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1 | \versionid $Id: config.but,v 1.30 2002/03/27 21:09:16 simon Exp $ |
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2 | |
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3 | \C{config} Configuring PuTTY |
4 | |
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5 | This chapter describes all the configuration options in PuTTY. |
6 | |
7 | PuTTY is configured using the control panel that comes up before you |
8 | start a session. Some options can also be changed in the middle of a |
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9 | session, by selecting \q{Change Settings} from the window menu. |
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10 | |
11 | \H{config-session} The Session panel |
12 | |
13 | The Session configuration panel contains the basic options you need |
14 | to specify in order to open a session at all, and also allows you to |
15 | save your settings to be reloaded later. |
16 | |
17 | \S{config-hostname} The host name section |
18 | |
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19 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{session.hostname} |
20 | |
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21 | The top box on the Session panel, labelled \q{Specify your |
22 | connection by host name}, contains the details that need to be |
23 | filled in before PuTTY can open a session at all. |
24 | |
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25 | \b The \q{Host Name} box is where you type the name, or the IP |
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26 | address, of the server you want to connect to. |
27 | |
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28 | \b The \q{Protocol} radio buttons let you choose what type of |
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29 | connection you want to make: a raw connection, a Telnet connection, an |
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30 | rlogin connection or an SSH connection. (See \k{which-one} for a |
31 | summary of the differences between SSH, Telnet and rlogin.) |
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32 | |
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33 | \b The \q{Port} box lets you specify which port number on the server |
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34 | to connect to. If you select Telnet, Rlogin, or SSH, this box will |
35 | be filled in automatically to the usual value, and you will only |
36 | need to change it if you have an unusual server. If you select Raw |
37 | mode (see \k{using-rawprot}), you will almost certainly need to fill |
38 | in the \q{Port} box. |
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39 | |
40 | \S{config-saving} Loading and storing saved sessions |
41 | |
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42 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{session.saved} |
43 | |
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44 | The next part of the Session configuration panel allows you to save |
45 | your preferred PuTTY options so they will appear automatically the |
46 | next time you start PuTTY. It also allows you to create \e{saved |
47 | sessions}, which contain a full set of configuration options plus a |
48 | host name and protocol. A saved session contains all the information |
49 | PuTTY needs to start exactly the session you want. |
50 | |
51 | \b To save your default settings: first set up the settings the way |
52 | you want them saved. Then come back to the Session panel. Select the |
53 | \q{Default Settings} entry in the saved sessions list, with a single |
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54 | click. Then press the \q{Save} button. |
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55 | |
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56 | Note that PuTTY does not allow you to save a host name into the |
57 | Default Settings entry. This ensures that when PuTTY is started up, |
58 | the host name box is always empty, so a user can always just type in |
59 | a host name and connect. |
60 | |
61 | If there is a specific host you want to store the details of how to |
62 | connect to, you should create a saved session, which will be |
63 | separate from the Default Settings. |
64 | |
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65 | \b To save a session: first go through the rest of the configuration |
66 | box setting up all the options you want. Then come back to the |
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67 | Session panel. Enter a name for the saved session in the \q{Saved |
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68 | Sessions} input box. (The server name is often a good choice for a |
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69 | saved session name.) Then press the \q{Save} button. Your saved |
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70 | session name should now appear in the list box. |
71 | |
72 | \b To reload a saved session: single-click to select the session |
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73 | name in the list box, and then press the \q{Load} button. Your saved |
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74 | settings should all appear in the configuration panel. |
75 | |
76 | \b To modify a saved session: first load it as described above. Then |
77 | make the changes you want. Come back to the Session panel, |
78 | single-click to select the session name in the list box, and press |
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79 | the \q{Save} button. The new settings will be saved over the top of |
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80 | the old ones. |
81 | |
82 | \b To start a saved session immediately: double-click on the session |
83 | name in the list box. |
84 | |
85 | \b To delete a saved session: single-click to select the session |
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86 | name in the list box, and then press the \q{Delete} button. |
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87 | |
88 | Each saved session is independent of the Default Settings |
89 | configuration. If you change your preferences and update Default |
90 | Settings, you must also update every saved session separately. |
91 | |
92 | \S{config-closeonexit} \q{Close Window on Exit} |
93 | |
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94 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{session.coe} |
95 | |
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96 | Finally in the Session panel, there is an option labelled \q{Close |
97 | Window on Exit}. This controls whether the PuTTY session window |
98 | disappears as soon as the session inside it terminates. If you are |
99 | likely to want to copy and paste text out of the session after it |
100 | has terminated, you should arrange this option to be off. |
101 | |
102 | \q{Close Window On Exit} has three settings. \q{Always} means always |
103 | close the window on exit; \q{Never} means never close on exit |
104 | (always leave the window open). The third setting, and the default |
105 | one, is \q{Only on clean exit}. In this mode, a session which |
106 | terminates normally will cause its window to close, but one which is |
107 | aborted unexpectedly by network trouble or a confusing message from |
108 | the server will leave the window up. |
109 | |
110 | \H{config-logging} The Logging panel |
111 | |
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112 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{logging.main} |
113 | |
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114 | The Logging configuration panel allows you to save log files of your |
115 | PuTTY sessions, for debugging, analysis or future reference. |
116 | |
117 | The main option is a radio-button set that specifies whether PuTTY |
118 | will log anything at all. The options are |
119 | |
120 | \b \q{Logging turned off completely}. This is the default option; in |
121 | this mode PuTTY will not create a log file at all. |
122 | |
123 | \b \q{Log printable output only}. In this mode, a log file will be |
124 | created and written to, but only printable text will be saved into |
125 | it. The various terminal control codes that are typically sent down |
126 | an interactive session alongside the printable text will be omitted. |
127 | This might be a useful mode if you want to read a log file in a text |
128 | editor and hope to be able to make sense of it. |
129 | |
130 | \b \q{Log all session output}. In this mode, \e{everything} sent by |
131 | the server into your terminal session is logged. If you view the log |
132 | file in a text editor, therefore, you may well find it full of |
133 | strange control characters. This is a particularly useful mode if |
134 | you are experiencing problems with PuTTY's terminal handling: you |
135 | can record everything that went to the terminal, so that someone |
136 | else can replay the session later in slow motion and watch to see |
137 | what went wrong. |
138 | |
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139 | \b \q{Log SSH packet data}. In this mode (which is only used by SSH |
140 | connections), the SSH message packets sent over the encrypted |
141 | connection are written to the log file. You might need this to debug |
142 | a network-level problem, or more likely to send to the PuTTY authors |
143 | as part of a bug report. \e{BE WARNED} that if you log in using a |
144 | password, the password will appear in the log file, so be sure to |
145 | edit it out before sending the log file to anyone else! |
146 | |
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147 | \S{config-logfilename} \q{Log file name} |
148 | |
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149 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{logging.filename} |
150 | |
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151 | In this edit box you enter the name of the file you want to log the |
152 | session to. The \q{Browse} button will let you look around your file |
153 | system to find the right place to put the file; or if you already |
154 | know exactly where you want it to go, you can just type a pathname |
155 | into the edit box. |
156 | |
157 | There are a few special features in this box. If you use the \c{&} |
158 | character in the file name box, PuTTY will insert details of the |
159 | current session in the name of the file it actually opens. The |
160 | precise replacements it will do are: |
161 | |
162 | \b \c{&Y} will be replaced by the current year, as four digits. |
163 | |
164 | \b \c{&M} will be replaced by the current month, as two digits. |
165 | |
166 | \b \c{&D} will be replaced by the current day of the month, as two |
167 | digits. |
168 | |
169 | \b \c{&T} will be replaced by the current time, as six digits |
170 | (HHMMSS) with no punctuation. |
171 | |
172 | \b \c{&H} will be replaced by the host name you are connecting to. |
173 | |
174 | For example, if you enter the host name |
175 | \c{c:\\puttylogs\\log-&h-&y&m&d-&t.dat}, you will end up with files looking |
176 | like |
177 | |
178 | \c log-server1.example.com-20010528-110859.dat |
179 | \c log-unixbox.somewhere.org-20010611-221001.dat |
180 | |
181 | \S{config-logfileexists} \q{What to do if the log file already exists} |
182 | |
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183 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{logging.exists} |
184 | |
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185 | This control allows you to specify what PuTTY should do if it tries |
186 | to start writing to a log file and it finds the file already exists. |
187 | You might want to automatically destroy the existing log file and |
188 | start a new one with the same name. Alternatively, you might want to |
189 | open the existing log file and add data to the \e{end} of it. |
190 | Finally (the default option), you might not want to have any |
191 | automatic behaviour, but to ask the user every time the problem |
192 | comes up. |
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193 | |
194 | \H{config-terminal} The Terminal panel |
195 | |
196 | The Terminal configuration panel allows you to control the behaviour |
197 | of PuTTY's terminal emulation. |
198 | |
199 | \S{config-autowrap} \q{Auto wrap mode initially on} |
200 | |
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201 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{terminal.autowrap} |
202 | |
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203 | Auto wrap mode controls what happens when text printed in a PuTTY |
204 | window reaches the right-hand edge of the window. |
205 | |
206 | With auto wrap mode on, if a long line of text reaches the |
207 | right-hand edge, it will wrap over on to the next line so you can |
208 | still see all the text. With auto wrap mode off, the cursor will |
