Telnet is disabled in the configuration file

This error can also happen if the Telnet service is disabled in its configuration file.

In Linux, the xinetd service controls Telnet. The “disable” parameter in the Telnet xinetd config file “/etc/xinetd.d/telnet” controls whether Telnet is enabled or disabled.

We have seen cases where users accidentally leave Telnet disabled by setting “disable = yes”. This prevents Telnet connections.

Error :

service telnet
{
flags = REUSE
socket_type = stream
wait = no
user = root
server = /usr/sbin/in.telnetd
log_on_failure += USERID
disable = yes
}

How to Fix This Error :

Open the terminal on your Linux machine and log in as root or a user with sudo privileges. After, that Open the Telnet file for editing with any editor you have like nano, vi, gedit etc by using the below Command.

Command :

sudo gedit /etc/xinetd.d/telnet

Output :

After, that Restart the xinetd service so the new configuration takes effect to do this use the Below Command.

Command :

sudo systemctl restart xinetd

Output :

Wanted to access a remote server over Telnet but got “connection refused” errors? This is a common problem that can leave you stranded when trying to handle Linux systems from afar. Failure to initiate a Telnet session locks you out of administrating and diagnosing problems on servers, networking equipment and other devices.

The good news is that often these “connection refused” errors are easy to resolve with just some basic checks. In this simple, step-by-step guide, we will get to know how to quickly get Telnet working again. By tweaking firewall rules, fixing network/port settings, and checking for connectivity issues one can have Telnet sessions up in no time. The above couple of small changes will take care of the irritating connection-related difficulties and allow remote reentry into your Linux-based gadgets in an effortless way.