Trouble Connecting to Grex

You came to this page because you cannot get connect to Grex. there are a number of reasons that this can happen.

• Read this section if you do not know how to SSH. Perhaps you do not have a SSH client, or do not know what the command is.
• Read this section if when you click on a ssh link, your browser gives you an error, such as "unable to find application".
• Read this section if you can ssh, but you can't get a response from Grex.
• Read this section if you are having some other problem with ssh.

Return to the main trouble page.

Your SSH Client

There are several cases to consider, depending on what kind of machine and connection you are using:

• If you have a PC running a 32-bit Windows operating system (Window 95, 98, NT, 7, 10), then you are unlikely to have an ssh program built in. grex requires ssh for connecting, so you would need to install an ssh client. If this doesn't work, go back to the top of this page, and make another selection.

  Please see the Grex ssh Page for information about alternate ssh programs.

• If you are running an older version of Windows or Windows for Workgroups on your PC, you may not have a built in ssh program, and you may also need TCP/IP stack software. See the Grex ssh Page for information on how to get what you need.
• If you have a Macintosh, you need a ssh client program. See the Grex ssh page for information about Macintosh ssh clients.
• If you are using a terminal emulator, then it does not matter whether you are connecting from a Macintosh, or PC. You will be running the ssh client on the host machine, which is usually a unix machine. If you are dialing into a Free-net or Community network, using a terminal emulator, you may be presented with a menu of options. You will need to get help from the people who run that machine to find out how to do an ssh connection from it. If you are able to access a unix command prompt, or if your own machine is a unix machine, then you should be able to type "ssh **username**@grex.org" to start the connection to Grex (substitute your Grex user name for **username**). You do not need a special ssh client, because it is built in to all unix systems.

If Your Browser Cannot ssh

Once you have selected a good ssh client program to be your browser's ssh application, your browser should not have any further trouble following ssh links.

If You Cannot Connect to Grex

• Your DNS is not configured properly. This can easily be tested. Try sshing to Grex's IP address. Of course you have to know the IP address. We can tell you that at the time this page was last updated, Grex's IP address was 162.202.67.158, but it may change at any time. If you are in doubt, view this page to see if it has changed. Try substituting that IP address for the name "grex.org" when you ssh, to see if it works any better. If it does, then you have a problem with your machine's configuration for DNS. You really need to correct this problem, because you should not rely on the IP address to remain constant. In order to configure DNS properly on your machine, you will need to contact your Internet Access Provider's system help desk, or help website.

  If, on the other hand, this does not help, then DNS is not your problem.

• You are connected to the net via a firewall. A firewall is a router that filters (blocks) certain packets. Firewalls are usually installed to protect private networks, or to limit the usage of certain services. Users connecting from corporate intranets are most likely to encounter firewalls. Very often it is possible to ssh through a firewall, but unfortunately, we cannot help you find a way to do this. If you need to traverse a firewall to get access to the internet, you should contact the firewall or security administrator on your intranet and ask how to make a ssh connection to the internet.
• Grex might be down at the moment, or there may be disruptions in the proper functioning of the internet. In this case, there is little you can do except wait a while, and try again later. If Grex were down, or the network were broken, though, it is not likely that you would be seeing this page, because it is provided by Grex's web server, unless perhaps you are looking at a copy of it that was cached by your browser when the connection to Grex was clear.
• Your domain or IP address is in a black or block list. Grex subscribes to several lists which contain IP address known to be associated with illegal activity. Unfortunately, some of these may be dynamically assigned by your Internet Service Provider, and you may be blocked from connecting to Grex. Ideally, this is something your ISP should take care of (e.g. removing the IP address from block or black lists, or making the IP address unavailable to users on their system). Grex staff may be able to help but if the IP address continues to show up on black lists, there's not a lot we can do.
• If none of the above seems to apply to you, please fill out the following form. The more information you provide, the more likely the Grex Staff will be able to help you discover what is wrong. Therefore, please take the time to fill the form out carefully. The Grex staff will respond by email to your account or to the e-mail address you provide, so make sure it is correct.

  Account:	(Grex Login ID)
  E-mail address:
  Name or IP address of the host you are connecting from:
  Exact time (including time zone) of the last attempt that failed:
  Additional information that you think might be helpful:

If You Are Having Some Other Problem With Telnet

Return to the Grex Front Page or to the Grex Trouble Page.

Last Modified: Dec 27, 1998 (srw)