209 | stay at the right-hand edge of the screen, and all the characters in |
210 | the line will be printed on top of each other. |
211 | |
212 | If you are running a full-screen application and you occasionally |
213 | find the screen scrolling up when it looks as if it shouldn't, you |
214 | could try turning this option off. |
215 | |
216 | Auto wrap mode can be turned on and off by control sequences sent by |
217 | the server. This configuration option only controls the \e{default} |
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218 | state. If you modify this option in mid-session using \q{Change |
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219 | Settings}, you will need to reset the terminal (see |
220 | \k{reset-terminal}) before the change takes effect. |
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221 | |
222 | \S{config-decom} \q{DEC Origin Mode initially on} |
223 | |
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224 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{terminal.decom} |
225 | |
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226 | DEC Origin Mode is a minor option which controls how PuTTY |
227 | interprets cursor-position control sequences sent by the server. |
228 | |
229 | The server can send a control sequence that restricts the scrolling |
230 | region of the display. For example, in an editor, the server might |
231 | reserve a line at the top of the screen and a line at the bottom, |
232 | and might send a control sequence that causes scrolling operations |
233 | to affect only the remaining lines. |
234 | |
235 | With DEC Origin Mode on, cursor coordinates are counted from the top |
236 | of the scrolling region. With it turned off, cursor coordinates are |
237 | counted from the top of the whole screen regardless of the scrolling |
238 | region. |
239 | |
240 | It is unlikely you would need to change this option, but if you find |
241 | a full-screen application is displaying pieces of text in what looks |
242 | like the wrong part of the screen, you could try turning DEC Origin |
243 | Mode on to see whether that helps. |
244 | |
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245 | DEC Origin Mode can be turned on and off by control sequences sent |
246 | by the server. This configuration option only controls the |
247 | \e{default} state. If you modify this option in mid-session using |
248 | \q{Change Settings}, you will need to reset the terminal (see |
249 | \k{reset-terminal}) before the change takes effect. |
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250 | |
251 | \S{config-crlf} \q{Implicit CR in every LF} |
252 | |
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253 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{terminal.lfhascr} |
254 | |
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255 | Most servers send two control characters, CR and LF, to start a new |
256 | line of the screen. The CR character makes the cursor return to the |
257 | left-hand side of the screen. The LF character makes the cursor move |
258 | one line down (and might make the screen scroll). |
259 | |
260 | Some servers only send LF, and expect the terminal to move the |
261 | cursor over to the left automatically. If you come across a server |
262 | that does this, you will see a stepped effect on the screen, like |
263 | this: |
264 | |
265 | \c First line of text |
266 | \c Second line |
267 | \c Third line |
268 | |
269 | If this happens to you, try enabling the \q{Implicit CR in every LF} |
270 | option, and things might go back to normal: |
271 | |
272 | \c First line of text |
273 | \c Second line |
274 | \c Third line |
275 | |
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276 | \S{config-erase} \q{Use background colour to erase screen} |
277 | |
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278 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{terminal.bce} |
279 | |
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280 | Not all terminals agree on what colour to turn the screen when the |
281 | server sends a \q{clear screen} sequence. Some terminals believe the |
282 | screen should always be cleared to the \e{default} background |
283 | colour. Others believe the screen should be cleared to whatever the |
284 | server has selected as a background colour. |
285 | |
286 | There exist applications that expect both kinds of behaviour. |
287 | Therefore, PuTTY can be configured to do either. |
288 | |
289 | With this option disabled, screen clearing is always done in the |
290 | default background colour. With this option enabled, it is done in |
291 | the \e{current} background colour. |
292 | |
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293 | Background-colour erase can be turned on and off by control |
294 | sequences sent by the server. This configuration option only |
295 | controls the \e{default} state. If you modify this option in |
296 | mid-session using \q{Change Settings}, you will need to reset the |
297 | terminal (see \k{reset-terminal}) before the change takes effect. |
298 | |
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299 | \S{config-blink} \q{Enable blinking text} |
300 | |
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301 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{terminal.blink} |
302 | |
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303 | The server can ask PuTTY to display text that blinks on and off. |
304 | This is very distracting, so PuTTY allows you to turn blinking text |
305 | off completely. |
306 | |
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307 | When blinking text is disabled and the server attempts to make some |
308 | text blink, PuTTY will instead display the text with a bolded |
309 | background colour. |
310 | |
311 | Blinking text can be turned on and off by control sequences sent by |
312 | the server. This configuration option only controls the \e{default} |
313 | state. If you modify this option in mid-session using \q{Change |
314 | Settings}, you will need to reset the terminal (see |
315 | \k{reset-terminal}) before the change takes effect. |
316 | |
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317 | \S{config-answerback} \q{Answerback to ^E} |
318 | |
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319 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{terminal.answerback} |
320 | |
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321 | This option controls what PuTTY will send back to the server if the |
322 | server sends it the ^E enquiry character. Normally it just sends |
323 | the string \q{PuTTY}. |
324 | |
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325 | If you accidentally write the contents of a binary file to your |
326 | terminal, you will probably find that it contains more than one ^E |
327 | character, and as a result your next command line will probably read |
328 | \q{PuTTYPuTTYPuTTY...} as if you had typed the answerback string |
329 | multiple times at the keyboard. If you set the answerback string to |
330 | be empty, this problem should go away, but doing so might cause |
331 | other problems. |
332 | |
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333 | Note that this is \e{not} the feature of PuTTY which the server will |
334 | typically use to determine your terminal type. That feature is the |
335 | \q{Terminal-type string} in the Connection panel; see |
336 | \k{config-termtype} for details. |
337 | |
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338 | \S{config-localecho} \q{Local echo} |
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339 | |
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340 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{terminal.localecho} |
341 | |
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342 | With local echo disabled, characters you type into the PuTTY window |
343 | are not echoed in the window \e{by PuTTY}. They are simply sent to |
344 | the server. (The \e{server} might choose to echo them back to you; |
345 | this can't be controlled from the PuTTY control panel.) |
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346 | |
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347 | Some types of session need local echo, and many do not. In its |
348 | default mode, PuTTY will automatically attempt to deduce whether or |
349 | not local echo is appropriate for the session you are working in. If |
350 | you find it has made the wrong decision, you can use this |
351 | configuration option to override its choice: you can force local |
352 | echo to be turned on, or force it to be turned off, instead of |
353 | relying on the automatic detection. |
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354 | |
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355 | \S{config-localedit} \q{Local line editing} |
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356 | |
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357 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{terminal.localedit} |
358 | |
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359 | Normally, every character you type into the PuTTY window is sent |
360 | immediately to the server the moment you type it. |
361 | |
362 | If you enable local line editing, this changes. PuTTY will let you |
363 | edit a whole line at a time locally, and the line will only be sent |
364 | to the server when you press Return. If you make a mistake, you can |
365 | use the Backspace key to correct it before you press Return, and the |
366 | server will never see the mistake. |
367 | |
368 | Since it is hard to edit a line locally without being able to see |
369 | it, local line editing is mostly used in conjunction with local echo |
370 | (\k{config-localecho}). This makes it ideal for use in raw mode |
371 | \#{FIXME} or when connecting to MUDs or talkers. (Although some more |
372 | advanced MUDs do occasionally turn local line editing on and turn |
373 | local echo off, in order to accept a password from the user.) |
374 | |
375 | Some types of session need local line editing, and many do not. In |
376 | its default mode, PuTTY will automatically attempt to deduce whether |
377 | or not local line editing is appropriate for the session you are |
378 | working in. If you find it has made the wrong decision, you can use |
379 | this configuration option to override its choice: you can force |
380 | local line editing to be turned on, or force it to be turned off, |
381 | instead of relying on the automatic detection. |
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382 | |
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383 | \S{config-printing} Remote-controlled printing |
384 | |
385 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{terminal.printing} |
386 | |
387 | A lot of VT100-compatible terminals support printing under control |
388 | of the remote server. PuTTY supports this feature as well, but it is |
389 | turned off by default. |
390 | |
391 | To enable remote-controlled printing, choose a printer from the |
392 | \q{Printer to send ANSI printer output to} drop-down list box. This |
393 | should allow you to select from all the printers you have installed |
394 | drivers for on your computer. Alternatively, you can type the |
395 | network name of a networked printer (for example, |
396 | \c{\\\\printserver\\printer1}) even if you haven't already |
397 | installed a driver for it on your own machine. |
398 | |
399 | When the remote server attempts to print some data, PuTTY will send |
400 | that data to the printer \e{raw} - without translating it, |
401 | attempting to format it, or doing anything else to it. It is up to |
402 | you to ensure your remote server knows what type of printer it is |
403 | talking to. |
404 | |
405 | Since PuTTY sends data to the printer raw, it cannot offer options |
406 | such as portrait versus landscape, print quality, or paper tray |
407 | selection. All these things would be done by your PC printer driver |
408 | (which PuTTY bypasses); if you need them done, you will have to find |
409 | a way to configure your remote server to do them. |
410 | |
411 | To disable remote printing again, choose \q{None (printing |
412 | disabled)} from the printer selection list. This is the default |
413 | state. |
414 | |
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415 | \H{config-keyboard} The Keyboard panel |
416 | |
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417 | The Keyboard configuration panel allows you to control the behaviour |
418 | of the keyboard in PuTTY. |
419 | |
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420 | \S{config-backspace} Changing the action of the Backspace key |
421 | |
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422 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{keyboard.backspace} |
423 | |
