Telnet send-location option

The option was motivated by the NAME/FINGER protocol (RFC 742), which lists logged-in users with locations. For network users, only the originating site name was available; SEND-LOCATION allows the client to supply a richer physical location to supplement the site name.

Equivalent location-transmission functionality was already present in the SUPDUP protocol (RFC 734); SEND-LOCATION brings the same capability to standard Telnet.

After the server replies with IAC DO SEND-LOCATION, the user Telnet is free to send the location in a subnegotiation at any time.

The default state for SEND-LOCATION is WON'T SEND-LOCATION and DON'T SEND-LOCATION; neither side uses the option unless explicitly negotiated.

When the user Telnet program knows the user's location, it should offer to transmit this information to the server Telnet by sending IAC WILL SEND-LOCATION.

IAC DO SEND-LOCATION indicates the sender requests or agrees to have the other side use SEND-LOCATION commands. IAC DON'T SEND-LOCATION demands the other side not use the option.

IAC WILL SEND-LOCATION indicates the sender requests or agrees to use the SEND-LOCATION option to send the user's location. IAC WON'T SEND-LOCATION indicates refusal.

The SEND-LOCATION Telnet option is assigned option code 23. It allows the user's Telnet program to transmit the user's physical location to the server Telnet.

The subnegotiation format is IAC SB SEND-LOCATION <location> IAC SE. The <location> field is a sequence of ASCII printable characters terminated by IAC SE.