You might not think that there is a lot of point of including a section on how to log in and out of CLX. However, you would be suprised at the difficulties some people have in simply getting in and out of the cluster!
There are several ways a login might be achieved, dependant on how the sysop has CLX configured. It is impossible for me to cover all variations but here are the basic ones.
Simplicity itself. The usual CONNECT command will log you straight into the cluster and you will not have to do anything else. Obviously, you will have to connect to the correct callsign. Some nodes use an SSID with their call so you would have to add that.
Examples:
connect GB7MBC
connect GB7MBC-1
There are several possibilities here, dependant on how the sysop has configured his system. If you are connecting via netrom then you are most probably connecting from another station. Listing the nodes in that station with the NODES command will tell you what callsign or netrom alias to connect to. Then just issue the connect command from there. It is possible that the netrom alias may connect you to a node with an alias for the cluster, such as DXC. Just type this and you will be connected.
Example:
connect MBCDX
Because CLX runs under the Linux operating system, it is possible to make a direct telnet connection into the cluster. With telnet connections, the source callsign is not seen by CLX, so you will be asked to login with your callsign and a password to perform a security check. This is where a lot of people seem to struggle. When you first connect, you will be asked to enter a new password. When you have entered it, you will be asked to repeat the password for verification. Please make a note of it for the next time you wish to connect. Remember that the password is case sensitive (ie wibble is not the same as WiBbLe) or you will not be able to login! If you should lose or forget your password, contact your sysop and it can be reset for you.
To telnet to CLX, you would connect to a specific port. There is no standard at the moment for a cluster telnet port but ask the sysop if you are unsure.
Example:
telnet gb7mbc 9000
All the above are possible ways of connecting to a CLX cluster. You may have some or all of these available to you. There may be one or two additional ways to connect dependant on the network local to you. However I am sure you get the idea.
Logging out can be done by issuing one of two commands, BYE or QUIT.
You could also send a disconnect if you are using AX25, or a CLOSE command if you are connected via telnet. If you do not log out gracefully using one of the above commands, you may find you are unable to get a full connect next time. You may get connected, but nothing else will happen because the program thinks you are still connected and will not let you connect twice under the same call. However you could connect by using a different ssid on your call. This can be done by either altering your MYCALL setting in the TNC or by altering your program configuration. Dependant on the program you are running you could also use a different stream with a different ssid.