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424 | Some terminals believe that the Backspace key should send the same |
425 | thing to the server as Control-H (ASCII code 8). Other terminals |
426 | believe that the Backspace key should send ASCII code 127 (usually |
427 | known as Control-?) so that it can be distinguished from Control-H. |
428 | This option allows you to choose which code PuTTY generates when you |
429 | press Backspace. |
430 | |
431 | If you are connecting to a Unix system, you will probably find that |
432 | the Unix \c{stty} command lets you configure which the server |
433 | expects to see, so you might not need to change which one PuTTY |
434 | generates. On other systems, the server's expectation might be fixed |
435 | and you might have no choice but to configure PuTTY. |
436 | |
437 | If you do have the choice, we recommend configuring PuTTY to |
438 | generate Control-? and configuring the server to expect it, because |
439 | that allows applications such as \c{emacs} to use Control-H for |
440 | help. |
441 | |
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442 | \S{config-homeend} Changing the action of the Home and End keys |
443 | |
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444 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{keyboard.homeend} |
445 | |
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446 | The Unix terminal emulator \c{rxvt} disagrees with the rest of the |
447 | world about what character sequences should be sent to the server by |
448 | the Home and End keys. |
449 | |
450 | \c{xterm}, and other terminals, send \c{ESC [1~} for the Home key, |
451 | and \c{ESC [4~} for the End key. \c{rxvt} sends \c{ESC [H} for the |
452 | Home key and \c{ESC [Ow} for the End key. |
453 | |
454 | If you find an application on which the Home and End keys aren't |
455 | working, you could try switching this option to see if it helps. |
456 | |
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457 | \S{config-funkeys} Changing the action of the function keys and keypad |
458 | |
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459 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{keyboard.funkeys} |
460 | |
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461 | This option affects the function keys (F1 to F12) and the top row of |
462 | the numeric keypad. |
463 | |
464 | \b In the default mode, labelled \c{ESC [n~}, the function keys |
465 | generate sequences like \c{ESC [11~}, \c{ESC [12~} and so on. This |
466 | matches the general behaviour of Digital's terminals. |
467 | |
468 | \b In Linux mode, F6 to F12 behave just like the default mode, but |
469 | F1 to F5 generate \c{ESC [[A} through to \c{ESC [[E}. This mimics the |
470 | Linux virtual console. |
471 | |
472 | \b In Xterm R6 mode, F5 to F12 behave like the default mode, but F1 |
473 | to F4 generate \c{ESC OP} through to \c{ESC OS}, which are the |
474 | sequences produced by the top row of the \e{keypad} on Digital's |
475 | terminals. |
476 | |
477 | \b In VT400 mode, all the function keys behave like the default |
478 | mode, but the actual top row of the numeric keypad generates \c{ESC |
479 | OP} through to \c{ESC OS}. |
480 | |
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481 | \b In VT100+ mode, the function keys generate \c{ESC OP} through to |
482 | \c{ESC O[} |
483 | |
484 | \b In SCO mode, the function keys F1 to F12 generate \c{ESC [M} |
485 | through to \c{ESC [X}. Together with shift, they generate \c{ESC [Y} |
486 | through to \c{ESC [j}. With control they generate \c{ESC [k} through |
487 | to \c{ESC [v}, and with shift and control together they generate |
488 | \c{ESC [w} through to \c{ESC [\{}. |
489 | |
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490 | If you don't know what any of this means, you probably don't need to |
491 | fiddle with it. |
492 | |
55ba634a |
493 | \S{config-appcursor} Controlling Application Cursor Keys mode |
494 | |
70133c0e |
495 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{keyboard.appcursor} |
496 | |
1630bb61 |
497 | Application Cursor Keys mode is a way for the server to change the |
498 | control sequences sent by the arrow keys. In normal mode, the arrow |
499 | keys send \c{ESC [A} through to \c{ESC [D}. In application mode, |
500 | they send \c{ESC OA} through to \c{ESC OD}. |
501 | |
502 | Application Cursor Keys mode can be turned on and off by the server, |
503 | depending on the application. PuTTY allows you to configure the |
0d2086c5 |
504 | initial state. |
505 | |
506 | You can also disable application cursor keys mode completely, using |
507 | the \q{Features} configuration panel; see |
508 | \k{config-features-application}. |
1630bb61 |
509 | |
55ba634a |
510 | \S{config-appkeypad} Controlling Application Keypad mode |
511 | |
70133c0e |
512 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{keyboard.appkeypad} |
513 | |
1630bb61 |
514 | Application Keypad mode is a way for the server to change the |
515 | behaviour of the numeric keypad. |
516 | |
517 | In normal mode, the keypad behaves like a normal Windows keypad: |
518 | with NumLock on, the number keys generate numbers, and with NumLock |
519 | off they act like the arrow keys and Home, End etc. |
520 | |
521 | In application mode, all the keypad keys send special control |
522 | sequences, \e{including} Num Lock. Num Lock stops behaving like Num |
523 | Lock and becomes another function key. |
524 | |
525 | Depending on which version of Windows you run, you may find the Num |
526 | Lock light still flashes on and off every time you press Num Lock, |
527 | even when application mode is active and Num Lock is acting like a |
528 | function key. This is unavoidable. |
529 | |
530 | Application keypad mode can be turned on and off by the server, |
531 | depending on the application. PuTTY allows you to configure the |
0d2086c5 |
532 | initial state. |
533 | |
534 | You can also disable application keypad mode completely, using the |
535 | \q{Features} configuration panel; see |
536 | \k{config-features-application}. |
1630bb61 |
537 | |
55ba634a |
538 | \S{config-nethack} Using NetHack keypad mode |
539 | |
70133c0e |
540 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{keyboard.nethack} |
541 | |
1630bb61 |
542 | PuTTY has a special mode for playing NetHack. You can enable it by |
543 | selecting \q{NetHack} in the \q{Initial state of numeric keypad} |
544 | control. |
545 | |
546 | In this mode, the numeric keypad keys 1-9 generate the NetHack |
547 | movement commands (\cw{hjklyubn}). The 5 key generates the \c{.} |
548 | command (do nothing). |
549 | |
550 | Better still, pressing Shift with the keypad keys generates the |
551 | capital forms of the commands (\cw{HJKLYUBN}), which tells NetHack |
552 | to keep moving you in the same direction until you encounter |
553 | something interesting. |
554 | |
555 | For some reason, this feature only works properly when Num Lock is |
556 | on. We don't know why. |
557 | |
55ba634a |
558 | \S{config-compose} Enabling a DEC-like Compose key |
559 | |
70133c0e |
560 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{keyboard.compose} |
561 | |
1630bb61 |
562 | DEC terminals have a Compose key, which provides an easy-to-remember |
563 | way of typing accented characters. You press Compose and then type |
564 | two more characters. The two characters are \q{combined} to produce |
565 | an accented character. The choices of character are designed to be |
566 | easy to remember; for example, composing \q{e} and \q{`} produces |
567 | the \q{\u00e8{e-grave}} character. |
568 | |
569 | If you enable the \q{Application and AltGr act as Compose key} |
570 | option, the Windows Application key and the AltGr key will both have |
571 | this behaviour. |
572 | |
add788fc |
573 | \S{config-ctrlalt} \q{Control-Alt is different from AltGr} |
b5752f1b |
574 | |
70133c0e |
575 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{keyboard.ctrlalt} |
576 | |
add788fc |
577 | Some old keyboards do not have an AltGr key, which can make it |
578 | difficult to type some characters. PuTTY can be configured to treat |
579 | the key combination Ctrl + Left Alt the same way as the AltGr key. |
b5752f1b |
580 | |
add788fc |
581 | By default, this checkbox is checked, and the key combination Ctrl + |
582 | Left Alt does something completely different. PuTTY's usual handling |
583 | of the left Alt key is to prefix the Escape (Control-\cw{[}) |
584 | character to whatever character sequence the rest of the keypress |
585 | would generate. For example, Alt-A generates Escape followed by |
586 | \c{a}. So Alt-Ctrl-A would generate Escape, followed by Control-A. |
b5752f1b |
587 | |
add788fc |
588 | If you uncheck this box, Ctrl-Alt will become a synonym for AltGr, |
589 | so you can use it to type extra graphic characters if your keyboard |
590 | has any. |
b5752f1b |
591 | |
a5a6cb30 |
592 | \H{config-bell} The Bell panel |
593 | |
594 | The Bell panel controls the terminal bell feature: the server's |
595 | ability to cause PuTTY to beep at you. |
596 | |
597 | In the default configuration, when the server sends the character |
598 | with ASCII code 7 (Control-G), PuTTY will play the Windows Default |
599 | Beep sound. This is not always what you want the terminal bell |
600 | feature to do; the Bell panel allows you to configure alternative |
601 | actions. |
602 | |
603 | \S{config-bellstyle} \q{Set the style of bell} |
604 | |
70133c0e |
605 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{bell.style} |
606 | |
a5a6cb30 |
607 | This control allows you to select various different actions to occur |
608 | on a terminal bell: |
609 | |
610 | \b Selecting \q{None} disables the bell completely. In this mode, |
611 | the server can send as many Control-G characters as it likes and |
612 | nothing at all will happen. |
613 | |
614 | \b \q{Play Windows Default Sound} is the default setting. It causes |
615 | the Windows \q{Default Beep} sound to be played. To change what this |
616 | sound is, or to test it if nothing seems to be happening, use the |
617 | Sound configurer in the Windows Control Panel. |
618 | |
619 | \b \q{Play a custom sound file} allows you to specify a particular |
620 | sound file to be used by PuTTY alone, or even by a particular |
621 | individual PuTTY session. This allows you to distinguish your PuTTY |
622 | beeps from any other beeps on the system. If you select this option, |
623 | you will also need to enter the name of your sound file in the edit |
624 | control \q{Custom sound file to play as a bell}. |
625 | |
626 | \b \q{Visual bell} is a silent alternative to a beeping computer. In |
627 | this mode, when the server sends a Control-G, the whole PuTTY window |
628 | will flash white for a fraction of a second. |
629 | |
630 | \S{config-belltaskbar} \q{Taskbar/caption indication on bell} |
631 | |
70133c0e |
632 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{bell.taskbar} |
633 | |
a5a6cb30 |
634 | This feature controls what happens to the PuTTY window's entry in |
635 | the Windows Taskbar if a bell occurs while the window does not have |
636 | the input focus. |
637 | |
638 | In the default state (\q{Disabled}) nothing unusual happens. |
639 | |
640 | If you select \q{Steady}, then when a bell occurs and the window is |
641 | not in focus, the window's Taskbar entry and its title bar will |
642 | change colour to let you know that PuTTY session is asking for your |
643 | attention. The change of colour will persist until you select the |
644 | window, so you can leave several PuTTY windows minimised in your |
645 | terminal, go away from your keyboard, and be sure not to have missed |
646 | any important beeps when you get back. |
647 | |
648 | \q{Flashing} is even more eye-catching: the Taskbar entry will |
649 | continuously flash on and off until you select the window. |
650 | |
651 | \S{config-bellovl} \q{Control the bell overload behaviour} |
652 | |
70133c0e |
653 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{bell.overload} |
654 | |
a5a6cb30 |
655 | A common user error in a terminal session is to accidentally run the |
656 | Unix command \c{cat} (or equivalent) on an inappropriate file type, |
657 | such as an executable, image file, or ZIP file. This produces a huge |
658 | stream of non-text characters sent to the terminal, which typically |
659 | includes a lot of bell characters. As a result of this the terminal |
660 | often doesn't stop beeping for ten minutes, and everybody else in |
661 | the office gets annoyed. |
662 | |
663 | To try to avoid this behaviour, or any other cause of excessive |
664 | beeping, PuTTY includes a bell overload management feature. In the |
665 | default configuration, receiving more than five bell characters in a |
666 | two-second period will cause the overload feature to activate. Once |
667 | the overload feature is active, further bells will have no effect at |
