runs in the background and listens for new network connections to a given TCP/IP port, such as a telnet user. Listens on a port for incoming telnet-style connect requests\; gives a text message and/or a file response and closes the connection. Great for 'server down' messages on MUDs, or retrieving automated status info from a remote machine without a When connected, the specified message text and/or file are sent to the user, then the connection is closed. This is a useful way of giving notice on a telnet service that is temporarily unavailable, or that has been changed to a new address or port. It is also useful for serving simple status information, such as a vacation cabin's temperature or the disk space free on a remote server, without resorting to complex web servers with common gateway interface (CGI) programming.