Multilink/Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting
===============

    This is a list of common problems encountered with Multilink, and
(perhaps) solutions to those problems. :-)


Compilation of the Multilink UNIX side


* The build fails with errors in the include files such as
  "sys/types.h:62 syntax error before char".

    Edit the makefile and remove "-traditional" from the "CC=gcc"
    line.  That might coax it to work.

* The build fails with any other error.

    Email me with the name of the UNIX you're using and
    a copy of the output of the build.


Startup problems


* The UNIX Multilink is "not responding" according to the Amiga Multilink.

    The tooltype UNIXSTARTUP is probably set wrong.  Make sure it points
    at the mlink executable on the UNIX side.

* It aborts at "Getting remote info...".

    That's usually the result of a bad line.  See "Problems with the
    serial line" further on in this section.


Problems with the serial line


* I get tons of resends and bad packets from Multilink.  What can I
  do to correct this?

    The most likely problem causing this is that your line is not 8-bit
    clean.  To find out whether this is the case, try using "ESCAPE *" as
    an option.  If your problems clear up, you need to either find out
    which characters specifically are being eaten by your line and use the
    ESCAPE tooltype as described in the configuration
    section to take them out, or alter the settings of your terminal server
    to give you an 8bit clean line.

    Common commands to terminal servers to put them in an 8bit clean mode
    include "terminal download" or "set session passall".  You will have to
    check the online help for your server at the server prompt to find out
    exactly how to do it.  Some servers support using either the telnet or
    rlogin protcol to connect the UNIX host.  You may want to experiment
    with trying each of these transport protocols in order to get an 8bit
    clean connection.

    If "ESCAPE *" doesn't clear it up, then what also may be happening is
    that your terminal server may not be able to handle the bidirectional
    load that Multilink puts upon it.  Try adjusting the CPS parameter to a
    slower pacing rate and see if that helps the problem any.

* The Multilink shell client, rlogins or telnets seem really slow and
  jerky.

    Some jerkiness is to be expected.  But if you're experiencing more
    than a second of lag between when you type and when text pops up on
    the screen, you may need to adjust your CPS value down a bit so that
    Multilink is pacing the speed properly.


Problems with clients


* When I attempt to use "rlogin" with Multilink, I just end up in my
  account.  Why?

    Rlogin can never be supported directly by Multilink because rlogin
    requires that you have a real IP connection for it to work.
    Therefore, Multilink does the best that it can, and redirects any
    attempted connections to rlogind to its own internal shell client.

* I've been trying to use Multilink with Grapevine, an Amiga IRC client,
  but every server I try to connect to boots me off.  Why?

    You must use your real username and host address in the network
    configuration options in Grapevine.  If you do not, IRC servers
    which use identd to verify you will fail to authenticate you, and
    kick you off.

* Sometimes, dcc.send in Grapevine will freeze, or when it is done the
  window will close, but the task still sticks around.

    This is a bug in Multilink that I have been unable to track down
    yet.  The only remedy at this point is to retry the send.  This
    problem is intermittent, and usually isn't apt to hit you more
    than 2 times in a row. :-)

* Ncftp for AmiTCP doesn't work.

    This is either a bug in Multilink (most likely) or an undocumented
    assumption ncftp is making about AmiTCP.  I haven't figured it out
    yet.  Meanwhile, grab the old version of ncftp off of Aminet
    (/comm/net/AmiTc_ncftp or similar) and use that.

* The screen doesn't resize properly in napsaterm.

    Napsaterm doesn't auto-resize the shell.  Do to it manually, you
    can either use the "resize" command if your UNIX host has it or
    "stty rows cols" to set it manually.

* I tried using <insert AmiTCP app here> and it asks for
  "usergroup.library".  Where is it?

    usergroup.library is part of the AmiTCP distribution.  You can grab
    it by getting the complete AmiTCP 4.0 distribution from aminet.