668 | all, so the rest of your binary file will be sent to the screen in |
669 | silence. After a period of five seconds during which no further |
670 | bells are received, the overload feature will turn itself off again |
671 | and bells will be re-enabled. |
672 | |
673 | If you want this feature completely disabled, you can turn it off |
674 | using the checkbox \q{Bell is temporarily disabled when over-used}. |
675 | |
676 | Alternatively, if you like the bell overload feature but don't agree |
677 | with the settings, you can configure the details: how many bells |
678 | constitute an overload, how short a time period they have to arrive |
679 | in to do so, and how much silent time is required before the |
680 | overload feature will deactivate itself. |
681 | |
0d2086c5 |
682 | \H{config-features} The Features panel |
683 | |
684 | PuTTY's terminal emulation is very highly featured, and can do a lot |
685 | of things under remote server control. Some of these features can |
686 | cause problems due to buggy or strangely configured server |
687 | applications. |
688 | |
689 | The Features configuration panel allows you to disable some of |
690 | PuTTY's more advanced terminal features, in case they cause trouble. |
691 | |
692 | \S{config-features-application} Disabling application keypad and cursor keys |
693 | |
694 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{features.application} |
695 | |
696 | Application keypad mode (see \k{config-appkeypad}) and application |
697 | cursor keys mode (see \k{config-appcursor}) alter the behaviour of |
698 | the keypad and cursor keys. Some applications enable these modes but |
699 | then do not deal correctly with the modified keys. You can force |
700 | these modes to be permanently disabled no matter what the server |
701 | tries to do. |
702 | |
c0d36a72 |
703 | \S{config-features-mouse} Disabling \cw{xterm}-style mouse reporting |
704 | |
705 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{features.mouse} |
706 | |
707 | PuTTY allows the server to send control codes that let it take over |
708 | the mouse and use it for purposes other than copy and paste. |
709 | Applications which use this feature include the text-mode web |
710 | browser \c{links}, the Usenet newsreader \c{trn} version 4, and the |
711 | file manager \c{mc} (Midnight Commander). |
712 | |
713 | If you find this feature inconvenient, you can disable it using the |
714 | \q{Disable xterm-style mouse reporting} control. With this box |
715 | ticked, the mouse will \e{always} do copy and paste in the normal |
716 | way. |
717 | |
718 | Note that even if the application takes over the mouse, you can |
719 | still manage PuTTY's copy and paste by holding down the Shift key |
720 | while you select and paste, unless you have deliberately turned this |
721 | feature off (see \k{config-mouseshift}). |
722 | |
0d2086c5 |
723 | \S{config-features-resize} Disabling remote terminal resizing |
724 | |
725 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{features.resize} |
726 | |
727 | PuTTY has the ability to change the terminal's size and position in |
728 | response to commands from the server. If you find PuTTY is doing |
729 | this unexpectedly or inconveniently, you can tell PuTTY not to |
730 | respond to those server commands. |
731 | |
732 | \S{config-features-altscreen} Disabling switching to the alternate screen |
733 | |
734 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{features.altscreen} |
735 | |
736 | Many terminals, including PuTTY, support an \q{alternate screen}. |
737 | This is the same size as the ordinary terminal screen, but separate. |
738 | Typically a screen-based program such as a text editor might switch |
739 | the terminal to the alternate screen before starting up. Then at the |
740 | end of the run, it switches back to the primary screen, and you see |
741 | the screen contents just as they were before starting the editor. |
742 | |
743 | Some people prefer this not to happen. If you want your editor to |
744 | run in the same screen as the rest of your terminal activity, you |
745 | can disable the alternate screen feature completely. |
746 | |
747 | \S{config-features-retitle} Disabling remote window title changing |
748 | |
749 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{features.retitle} |
750 | |
751 | PuTTY has the ability to change the window title in response to |
752 | commands from the server. If you find PuTTY is doing this |
753 | unexpectedly or inconveniently, you can tell PuTTY not to respond to |
754 | those server commands. |
755 | |
756 | \S{config-features-dbackspace} Disabling destructive backspace |
757 | |
758 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{features.dbackspace} |
759 | |
760 | Normally, when PuTTY receives character 127 (^?) from the server, it |
761 | will perform a \q{destructive backspace}: move the cursor one space |
762 | left and delete the character under it. This can apparently cause |
763 | problems in some applications, so PuTTY provides the ability to |
764 | configure character 127 to perform a normal backspace (without |
765 | deleting a character) instead. |
766 | |
767 | \S{config-features-charset} Disabling remote character set |
768 | configuration |
769 | |
770 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{features.charset} |
771 | |
772 | PuTTY has the ability to change its character set configuration in |
773 | response to commands from the server. Some programs send these |
774 | commands unexpectedly or inconveniently. In particular, BitchX (an |
775 | IRC client) seems to have a habit of reconfiguring the character set |
776 | to something other than the user intended. |
777 | |
778 | If you find that accented characters are not showing up the way you |
779 | expect them to, particularly if you're running BitchX, you could try |
780 | disabling the remote character set configuration commands. |
781 | |
55ba634a |
782 | \H{config-window} The Window panel |
783 | |
1630bb61 |
784 | The Window configuration panel allows you to control aspects of the |
a5a6cb30 |
785 | PuTTY window. |
1630bb61 |
786 | |
55ba634a |
787 | \S{config-winsize} Setting the size of the PuTTY window |
788 | |
70133c0e |
789 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{window.size} |
790 | |
d60c975d |
791 | The \q{Rows} and \q{Columns} boxes let you set the PuTTY window to a |
1630bb61 |
792 | precise size. Of course you can also drag the window to a new size |
793 | while a session is running. |
794 | |
a5a6cb30 |
795 | \S{config-winsizelock} What to do when the window is resized |
add788fc |
796 | |
70133c0e |
797 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{window.resize} |
798 | |
add788fc |
799 | These options allow you to control what happens when the user tries |
800 | to resize the PuTTY window. |
801 | |
a5a6cb30 |
802 | When you resize the PuTTY window, one of four things can happen: |
add788fc |
803 | |
804 | \b Nothing (if you have completely disabled resizes). |
805 | |
806 | \b The font size can stay the same and the number of rows and |
807 | columns in the terminal can change. |
808 | |
809 | \b The number of rows and columns in the terminal can stay the same, |
810 | and the font size can change. |
811 | |
a5a6cb30 |
812 | \b You can allow PuTTY to change \e{either} the terminal size or the |
813 | font size. In this mode it will change the terminal size most of the |
814 | time, but enlarge the font when you maximise the window. |
815 | |
add788fc |
816 | You can control which of these happens using the \q{Lock terminal |
817 | size against resizing} and \q{Lock font size against resizing} |
818 | options. If you lock both, the window will refuse to be resized at |
819 | all. If you lock just the terminal size, the font size will change |
820 | when you resize the window. If you lock just the font size, the |
821 | terminal size will change when you resize the window. |
1630bb61 |
822 | |
55ba634a |
823 | \S{config-scrollback} Controlling scrollback |
824 | |
70133c0e |
825 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{window.scrollback} |
826 | |
fc5a8711 |
827 | These options let you configure the way PuTTY keeps text after it |
828 | scrolls off the top of the screen (see \k{using-scrollback}). |
1630bb61 |
829 | |
830 | The \q{Lines of scrollback} box lets you configure how many lines of |
a5a6cb30 |
831 | text PuTTY keeps. The \q{Display scrollbar} options allow you to |
1630bb61 |
832 | hide the scrollbar (although you can still view the scrollback using |
a5a6cb30 |
833 | Shift-PgUp and Shift-PgDn). You can separately configure whether the |
834 | scrollbar is shown in full-screen mode and in normal modes. |
1630bb61 |
835 | |
836 | If you are viewing part of the scrollback when the server sends more |
837 | text to PuTTY, the screen will revert to showing the current |
838 | terminal contents. You can disable this behaviour by turning off |
839 | \q{Reset scrollback on display activity}. You can also make the |
840 | screen revert when you press a key, by turning on \q{Reset |
841 | scrollback on keypress}. |
842 | |
55ba634a |
843 | \H{config-appearance} The Appearance panel |
844 | |
1630bb61 |
845 | The Appearance configuration panel allows you to control aspects of |
a5a6cb30 |
846 | the appearance of PuTTY's window. |
1630bb61 |
847 | |
55ba634a |
848 | \S{config-cursor} Controlling the appearance of the cursor |
849 | |
70133c0e |
850 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{appearance.cursor} |
851 | |
26c8f51a |
852 | The \q{Cursor appearance} option lets you configure the cursor to be |
853 | a block, an underline, or a vertical line. A block cursor becomes an |
854 | empty box when the window loses focus; an underline or a vertical |
855 | line becomes dotted. |
856 | |
857 | The \q{Cursor blinks} option makes the cursor blink on and off. This |
858 | works in any of the cursor modes. |
55ba634a |
859 | |
860 | \S{config-font} Controlling the font used in the terminal window |
861 | |
70133c0e |
862 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{appearance.font} |
863 | |
add788fc |
864 | This option allows you to choose what font, in what size, the PuTTY |
865 | terminal window uses to display the text in the session. You will be |
866 | offered a choice from all the fixed-width fonts installed on the |
867 | system. (VT100-style terminal handling can only deal with fixed- |
868 | width fonts.) |
26c8f51a |
869 | |
55ba634a |
870 | \S{config-title} Controlling the window title |
871 | |
70133c0e |
872 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{appearance.title} |
873 | |
add788fc |
874 | The \q{Window title} edit box allows you to set the title of the |
875 | PuTTY window. By default the window title will contain the host name |
876 | followed by \q{PuTTY}, for example \c{server1.example.com - PuTTY}. |
877 | If you want a different window title, this is where to set it. |
878 | |
879 | PuTTY allows the server to send \c{xterm} control sequences which |
880 | modify the title of the window in mid-session. There is also an |
881 | \c{xterm} sequence to modify the title of the window's \e{icon}. |
882 | This makes sense in a windowing system where the window becomes an |
883 | icon when minimised, such as Windows 3.1 or most X Window System |
884 | setups; but in the Windows 95-like user interface it isn't as |
885 | applicable. By default PuTTY's window title and Taskbar caption will |
886 | change into the server-supplied icon title if you minimise the PuTTY |
887 | window, and change back to the server-supplied window title if you |
888 | restore it. (If the server has not bothered to supply a window or |
889 | icon title, none of this will happen.) By checking the box marked |
890 | \q{Avoid ever using icon title}, you can arrange that PuTTY will |
891 | always display the window title, and completely ignore any icon |
892 | titles the server sends it. |
893 | |
894 | \S{config-mouseptr} \q{Hide mouse pointer when typing in window} |
895 | |
70133c0e |
896 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{appearance.hidemouse} |
897 | |
add788fc |
898 | If you enable this option, the mouse pointer will disappear if the |
899 | PuTTY window is selected and you press a key. This way, it will not |
900 | obscure any of the text in the window while you work in your |
901 | session. As soon as you move the mouse, the pointer will reappear. |
902 | |
903 | This option is disabled by default, so the mouse pointer remains |
904 | visible at all times. |
905 | |
906 | \S{config-winborder} Controlling the window border |
907 | |
70133c0e |
908 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{appearance.border} |
909 | |
add788fc |
910 | PuTTY allows you to configure the appearance of the window border to |
911 | some extent. |
912 | |
913 | The checkbox marked \q{Sunken-edge border} changes the appearance of |
