Mastering Python Scripting for System Administrators

The telnetlib() module

In this section, we are going to learn about the Telnet protocol and then we will do Telnet operations using the telnetlib module over a remote server.

Telnet is a network protocol that allows a user to communicate with remote servers. It is mostly used by network administrators to remotely access and manage devices. To access the device, run the Telnet command with the IP address or hostname of a remote server in your Terminal.

Telnet uses TCP on the default port number 23. To use Telnet, make sure it is installed on your system. If not, run the following command to install it:

$ sudo apt-get install telnetd

To run Telnet using the simple Terminal, you just have to enter the following command:

$ telnet ip_address_of_your_remote_server ...