ok not sure if this is possible but

some programs like AIM and others have an ability to search for an open port  on a firewall  like when at work if i tried to use aim it wouldnt work however if i goto the settings i can hit an option and it searches for an open port i can connect through

id kill for a mud client of any kind that could do that

lspiderl said:

ok not sure if this is possible but

some programs like AIM and others have an ability to search for an open port  on a firewall  like when at work if i tried to use aim it wouldnt work however if i goto the settings i can hit an option and it searches for an open port i can connect through

id kill for a mud client of any kind that could do that

Okay, I promised I would elaborate further and here goes…

Telnet clients, which use the same protocals that MUD clients do to make connections and send data, start out by making an outgoing connection on port 1023. The destination port on the target server doesn't really matter at this point. This is not a dedicated port, like IM clients or p2p clients typically use. If you have ever connected to more than one MUD at a time, or used more than one telnet client at a time, you will have witnessed this feature:

If the first outgoing port that the telnet client attempts to bind to (typically 1023) is busy or blocked, it will just keep trying higher ports until it runs out. At this point, you will recieve a message that says something like: “Unable to bind to outgoing port.” or something like that anyway, I guess it really depends on the client.

When the company bosses discovered people were playing RPGs using the telnet protocal, they asked the systems administrators to block it. Since blocking all ports above 1023 would have detrimental effects on other, legitimate software, the sysadmins found another way: packet inspection.

The telnet protocal is a very old and very open system that regularly sends “packets” of 32-bit code between the client (you) and the server (the game). These packets create a conversation, something like, Server, “Hi, do you speak English?” and the client can respond with three answers, “Yes”, “No”, or “I choose not to”. This is how the server can determine if the client can handle certain data. The same conversation works in reverse as well, the client can ask the server for a feature and the server can respond accordingly.

The major problem with this protocal is that if, for any reason, a packet is lost along the way, the server will sit there, waiting for an answer that will never come and refuses to accept futher communication until the first question is answered properly. Since no answer is typically caused by a faulty connection, a timer is typically used and the connection is dropped after a certain amount of time has passed with no answer.

All a systems adminstrator has to do to block outgoing telnet is to simply delete any telnet protocal packets (like IAC, IAC DO, IAC WONT and others) before they get the chance to leave the work computer network. The game server never gets the initiation request and the client has no idea it's “hello” was never sent. After a while, sometimes a looong while, the client will give you a “Sorry, unable to make connection, server unreachable” message.

You can go in and change the underlying telnet code if you want, have it select  any port above or below the default 1023, and it will still give you the same answer, because the packets will never go out.

Flash-based or Java-based telnet clients such as the one you find here and on other sites are really using your computer to access the telnet protocal, so even if you use a third-party app, you are blocked with packet inspection. The same goes for so-called “proxies”. All they do is change ports around to get around outgoing blocked ports, which telnet clients do automatically anyway. The packets will never reach the proxy, and thus will never reach the game.

The only real solution, without hacking your work servers to exclude your computer from the packet inspection, is to use another network.

Personally, I use my cell phone, which runs Windows Mobile 6. There are a few free third-party apps which can be installed on an unlocked phone, like MidpSSH and zaTelnet. I use them both to manage my server or to connect to my MUD when I am at work, shopping with my wife or sitting in a waiting room for hours on end. I recommend a strong battery and an extra charger if you want to do this though

Hopefully this will more fully answer you question. I wish there was a way to design a MUD client that worked around the packet blocking system, but I was never able to work out one that could do it. And believe me, I tried

interesting responses and thanks for some of your explinations .

I of course am not any kind of computer programer or network admin so im not certain how all these things work  , which is why i started this post with i dont know if this is possible or not lol

I am a mud admin/ builder and my end goal was simply a way to be able to do some building from work as i have a LOT of down time at work  that i could put to good use in this way

My computers at work have a great many restrictions  on what i can and cant do  and while i can surf many sites such as this thats most often what im limited to :(

still not familier with a lot of these newer offline building tools  i was sorta drug out of retirement  by a friend after around 6 years or so of not mudding

but if it required downloading anything it wouldnt be an option for me at work unfortunately

You can also always have an offline copy of the MUD itself and use it to build on depending on the type of software the work PC's have and/or allow.

Orrin said:

If it's a DIKU type MUD you should have a look at Nick Gammon's area editor. You can probably run that from a usb stick – I know you can his mud client.

its a circle type mud

suntzu