914 | the window border to something more like a DOS box: the inside edge |
915 | of the border is highlighted as if it sank down to meet the surface |
916 | inside the window. This makes the border a little bit thicker as |
917 | well. It's hard to describe well. Try it and see if you like it. |
918 | |
919 | You can also configure a completely blank gap between the text in |
920 | the window and the border, using the \q{Gap between text and window |
921 | edge} control. By default this is set at one pixel. You can reduce |
922 | it to zero, or increase it further. |
923 | |
a5a6cb30 |
924 | \H{config-behaviour} The Behaviour panel |
925 | |
926 | The Behaviour configuration panel allows you to control aspects of |
927 | the behaviour of PuTTY's window. |
928 | |
929 | \S{config-warnonclose} \q{Warn before closing window} |
930 | |
70133c0e |
931 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{behaviour.closewarn} |
932 | |
a5a6cb30 |
933 | If you press the Close button in a PuTTY window that contains a |
934 | running session, PuTTY will put up a warning window asking if you |
935 | really meant to close the window. A window whose session has already |
936 | terminated can always be closed without a warning. |
937 | |
938 | If you want to be able to close a window quickly, you can disable |
939 | the \q{Warn before closing window} option. |
940 | |
941 | \S{config-altf4} \q{Window closes on ALT-F4} |
942 | |
70133c0e |
943 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{behaviour.altf4} |
944 | |
a5a6cb30 |
945 | By default, pressing ALT-F4 causes the window to close (or a warning |
946 | box to appear; see \k{config-warnonclose}). If you disable the |
947 | \q{Window closes on ALT-F4} option, then pressing ALT-F4 will simply |
948 | send a key sequence to the server. |
949 | |
950 | \S{config-altspace} \q{System menu appears on ALT-Space} |
951 | |
70133c0e |
952 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{behaviour.altspace} |
953 | |
a5a6cb30 |
954 | If this option is enabled, then pressing ALT-Space will bring up the |
955 | PuTTY window's menu, like clicking on the top left corner. If it is |
956 | disabled, then pressing ALT-Space will just send \c{ESC SPACE} to |
957 | the server. |
958 | |
959 | Some accessibility programs for Windows may need this option |
960 | enabling to be able to control PuTTY's window successfully. For |
961 | instance, Dragon NaturallySpeaking requires it both to open the |
962 | system menu via voice, and to close, minimise, maximise and restore |
963 | the window. |
964 | |
965 | \S{config-altonly} \q{System menu appears on Alt alone} |
966 | |
70133c0e |
967 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{behaviour.altonly} |
968 | |
a5a6cb30 |
969 | If this option is enabled, then pressing and releasing ALT will |
970 | bring up the PuTTY window's menu, like clicking on the top left |
971 | corner. If it is disabled, then pressing and releasing ALT will have |
972 | no effect. |
973 | |
974 | \S{config-alwaysontop} \q{Ensure window is always on top} |
975 | |
70133c0e |
976 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{behaviour.alwaysontop} |
977 | |
a5a6cb30 |
978 | If this option is enabled, the PuTTY window will stay on top of all |
979 | other windows. |
980 | |
981 | \S{config-fullscreen} \q{Full screen on Alt-Enter} |
982 | |
70133c0e |
983 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{behaviour.altenter} |
984 | |
a5a6cb30 |
985 | If this option is enabled, then pressing Alt-Enter will cause the |
2f8d6d43 |
986 | PuTTY window to become full-screen. Pressing Alt-Enter again will |
987 | restore the previous window size. |
988 | |
989 | The full-screen feature is also available from the System menu, even |
990 | when it is configured not to be available on the Alt-Enter key. See |
991 | \k{using-fullscreen}. |
a5a6cb30 |
992 | |
55ba634a |
993 | \H{config-translation} The Translation panel |
994 | |
1630bb61 |
995 | The Translation configuration panel allows you to control the |
996 | translation between the character set understood by the server and |
997 | the character set understood by PuTTY. |
998 | |
add788fc |
999 | \S{config-charset} Controlling character set translation |
1000 | |
70133c0e |
1001 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{translation.codepage} |
1002 | |
add788fc |
1003 | During an interactive session, PuTTY receives a stream of 8-bit |
1004 | bytes from the server, and in order to display them on the screen it |
1005 | needs to know what character set to interpret them in. |
1006 | |
1007 | There are a lot of character sets to choose from. The \q{Received |
1008 | data assumed to be in which character set} option lets you select |
1009 | one. By default PuTTY will attempt to choose a character set that is |
1010 | right for your locale as reported by Windows; if it gets it wrong, |
1011 | you can select a different one using this control. |
1012 | |
1013 | A few notable character sets are: |
1014 | |
1015 | \b The ISO-8859 series are all standard character sets that include |
1016 | various accented characters appropriate for different sets of |
1017 | languages. |
55ba634a |
1018 | |
add788fc |
1019 | \b The Win125x series are defined by Microsoft, for similar |
1020 | purposes. In particular Win1252 is almost equivalent to ISO-8859-1, |
1021 | but contains a few extra characters such as matched quotes and the |
1022 | Euro symbol. |
55ba634a |
1023 | |
add788fc |
1024 | \b If you want the old IBM PC character set with block graphics and |
1025 | line-drawing characters, you can select \q{CP437}. |
1026 | |
1027 | \b PuTTY also supports Unicode mode, in which the data coming from |
1028 | the server is interpreted as being in the UTF-8 encoding of Unicode. |
1029 | If you select \q{UTF-8} as a character set you can use this mode. |
1030 | Not all server-side applications will support it. |
1031 | |
1032 | \S{config-cyr} \q{Caps Lock acts as Cyrillic switch} |
1033 | |
70133c0e |
1034 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{translation.cyrillic} |
1035 | |
add788fc |
1036 | This feature allows you to switch between a US/UK keyboard layout |
1037 | and a Cyrillic keyboard layout by using the Caps Lock key, if you |
1038 | need to type (for example) Russian and English side by side in the |
1039 | same document. |
1040 | |
1041 | Currently this feature is not expected to work properly if your |
1042 | native keyboard layout is not US or UK. |
1043 | |
1044 | \S{config-linedraw} Controlling display of line drawing characters |
1045 | |
70133c0e |
1046 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{translation.linedraw} |
1047 | |
add788fc |
1048 | VT100-series terminals allow the server to send control sequences |
1049 | that shift temporarily into a separate character set for drawing |
1050 | lines and boxes. PuTTY has a variety of ways to support this |
1051 | capability. In general you should probably try lots of options until |
1052 | you find one that your particular font supports. |
1053 | |
1054 | \b \q{Font has XWindows encoding} is for use with fonts that have a |
1055 | special encoding, where the lowest 32 character positions (below the |
1056 | ASCII printable range) contain the line-drawing characters. This is |
1057 | unlikely to be the case with any standard Windows font; it will |
1058 | probably only apply to custom-built fonts or fonts that have been |
1059 | automatically converted from the X Window System. |
1060 | |
1061 | \b \q{Use font in both ANSI and OEM modes} tries to use the same |
1062 | font in two different character sets, to obtain a wider range of |
1063 | characters. This doesn't always work; some fonts claim to be a |
1064 | different size depending on which character set you try to use. |
1065 | |
1066 | \b \q{Use font in OEM mode only} is more reliable than that, but can |
1067 | miss out other characters from the main character set. |
1068 | |
1069 | \b \q{Poor man's line drawing} assumes that the font \e{cannot} |
1070 | generate the line and box characters at all, so it will use the |
1071 | \c{+}, \c{-} and \c{|} characters to draw approximations to boxes. |
1072 | You should use this option if none of the other options works. |
1073 | |
1074 | \b \q{Unicode mode} tries to use the box characters that are present |
1075 | in Unicode. For good Unicode-supporting fonts this is probably the |
1076 | most reliable and functional option. |
55ba634a |
1077 | |
1078 | \H{config-selection} The Selection panel |
1079 | |
1630bb61 |
1080 | The Selection panel allows you to control the way copy and paste |
1081 | work in the PuTTY window. |
1082 | |
add788fc |
1083 | \S{config-linedrawpaste} Controlling the pasting of line drawing |
1084 | characters |
1085 | |
70133c0e |
1086 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{selection.linedraw} |
1087 | |
add788fc |
1088 | By default, when you copy and paste a piece of the PuTTY screen that |
1089 | contains VT100 line and box drawing characters, PuTTY will translate |
1090 | them into the \q{poor man's} line-drawing characters \c{+}, \c{-} |
1091 | and \c{|}. The checkbox \q{Don't translate line drawing chars} |
1092 | disables this feature, so line-drawing characters will be pasted as |
1093 | if they were in the normal character set. This will typically mean |
1094 | they come out mostly as \c{q} and \c{x}, with a scattering of |
1095 | \c{jklmntuvw} at the corners. This might be useful if you were |
1096 | trying to recreate the same box layout in another program, for |
1097 | example. |
1098 | |
a5a6cb30 |
1099 | \S{config-rtfpaste} Pasting in Rich Text Format |
1100 | |
70133c0e |
1101 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{selection.rtf} |
1102 | |
a5a6cb30 |
1103 | If you enable \q{Paste to clipboard in RTF as well as plain text}, |
1104 | PuTTY will write formatting information to the clipboard as well as |
1105 | the actual text you copy. Currently the only effect of this will be |
1106 | that if you paste into (say) a word processor, the text will appear |
1107 | in the word processor in the same font PuTTY was using to display |
1108 | it. In future it is likely that other formatting information (bold, |
1109 | underline, colours) will be copied as well. |
1110 | |
1111 | This option can easily be inconvenient, so by default it is |
1112 | disabled. |
1113 | |
55ba634a |
1114 | \S{config-mouse} Changing the actions of the mouse buttons |
1115 | |
70133c0e |
1116 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{selection.buttons} |
1117 | |
add788fc |
1118 | PuTTY's copy and paste mechanism is modelled on the Unix \c{xterm} |
1119 | application. The X Window System uses a three-button mouse, and the |
1120 | convention is that the left button selects, the right button extends |
1121 | an existing selection, and the middle button pastes. |
1122 | |
1123 | Windows typically only has two mouse buttons, so in PuTTY's default |
1124 | configuration, the \e{right} button pastes, and the \e{middle} |
1125 | button (if you have one) extends a selection. |
1126 | |
1127 | If you have a three-button mouse and you are already used to the |
1128 | \c{xterm} arrangement, you can select it using the \q{Action of |
1129 | mouse buttons} control. |
1130 | |
1131 | \S{config-mouseshift} \q{Shift overrides application's use of mouse} |
1132 | |
70133c0e |
1133 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{selection.shiftdrag} |
1134 | |
add788fc |
1135 | PuTTY allows the server to send control codes that let it take over |
1136 | the mouse and use it for purposes other than copy and paste. |
1137 | Applications which use this feature include the text-mode web |
1138 | browser \c{links}, the Usenet newsreader \c{trn} version 4, and the |
1139 | file manager \c{mc} (Midnight Commander). |
1140 | |
1141 | When running one of these applications, pressing the mouse buttons |
1142 | no longer performs copy and paste. If you do need to copy and paste, |
1143 | you can still do so if you hold down Shift while you do your mouse |
1144 | clicks. |
1145 | |
1146 | However, it is possible in theory for applications to even detect |
1147 | and make use of Shift + mouse clicks. We don't know of any |
1148 | applications that do this, but in case someone ever writes one, |
1149 | unchecking the \q{Shift overrides application's use of mouse} |
1150 | checkbox will cause Shift + mouse clicks to go to the server as well |
1151 | (so that mouse-driven copy and paste will be completely disabled). |
1152 | |
c0d36a72 |
1153 | If you want to prevent the application from taking over the mouse at |
1154 | all, you can do this using the Features control panel; see |
1155 | \k{config-features-mouse}. |
1156 | |
a5a6cb30 |
1157 | \S{config-rectselect} Default selection mode |
1158 | |
70133c0e |
1159 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{selection.rect} |
1160 | |
a5a6cb30 |
1161 | As described in \k{using-selection}, PuTTY has two modes of |
