Hi,
try following test:
Telnet to your router from your PC.
Configure
line vty 0
exec-timeout 0 0
line vty 1
session-timeout 1
exec-timeout 5
Then connect to the router again from another Telnet window.
Issue sh user in the first telnet window.
You should see something like:
sh user
Line User Host(s) Idle Location
* 18 vty 0 kulik idle 00:00:00 10.1.1.1
19 vty 1 kulik idle 00:00:14 10.1.1.1
Wait 4 minutes, repeat the command, you'll see
sh user
Line User Host(s) Idle Location
* 18 vty 0 kulik idle 00:00:00 10.1.1.1
19 vty 1 kulik idle 00:04:14 10.1.1.1
After another minute:
sh user
Line User Host(s) Idle Location
* 18 vty 0 kulik idle 00:00:00 10.1.1.1
I.e., your second telnet connection was closed by exec-timeout (5 minutes for VTY 1) atfer 5 minutes of no input to the Exec process.
Connect to the router again from a new telnet window and issue a Telnet a.b.c.d command in enable mode.
sh users in the first window should show you
Line User Host(s) Idle Location
* 18 vty 0 kulik idle 00:00:00 10.1.1.1
19 vty 1 kulik a.b.c.d 00:00:11 10.1.1.1
After one minute you should get
[Connection to a.b.c.d idle too long; timed out]
error message in the second window and the telnet connection from the router to a.b.c.d should be disconnected.
The session-timeout 1 minute configured for VTY 1 has disconnected the session.
sh users in the first window still shows
Line User Host(s) Idle Location
* 18 vty 0 kulik idle 00:00:00 10.1.1.1
19 vty 1 kulik idle 00:02:18 10.1.1.1
and you have still the second telnet connection to your router open (until the exec-timeout closes it after another 4 minutes).
I hope this helps to explain the difference between these two timeouts.
Regards,
Milan
