devices for a direct line using tty1a at 9600 baud looks like this:

   Direct tty1a - 9600 direct

There should be no leading spaces. If the Device file looks correct, the remote line may be busy. Try again later.

Connected, but no login prompt

If cu displays the Connected message, but not the login prompt, the line for the remote system may be busy. To exit cu, enter ~. and press <Enter>.

If everything appears to be working on your system but the login prompt for the remote machine does not appear, check with the remote system administrator to verify that the getty on the remote system is set up with the same communications parameters that you are using.

Connected, but screen displays garbage

If you connect to the remote system, but your screen displays garbage, see ``Problems dialing out'' for more information. You should confirm that the communication settings on your system match those of the remote system. If the condition persists, the connection may be bad. Exit cu by entering ~. and try again later.