1162 | selecting text to be copied to the clipboard. In the default mode |
1163 | (\q{Normal}), dragging the mouse from point A to point B selects to |
1164 | the end of the line containing A, all the lines in between, and from |
1165 | the very beginning of the line containing B. In the other mode |
1166 | (\q{Rectangular block}), dragging the mouse between two points |
1167 | defines a rectangle, and everything within that rectangle is copied. |
1168 | |
1169 | Normally, you have to hold down Alt while dragging the mouse to |
1170 | select a rectangular block. Using the \q{Default selection mode} |
1171 | control, you can set rectangular selection as the default, and then |
1172 | you have to hold down Alt to get the \e{normal} behaviour. |
1173 | |
55ba634a |
1174 | \S{config-charclasses} Configuring word-by-word selection |
1175 | |
70133c0e |
1176 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{selection.charclasses} |
1177 | |
add788fc |
1178 | PuTTY will select a word at a time in the terminal window if you |
1179 | double-click to begin the drag. This panel allows you to control |
1180 | precisely what is considered to be a word. |
1181 | |
1182 | Each character is given a \e{class}, which is a small number |
1183 | (typically 0, 1 or 2). PuTTY considers a single word to be any |
1184 | number of adjacent characters in the same class. So by modifying the |
1185 | assignment of characters to classes, you can modify the word-by-word |
1186 | selection behaviour. |
1187 | |
1188 | In the default configuration, the character classes are: |
1189 | |
1190 | \b Class 0 contains white space and control characters. |
1191 | |
1192 | \b Class 1 contains most punctuation. |
1193 | |
1194 | \b Class 2 contains letters, numbers and a few pieces of punctuation |
1195 | (the double quote, minus sign, period, forward slash and |
1196 | underscore). |
1197 | |
1198 | So, for example, if you assign the \c{@} symbol into character class |
1199 | 2, you will be able to select an e-mail address with just a double |
1200 | click. |
1201 | |
1202 | In order to adjust these assignments, you start by selecting a group |
1203 | of characters in the list box. Then enter a class number in the edit |
1204 | box below, and press the \q{Set} button. |
1205 | |
1206 | This mechanism currently only covers ASCII characters, because it |
1207 | isn't feasible to expand the list to cover the whole of Unicode. |
1208 | |
7b74af11 |
1209 | Character class definitions can be modified by control sequences |
1210 | sent by the server. This configuration option only controls the |
1211 | \e{default} state. If you modify this option in mid-session using |
1212 | \q{Change Settings}, you will need to reset the terminal (see |
1213 | \k{reset-terminal}) before the change takes effect. |
1214 | |
55ba634a |
1215 | \H{config-colours} The Colours panel |
1216 | |
1630bb61 |
1217 | The Colours panel allows you to control PuTTY's use of colour. |
1218 | |
55ba634a |
1219 | \S{config-boldcolour} \q{Bolded text is a different colour} |
1220 | |
70133c0e |
1221 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{colours.bold} |
1222 | |
add788fc |
1223 | When the server sends a control sequence indicating that some text |
1224 | should be displayed in bold, PuTTY can handle this two ways. It can |
1225 | either change the font for a bold version, or use the same font in a |
1226 | brighter colour. This control lets you choose which. |
1227 | |
1228 | By default the box is checked, so non-bold text is displayed in |
1229 | light grey and bold text is displayed in bright white (and similarly |
1230 | in other colours). If you uncheck the box, bold and non-bold text |
1231 | will be displayed in the same colour, and instead the font will |
1232 | change to indicate the difference. |
1233 | |
55ba634a |
1234 | \S{config-logpalette} \q{Attempt to use logical palettes} |
1235 | |
70133c0e |
1236 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{colours.logpal} |
1237 | |
add788fc |
1238 | Logical palettes are a mechanism by which a Windows application |
1239 | running on an 8-bit colour display can select precisely the colours |
1240 | it wants instead of going with the Windows standard defaults. |
1241 | |
1242 | If you are not getting the colours you ask for on an 8-bit display, |
1243 | you can try enabling this option. However, be warned that it's never |
1244 | worked very well. |
1245 | |
55ba634a |
1246 | \S{config-colourcfg} Adjusting the colours in the terminal window |
1247 | |
70133c0e |
1248 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{colours.config} |
1249 | |
add788fc |
1250 | The main colour control allows you to specify exactly what colours |
1251 | things should be displayed in. To modify one of the PuTTY colours, |
1252 | use the list box to select which colour you want to modify. The RGB |
1253 | values for that colour will appear on the right-hand side of the |
1254 | list box. Now, if you press the \q{Modify} button, you will be |
1255 | presented with a colour selector, in which you can choose a new |
1256 | colour to go in place of the old one. |
1257 | |
1258 | PuTTY allows you to set the cursor colour, the default foreground |
1259 | and background, and the precise shades of all the ANSI configurable |
1260 | colours (black, red, green, yellow, blue, magenta, cyan, and white). |
1261 | In addition, if you have selected \q{Bolded text is a different |
1262 | colour}, you can also modify the precise shades used for the bold |
1263 | versions of these colours. |
1264 | |
55ba634a |
1265 | \H{config-connection} The Connection panel |
1266 | |
1630bb61 |
1267 | The Connection panel allows you to configure options that apply to |
1268 | more than one type of connection. |
1269 | |
55ba634a |
1270 | \S{config-termtype} \q{Terminal-type string} |
1271 | |
70133c0e |
1272 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{connection.termtype} |
1273 | |
add788fc |
1274 | Most servers you might connect to with PuTTY are designed to be |
1275 | connected to from lots of different types of terminal. In order to |
1276 | send the right control sequences to each one, the server will need |
1277 | to know what type of terminal it is dealing with. Therefore, each of |
1278 | the SSH, Telnet and Rlogin protocols allow a text string to be sent |
1279 | down the connection describing the terminal. |
1280 | |
1281 | PuTTY attempts to emulate the Unix \c{xterm} program, and by default |
1282 | it reflects this by sending \c{xterm} as a terminal-type string. If |
1283 | you find this is not doing what you want - perhaps the remote |
1284 | terminal reports \q{Unknown terminal type} - you could try setting |
1285 | this to something different, such as \c{vt220}. |
1286 | |
1287 | If you're not sure whether a problem is due to the terminal type |
1288 | setting or not, you probably need to consult the manual for your |
1289 | application or your server. |
1290 | |
55ba634a |
1291 | \S{config-username} \q{Auto-login username} |
1292 | |
70133c0e |
1293 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{connection.username} |
1294 | |
add788fc |
1295 | All three of the SSH, Telnet and Rlogin protocols allow you to |
1296 | specify what user name you want to log in as, without having to type |
1297 | it explicitly every time. (Some Telnet servers don't support this.) |
1298 | |
1299 | In this box you can type that user name. |
1300 | |
55ba634a |
1301 | \S{config-keepalive} Using keepalives to prevent disconnection |
1302 | |
70133c0e |
1303 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{connection.keepalive} |
1304 | |
c33f3243 |
1305 | If you find your sessions are closing unexpectedly (\q{Connection |
1306 | reset by peer}) after they have been idle for a while, you might |
1307 | want to try using this option. |
1308 | |
add788fc |
1309 | Some network routers and firewalls need to keep track of all |
c33f3243 |
1310 | connections through them. Usually, these firewalls will assume a |
1311 | connection is dead if no data is transferred in either direction |
1312 | after a certain time interval. This can cause PuTTY sessions to be |
1313 | unexpectedly closed by the firewall if no traffic is seen in the |
1314 | session for some time. |
1315 | |
1316 | The keepalive option (\q{Seconds between keepalives}) allows you to |
1317 | configure PuTTY to send data through the session at regular |
1318 | intervals, in a way that does not disrupt the actual terminal |
1319 | session. If you find your firewall is cutting idle connections off, |
1320 | you can try entering a non-zero value in this field. The value is |
1321 | measured in seconds; so, for example, if your firewall cuts |
1322 | connections off after ten minutes then you might want to enter 300 |
1323 | seconds (5 minutes) in the box. |
1324 | |
1325 | Note that keepalives are not always helpful. They help if you have a |
1326 | firewall which drops your connection after an idle period; but if |
1327 | the network between you and the server suffers from breaks in |
1328 | connectivity then keepalives can actually make things worse. If a |
1329 | session is idle, and connectivity is temporarily lost between the |
1330 | endpoints, but the connectivity is restored before either side tries |
1331 | to send anything, then there will be no problem - neither endpoint |
1332 | will notice that anything was wrong. However, if one side does send |
1333 | something during the break, it will repeatedly try to re-send, and |
1334 | eventually give up and abandon the connection. Then when |
1335 | connectivity is restored, the other side will find that the first |
1336 | side doesn't believe there is an open connection any more. |
1337 | Keepalives can make this sort of problem worse, because they |
1338 | increase the probability that PuTTY will attempt to send data during |
1339 | a break in connectivity. Therefore, you might find they help |
1340 | connection loss, or you might find they make it worse, depending on |
1341 | what \e{kind} of network problems you have between you and the |
1342 | server. |
1343 | |
1344 | Keepalives are only supported in Telnet and SSH; the Rlogin and Raw |
1345 | protocols offer no way of implementing them. |
1346 | |
81e8bb1b |
1347 | \S{config-nodelay} \q{Disable Nagle's algorithm} |
1348 | |
70133c0e |
1349 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{connection.nodelay} |
1350 | |
81e8bb1b |
1351 | Nagle's algorithm is a detail of TCP/IP implementations that tries |
1352 | to minimise the number of small data packets sent down a network |
1353 | connection. With Nagle's algorithm enabled, PuTTY's bandwidth usage |
1354 | will be slightly more efficient; with it disabled, you may find you |
1355 | get a faster response to your keystrokes when connecting to some |
1356 | types of server. |
1357 | |
1358 | The Nagle algorithm is disabled by default. |
1359 | |
0e8f4cda |
1360 | \H{config-proxy} The Proxy panel |
1361 | |
1362 | The Proxy panel allows you to configure PuTTY to use various types |
1363 | of proxy in order to make its network connections. The settings in |
1364 | this panel affect the primary network connection forming your PuTTY |
1365 | session, but also any extra connections made as a result of SSH port |
1366 | forwarding (see \k{using-port-forwarding}). |
1367 | |
1368 | \S{config-proxy-type} Setting the proxy type |
1369 | |
1370 | The \q{Proxy type} radio buttons allow you to configure what type of |
1371 | proxy you want PuTTY to use for its network connections. The default |
1372 | setting is \q{None}; in this mode no proxy is used for any |
1373 | connection. |
1374 | |
1375 | \b Selecting \q{HTTP} allows you to proxy your connections through a |
1376 | web server supporting the HTTP \cw{CONNECT} command, as documented |
1377 | in \W{http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2817.txt}{RFC 2817}. |
1378 | |
1379 | \b Selecting \q{SOCKS} allows you to proxy your connections through |
1380 | a SOCKS server. |
1381 | |
1382 | \b Many firewalls implement a less formal type of proxy in which a |
1383 | user can make a Telnet connection directly to the firewall machine |
1384 | and enter a command such as \c{connect myhost.com 22} to connect |
1385 | through to an external host. Selecting \q{Telnet} allows you to tell |
1386 | PuTTY to use this type of proxy. |
1387 | |
1388 | Note [FIXME] that SOCKS is not yet supported, although it should be |
1389 | by the time we make our next release. |
1390 | |
1391 | \S{config-proxy-exclude} Excluding parts of the network from proxying |
1392 | |
1393 | Typically you will only need to use a proxy to connect to non-local |
1394 | parts of your network; for example, your proxy might be required for |
1395 | connections outside your company's internal network. In the |
1396 | \q{Exclude Hosts/IPs} box you can enter ranges of IP addresses, or |
