Which protocol enables a bidirectional text session between client and server over a network?

Which protocol enables a bidirectional text session between client and server over a network?

• A. Telnet
• B. SSH
• C. FTP
• D. HTTP

Answer: (A)

Bidirectional, real-time text communication between a client and server is achieved by remote terminal sessions. Telnet is designed to provide exactly that: a persistent TCP connection that presents a text-based terminal to the user, so every keystroke you enter is sent to the server and the server’s responses are displayed back immediately. This creates an interactive, two-way text session where you can issue commands and see results as they come. While SSH also offers a bidirectional interactive session, Telnet is the classic example of a plain, text-based remote terminal. The other options don’t fit this scenario: FTP is focused on transferring files using separate control and data channels, and HTTP is a stateless request/response protocol for fetching web resources. Telnet’s primary purpose is to provide that live, text-oriented terminal session over a network.

Bidirectional, real-time text communication between a client and server is achieved by remote terminal sessions. Telnet is designed to provide exactly that: a persistent TCP connection that presents a text-based terminal to the user, so every keystroke you enter is sent to the server and the server’s responses are displayed back immediately. This creates an interactive, two-way text session where you can issue commands and see results as they come.

While SSH also offers a bidirectional interactive session, Telnet is the classic example of a plain, text-based remote terminal. The other options don’t fit this scenario: FTP is focused on transferring files using separate control and data channels, and HTTP is a stateless request/response protocol for fetching web resources. Telnet’s primary purpose is to provide that live, text-oriented terminal session over a network.