Telnet: Connecting the Dots. Why it still matters today?
Every time I connect to a remote server with Telnet, I'm reminded how this vintage yet powerful tool unlocks a complex dance between IPv4 and IPv6 addresses that keeps the digital world connected. Software engineers and network administrators have used Telnet to peek behind the scenes of computers far away. Telnet works like a simple phone call over the internet to a remote computer. By typing a straightforward command like telnet <ip address of remote computer> <port number> I can connect to that computer and check which ports are open and listening. IP addresses come in two flavors: IPv4 and IPv6. Think of IPv4 as a classic phone line and IPv6 as a modern digital line. When I use a hostname instead of an IP address, Telnet asks the Internet's directory (DNS) for both IPv4 and IPv6 addresses. Telnet usually tries to connect to modern IPv6 first. If it is not reachable or the line is busy, it falls back to the trusty IPv4 classic line...