1397 | ranges of DNS names, for which PuTTY will avoid using the proxy and |
1398 | make a direct connection instead. |
1399 | |
1400 | The \q{Exclude Hosts/IPs} box may contain more than one exclusion |
1401 | range, separated by commas. Each range can be an IP address or a DNS |
1402 | name, with a \c{*} character allowing wildcards. For example: |
1403 | |
1404 | \c *.example.com |
1405 | |
1406 | This excludes any host with a name ending in \c{.example.com} from |
1407 | proxying. |
1408 | |
1409 | \c 192.168.88.* |
1410 | |
1411 | This excludes any host with an IP address starting with 192.168.88 |
1412 | from proxying. |
1413 | |
1414 | \c 192.168.88.*,*.example.com |
1415 | |
1416 | This excludes both of the above ranges at once. |
1417 | |
1418 | \S{config-proxy-auth} Username and password |
1419 | |
1420 | If your proxy requires authentication, you can enter a username and |
1421 | a password in the \q{Username} and \q{Password} boxes. |
1422 | |
1423 | Currently these boxes have no effect ( [FIXME] presumably they're |
1424 | for SOCKS only). |
1425 | |
1426 | \S{config-proxy-command} Specifying the Telnet proxy command |
1427 | |
1428 | If you are using the Telnet proxy type, the usual command required |
1429 | by the firewall's Telnet server is \c{connect}, followed by a host |
1430 | name and a port number. If your proxy needs a different command, |
1431 | you can enter an alternative here. |
1432 | |
1433 | In this string, you can use \c{\\n} to represent a new-line, \c{\\r} |
1434 | to represent a carriage return, \c{\\t} to represent a tab |
1435 | character, and \c{\\x} followed by two hex digits to represent any |
1436 | other character. \c{\\\\} is used to encode the \c{\\} character |
1437 | itself. |
1438 | |
1439 | Also, the special strings \c{%host} and \c{%port} will be replaced |
1440 | by the host name and port number you want to connect to. To get a |
1441 | literal \c{%} sign, enter \c{%%}. |
1442 | |
1443 | \S{config-proxy-socksver} Selecting the version of the SOCKS protocol |
1444 | |
1445 | SOCKS servers exist in two versions: version 5 |
1446 | (\W{http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1928.txt}{RFC 1928}) and the earlier |
1447 | version 4. The \q{SOCKS Version} radio buttons allow you to select |
1448 | which one to use, if you have selected the SOCKS proxy type. |
1449 | |
55ba634a |
1450 | \H{config-telnet} The Telnet panel |
1451 | |
1630bb61 |
1452 | The Telnet panel allows you to configure options that only apply to |
1453 | Telnet sessions. |
1454 | |
55ba634a |
1455 | \S{config-termspeed} \q{Terminal-speed string} |
1456 | |
70133c0e |
1457 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{telnet.termspeed} |
1458 | |
add788fc |
1459 | Telnet allows the client to send a text string that describes the |
1460 | terminal speed. PuTTY lets you configure this, in case you find the |
1461 | server is reacting badly to the default value. (I'm not aware of any |
1462 | servers that do have a problem with it.) |
1463 | |
55ba634a |
1464 | \S{config-environ} Setting environment variables on the server |
1465 | |
70133c0e |
1466 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{telnet.environ} |
1467 | |
add788fc |
1468 | The Telnet protocol also provides a means for the client to pass |
1469 | environment variables to the server. Many Telnet servers have |
1470 | stopped supporting this feature due to security flaws, but PuTTY |
1471 | still supports it for the benefit of any servers which have found |
1472 | other ways around the security problems than just disabling the |
1473 | whole mechanism. |
1474 | |
1475 | To add an environment variable to the list transmitted down the |
1476 | connection, you enter the variable name in the \q{Variable} box, |
1477 | enter its value in the \q{Value} box, and press the \q{Add} button. |
1478 | To remove one from the list, select it in the list box and press |
1479 | \q{Remove}. |
1480 | |
55ba634a |
1481 | \S{config-oldenviron} \q{Handling of OLD_ENVIRON ambiguity} |
1482 | |
70133c0e |
1483 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{telnet.oldenviron} |
1484 | |
add788fc |
1485 | The original Telnet mechanism for passing environment variables was |
1486 | badly specified. At the time the standard (RFC 1408) was written, |
1487 | BSD telnet implementations were already supporting the feature, and |
1488 | the intention of the standard was to describe the behaviour the BSD |
1489 | implementations were already using. |
1490 | |
1491 | Sadly there was a typing error in the standard when it was issued, |
1492 | and two vital function codes were specified the wrong way round. BSD |
1493 | implementations did not change, and the standard was not corrected. |
1494 | Therefore, it's possible you might find either BSD or RFC-compliant |
1495 | implementations out there. This switch allows you to choose which |
1496 | one PuTTY claims to be. |
1497 | |
1498 | The problem was solved by issuing a second standard, defining a new |
1499 | Telnet mechanism called \cw{NEW_ENVIRON}, which behaved exactly like |
1500 | the original \cw{OLD_ENVIRON} but was not encumbered by existing |
1501 | implementations. Most Telnet servers now support this, and it's |
1502 | unambiguous. This feature should only be needed if you have trouble |
1503 | passing environment variables to quite an old server. |
1504 | |
1505 | \S{config-ptelnet} Passive and active Telnet negotiation modes |
1506 | |
70133c0e |
1507 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{telnet.passive} |
1508 | |
add788fc |
1509 | In a Telnet connection, there are two types of data passed between |
1510 | the client and the server: actual text, and \e{negotiations} about |
1511 | which Telnet extra features to use. |
1512 | |
1513 | PuTTY can use two different strategies for negotiation: |
1514 | |
1515 | \b In \e{active} mode, PuTTY starts to send negotiations as soon as |
1516 | the connection is opened. |
1517 | |
1518 | \b In \e{passive} mode, PuTTY will wait to negotiate until it sees a |
1519 | negotiation from the server. |
1520 | |
1521 | The obvious disadvantage of passive mode is that if the server is |
1522 | also operating in a passive mode, then negotiation will never begin |
1523 | at all. For this reason PuTTY defaults to active mode. |
1524 | |
1525 | However, sometimes passive mode is required in order to successfully |
1526 | get through certain types of firewall and Telnet proxy server. If |
1527 | you have confusing trouble with a firewall, you could try enabling |
1528 | passive mode to see if it helps. |
1529 | |
1530 | \S{config-telnetkey} \q{Keyboard sends telnet Backspace and Interrupt} |
1531 | |
70133c0e |
1532 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{telnet.specialkeys} |
1533 | |
add788fc |
1534 | If this box is checked, the Backspace key on the keyboard will send |
1535 | the Telnet special backspace code, and Control-C will send the |
1536 | Telnet special interrupt code. You probably shouldn't enable this |
1537 | unless you know what you're doing. |
1538 | |
e81b578d |
1539 | \S{config-telnetnl} \q{Return key sends telnet New Line instead of ^M} |
eee63b77 |
1540 | |
1541 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{telnet.newline} |
1542 | |
1543 | Unlike most other remote login protocols, the Telnet protocol has a |
e81b578d |
1544 | special \q{new line} code that is not the same as the usual line |
eee63b77 |
1545 | endings of Control-M or Control-J. By default, PuTTY sends the |
1546 | Telnet New Line code when you press Return, instead of sending |
1547 | Control-M as it does in most other protocols. |
1548 | |
1549 | Most Unix-style Telnet servers don't mind whether they receive |
1550 | Telnet New Line or Control-M; some servers do expect New Line, and |
1551 | some servers prefer to see ^M. If you are seeing surprising |
1552 | behaviour when you press Return in a Telnet session, you might try |
1553 | turning this option off to see if it helps. |
1554 | |
add788fc |
1555 | \H{config-rlogin} The Rlogin panel |
1556 | |
1557 | The Rlogin panel allows you to configure options that only apply to |
1558 | Rlogin sessions. |
1559 | |
1560 | \S{config-rlogin-termspeed} \q{Terminal-speed string} |
1561 | |
70133c0e |
1562 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{rlogin.termspeed} |
1563 | |
add788fc |
1564 | Like Telnet, Rlogin allows the client to send a text string that |
1565 | describes the terminal speed. PuTTY lets you configure this, in case |
1566 | you find the server is reacting badly to the default value. (I'm not |
1567 | aware of any servers that do have a problem with it.) |
1568 | |
1569 | \S{config-rlogin-localuser} \q{Local username} |
1570 | |
70133c0e |
1571 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{rlogin.localuser} |
1572 | |
add788fc |
1573 | Rlogin allows an automated (password-free) form of login by means of |
1574 | a file called \c{.rhosts} on the server. You put a line in your |
1575 | \c{.rhosts} file saying something like \c{jbloggs@pc1.example.com}, |
1576 | and then when you make an Rlogin connection the client transmits the |
1577 | username of the user running the Rlogin client. The server checks |
1578 | the username and hostname against \c{.rhosts}, and if they match it |
1579 | does not ask for a password. |
1580 | |
1581 | This only works because Unix systems contain a safeguard to stop a |
1582 | user from pretending to be another user in an Rlogin connection. |
1583 | Rlogin connections have to come from port numbers below 1024, and |
1584 | Unix systems prohibit this to unprivileged processes; so when the |
1585 | server sees a connection from a low-numbered port, it assumes the |
1586 | client end of the connection is held by a privileged (and therefore |
1587 | trusted) process, so it believes the claim of who the user is. |
1588 | |
1589 | Windows does not have this restriction: \e{any} user can initiate an |
1590 | outgoing connection from a low-numbered port. Hence, the Rlogin |
1591 | \c{.rhosts} mechanism is completely useless for securely |
1592 | distinguishing several different users on a Windows machine. If you |
1593 | have a \c{.rhosts} entry pointing at a Windows PC, you should assume |
1594 | that \e{anyone} using that PC can spoof your username in an Rlogin |
1595 | connection and access your account on the server. |
1596 | |
1597 | The \q{Local username} control allows you to specify what user name |
1598 | PuTTY should claim you have, in case it doesn't match your Windows |
1599 | user name (or in case you didn't bother to set up a Windows user |
1600 | name). |
1601 | |
55ba634a |
1602 | \H{config-ssh} The SSH panel |
1603 | |
1630bb61 |
1604 | The SSH panel allows you to configure options that only apply to |
1605 | SSH sessions. |
1606 | |
55ba634a |
1607 | \S{config-command} Executing a specific command on the server |
1608 | |
70133c0e |
1609 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{ssh.command} |
1610 | |
add788fc |
1611 | In SSH, you don't have to run a general shell session on the server. |
1612 | Instead, you can choose to run a single specific command (such as a |
1613 | mail user agent, for example). If you want to do this, enter the |
1614 | command in the \q{Remote command} box. |
1615 | |
1616 | \S{config-ssh-pty} \q{Don't allocate a pseudo-terminal} |
1617 | |
70133c0e |
1618 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{ssh.nopty} |
1619 | |
add788fc |
1620 | When connecting to a Unix system, most interactive shell sessions |
1621 | are run in a \e{pseudo-terminal}, which allows the Unix system to |
1622 | pretend it's talking to a real physical terminal device but allows |
1623 | the SSH server to catch all the data coming from that fake device |
1624 | and send it back to the client. |
1625 | |
1626 | Occasionally you might find you have a need to run a session \e{not} |
1627 | in a pseudo-terminal. In PuTTY, this is generally only useful for |
1628 | very specialist purposes; although in Plink (see \k{plink}) it is |
1629 | the usual way of working. |
1630 | |
1631 | \S{config-ssh-comp} \q{Enable compression} |
1632 | |
70133c0e |
1633 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{ssh.compress} |
1634 | |
add788fc |
1635 | This enables data compression in the SSH connection: data sent by |
1636 | the server is compressed before sending, and decompressed at the |
1637 | client end. Likewise, data sent by PuTTY to the server is compressed |
1638 | first and the server decompresses it at the other end. This can help |
1639 | make the most of a low-bandwidth connection. |
1640 | |
1641 | \S{config-ssh-prot} \q{Preferred SSH protocol version} |
1642 | |
70133c0e |
1643 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{ssh.protocol} |
1644 | |
add788fc |
1645 | This allows you to select whether you would like to use SSH protocol |
1646 | version 1 or version 2. \#{FIXME: say something about this elsewhere?} |
1647 | |
1648 | PuTTY will attempt to use protocol 1 if the server you connect to |
1649 | does not offer protocol 2, and vice versa. |
1650 | |
1651 | \S{config-ssh-macbug} \q{Imitate SSH 2 MAC bug} |
1652 | |
70133c0e |
1653 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{ssh.buggymac} |
1654 | |
add788fc |
1655 | This option \e{should} now be unnecessary. It existed in order to |
1656 | work around a bug in early versions (2.3.0 and below) of the SSH |
1657 | server software from \cw{ssh.com}. The symptom of this problem would |
1658 | be that PuTTY would die unexpectedly at the beginning of the |
1659 | session, saying \q{Incorrect MAC received on packet}. |
1660 | |
1661 | Current versions of PuTTY attempt to detect these faulty servers and |
1662 | enable the bug compatibility automatically, so you should never need |
1663 | to use this option any more. |
1664 | |
1665 | \S{config-ssh-encryption} Encryption algorithm selection |
1666 | |
70133c0e |
1667 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{ssh.ciphers} |
1668 | |
add788fc |
1669 | PuTTY supports a variety of different encryption algorithms, and |
1670 | allows you to choose which one you prefer to use. You can do this by |
a5a6cb30 |
1671 | dragging the algorithms up and down in the list box (or moving them |
1672 | using the Up and Down buttons) to specify a preference order. When |
1673 | you make an SSH connection, PuTTY will search down the list from the |
1674 | top until it finds an algorithm supported by the server, and then |
1675 | use that. |
add788fc |
1676 | |
1677 | If the algorithm PuTTY finds is below the \q{warn below here} line, |
1678 | you will see a warning box when you make the connection: |
1679 | |
1680 | \c The first cipher supported by the server |
1681 | \c is single-DES, which is below the configured |
1682 | \c warning threshold. |
1683 | \c Do you want to continue with this connection? |
1684 | |
1685 | This warns you that the first available encryption is not a very |
1686 | secure one. Typically you would put the \q{warn below here} line |
1687 | between the encryptions you consider secure and the ones you |
a5a6cb30 |
1688 | consider substandard. By default, PuTTY supplies a preference order |
1689 | intended to reflect a reasonable preference in terms of security and |
1690 | speed. |
add788fc |
1691 | |
81e8bb1b |
1692 | Single-DES is not supported natively in the SSH 2 draft protocol |
1693 | standards. One or two server implementations do support it, by a |
1694 | non-standard name. PuTTY can use single-DES to interoperate with |
1695 | these servers if you enable the \q{Enable non-standard single-DES in |
1696 | SSH 2} option; by default this is disabled and PuTTY will stick to |
1697 | the standard. |
1698 | |
add788fc |
1699 | \H{config-ssh-auth} The Auth panel |
1700 | |
1701 | The Auth panel allows you to configure authentication options for |
1702 | SSH sessions. |
1703 | |
1704 | \S{config-ssh-tis} \q{Attempt TIS or CryptoCard authentication} |
1705 | |
70133c0e |
1706 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{ssh.auth.tis} |
1707 | |
add788fc |
1708 | TIS and CryptoCard authentication are simple challenge/response |
1709 | forms of authentication available in SSH protocol version 1 only. |
1710 | You might use them if you were using S/Key one-time passwords, for |
1711 | example, or if you had a physical security token that generated |
1712 | responses to authentication challenges. |
1713 | |
1714 | With this switch enabled, PuTTY will attempt these forms of |
1715 | authentication if the server is willing to try them. You will be |
1716 | presented with a challenge string (which will be different every |
1717 | time) and must supply the correct response in order to log in. If |
1718 | your server supports this, you should talk to your system |
1719 | administrator about precisely what form these challenges and |
1720 | responses take. |
1721 | |
babac7bd |
1722 | \S{config-ssh-ki} \q{Attempt keyboard-interactive authentication} |
81e8bb1b |
1723 | |
70133c0e |
1724 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{ssh.auth.ki} |
1725 | |
81e8bb1b |
1726 | The SSH 2 equivalent of TIS authentication is called |
1727 | \q{keyboard-interactive}. It is a flexible authentication method |
1728 | using an arbitrary sequence of requests and responses; so it is not |
1729 | only useful for challenge/response mechanisms such as S/Key, but it |
1730 | can also be used for (for example) asking the user for a new |
1731 | password when the old one has expired. |
1732 | |
1733 | PuTTY leaves this option enabled by default, but supplies a switch |
1734 | to turn it off in case you should have trouble with it. |
1735 | |
add788fc |
1736 | \S{config-ssh-agentfwd} \q{Allow agent forwarding} |
1737 | |
70133c0e |
1738 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{ssh.auth.agentfwd} |
1739 | |
add788fc |
1740 | This option allows the SSH server to open forwarded connections back |
1741 | to your local copy of Pageant. If you are not running Pageant, this |
1742 | option will do nothing. |
1743 | |
1744 | See \k{pageant} for general information on Pageant, and |
1745 | \k{pageant-forward} for information on agent forwarding. Note that |
1746 | there is a security risk involved with enabling this option; see |
1747 | \k{pageant-security} for details. |
1748 | |
babac7bd |
1749 | \S{config-ssh-changeuser} \q{Allow attempted changes of username in SSH2} |
5bb641e1 |
1750 | |
1751 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{ssh.auth.changeuser} |
1752 | |
1753 | In the SSH 1 protocol, it is impossible to change username after |
1754 | failing to authenticate. So if you mis-type your username at the |
1755 | PuTTY \q{login as:} prompt, you will not be able to change it except |
1756 | by restarting PuTTY. |
1757 | |
1758 | The SSH 2 protocol \e{does} allow changes of username, in principle, |
1759 | but does not make it mandatory for SSH 2 servers to accept them. In |
1760 | particular, OpenSSH does not accept a change of username; once you |
1761 | have sent one username, it will reject attempts to try to |
1762 | authenticate as another user. (Depending on the version of OpenSSH, |
1763 | it may quietly return failure for all login attempts, or it may send |
1764 | an error message.) |
1765 | |
1766 | For this reason, PuTTY will by default not prompt you for your |
1767 | username more than once, in case the server complains. If you know |
1768 | your server can cope with it, you can enable the \q{Allow attempted |
1769 | changes of username} option to modify PuTTY's behaviour. |
1770 | |
add788fc |
1771 | \S{config-ssh-privkey} \q{Private key file for authentication} |
1772 | |
70133c0e |
1773 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{ssh.auth.privkey} |
1774 | |
add788fc |
1775 | This box is where you enter the name of your private key file if you |
1776 | are using public key authentication. See \k{pubkey} for information |
1777 | about public key authentication in SSH. |
1778 | |
1779 | \H{config-ssh-tunnels} The Tunnels panel |
1780 | |
1781 | The Tunnels panel allows you to configure tunnelling of other |
1782 | connection types through an SSH connection. |
1783 | |
1784 | \S{config-ssh-x11} X11 forwarding |
1785 | |
70133c0e |
1786 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{ssh.tunnels.x11} |
1787 | |
add788fc |
1788 | If your server lets you run X Window System applications, X11 |
1789 | forwarding allows you to securely give those applications access to |
1790 | a local X display on your PC. |
1791 | |
add788fc |
1792 | To enable X11 forwarding, check the \q{Enable X11 forwarding} box. |
1793 | If your X display is not the primary display on your local machine |
1794 | (which it almost certainly will be unless you have deliberately |
1795 | arranged otherwise), you need to enter its location in the \q{X |
1796 | display location} box. |
1797 | |
2f8d6d43 |
1798 | See \k{using-x-forwarding} for more information about X11 |
1799 | forwarding. |
add788fc |
1800 | |
1801 | \S{config-ssh-portfwd} Port forwarding |
1802 | |
70133c0e |
1803 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{ssh.tunnels.portfwd} |
1804 | |
add788fc |
1805 | Port forwarding allows you to tunnel other types of network |
2f8d6d43 |
1806 | connection down an SSH session. See \k{using-port-forwarding} for a |
1807 | general discussion of port forwarding and how it works. |
1808 | |
1809 | The port forwarding section in the Tunnels panel shows a list of all |
1810 | the port forwardings that PuTTY will try to set up when it connects |
1811 | to the server. By default no port forwardings are set up, so this |
1812 | list is empty. |
1813 | |
1814 | To add a port forwarding: |
1815 | |
1816 | \b Set one of the \q{Local} or \q{Remote} radio buttons, depending |
1817 | on whether you want to forward a local port to a remote destination |
1818 | (\q{Local}) or forward a remote port to a local destination |
1819 | (\q{Remote}). |
1820 | |
1821 | \b Enter a source port number into the \q{Source port} box. For |
1822 | local forwardings, PuTTY will listen on this port of your PC. For |
1823 | remote forwardings, your SSH server will listen on this port of the |
1824 | remote machine. Note that most servers will not allow you to listen |
1825 | on port numbers less than 1024. |
1826 | |
1827 | \b Enter a hostname and port number separated by a colon, in the |
1828 | \q{Destination} box. Connections received on the source port will be |
1829 | directed to this destination. For example, to connect to a POP-3 |
1830 | server, you might enter \c{popserver.example.com:110}. |
1831 | |
1832 | \b Click the \q{Add} button. Your forwarding details should appear |
1833 | in the list box. |
1834 | |
1835 | To remove a port forwarding, simply select its details in the list |
1836 | box, and click the \q{Remove} button. |
37c6fce1 |
1837 | |
beefa433 |
1838 | \S{config-ssh-portfwd-localhost} Controlling the visibility of |
1839 | forwarded ports |
1840 | |
1841 | \cfg{winhelp-topic}{ssh.tunnels.portfwd.localhost} |
1842 | |
1843 | The source port for a forwarded connection usually does not accept |
1844 | connections from any machine except the SSH client or server machine |
1845 | itself (for local and remote forwardings respectively). There are |
1846 | controls in the Tunnels panel to change this: |
1847 | |
1848 | \b The \q{Local ports accept connections from other hosts} option |
1849 | allows you to set up local-to-remote port forwardings in such a way |
1850 | that machines other than your client PC can connect to the forwarded |
1851 | port. |
1852 | |
1853 | \b The \q{Remote ports do the same} option does the same thing for |
1854 | remote-to-local port forwardings (so that machines other than the |
1855 | SSH server machine can connect to the forwarded port.) Note that |
1856 | this feature is only available in the SSH 2 protocol, and not all |
1857 | SSH 2 servers support it (OpenSSH 3.0 does not, for example). |
1858 | |
37c6fce1 |
1859 | \H{config-file} Storing configuration in a file |
1860 | |
1861 | PuTTY does not currently support storing its configuration in a file |
1862 | instead of the Registry. However, you can work around this with a |
1863 | couple of batch files. |
1864 | |
1865 | You will need a file called (say) \c{PUTTY.BAT} which imports the |
1866 | contents of a file into the Registry, then runs PuTTY, exports the |
1867 | contents of the Registry back into the file, and deletes the |
1868 | Registry entries. This can all be done using the Regedit command |
1869 | line options, so it's all automatic. Here is what you need in |
1870 | \c{PUTTY.BAT}: |
1871 | |
1872 | \c @ECHO OFF |
1873 | \c regedit /s putty.reg |
1874 | \c regedit /s puttyrnd.reg |
1875 | \c start /w putty.exe |
1876 | \c regedit /e puttynew.reg HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SimonTatham\PuTTY |
1877 | \c copy puttynew.reg putty.reg |
1878 | \c del puttynew.reg |
1879 | \c regedit /s puttydel.reg |
1880 | |
1881 | This batch file needs two auxiliary files: \c{PUTTYRND.REG} which |
1882 | sets up an initial safe location for the \c{PUTTY.RND} random seed |
1883 | file, and \c{PUTTYDEL.REG} which destroys everything in the Registry |
1884 | once it's been successfully saved back to the file. |
1885 | |
1886 | Here is \c{PUTTYDEL.REG}: |
1887 | |
1888 | \c REGEDIT4 |
1889 | \c |
1890 | \c [-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SimonTatham\PuTTY] |
1891 | |
1892 | Here is an example \c{PUTTYRND.REG} file: |
1893 | |
1894 | \c REGEDIT4 |
1895 | \c |
1896 | \c [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\SimonTatham\PuTTY] |
1897 | \c "RandSeedFile"="a:\putty.rnd" |
1898 | |
1899 | You should replace \c{a:\\putty.rnd} with the location where you |
1900 | want to store your random number data. If the aim is to carry around |
1901 | PuTTY and its settings on one floppy, you probably want to store it |
1902 | on the floppy. |