Arch Linux

sukolyn

Member

Registered: 2024-02-14

Posts: 156

[solved] openbsd-netcat defaults to verbose

hi,

for some time now, openbsd-netcat is verbose even I don't ask it to.
that behaviour is not on Debian Bookworm, which netcat.openbsd version is 1.219-1, where Arch's is 1.226_1-2

I guess normal behaviour is to be quiet as there is neither "silent", nor "quiet" option but a "verbose" one.

Last edited by sukolyn (2024-02-17 02:21:20)

frostschutz

Member

Registered: 2013-11-15

Posts: 1,647

Re: [solved] openbsd-netcat defaults to verbose

It's not the case for me. Do you have an alias? Something in /usr/local/bin?

Specific command, output, expected?

Last edited by frostschutz (2024-02-14 20:42:02)

sukolyn

Member

Registered: 2024-02-14

Posts: 156

Re: [solved] openbsd-netcat defaults to verbose

$ pacman -Qi openbsd-netcat | grep Version 
Version         : 1.226_1-2

$ which -a nc
/usr/bin/nc
$

here's some output :

$ alias nc
bash: alias: nc: not found
$ \nc -z 8.8.8.8 53
Connection to 8.8.8.8 53 port [tcp/domain] succeeded!
$

I have the same output using verbose option:

$ \nc -v -z 8.8.8.8 53
Connection to 8.8.8.8 53 port [tcp/domain] succeeded!
$

and here's what it should look like (as on Debian, and as it still was some weeks ago):

Debian:~$ nc 8.8.8.8 53
Debian:~$

Debian:~$ apt-cache show netcat-openbsd
Package: netcat-openbsd
Version: 1.219-1
...

Last edited by sukolyn (2024-02-16 20:34:35)

Scimmia

Fellow

Registered: 2012-09-01

Posts: 13,727

Re: [solved] openbsd-netcat defaults to verbose

Upstream man page implies that -z includes -v. The man page shipped with Arch is different, so very likely an upstream change and the documentation caught up later.

https://man.openbsd.org/nc.1#PORT_SCANNING

Last edited by Scimmia (2024-02-17 00:23:55)

sukolyn

Member

Registered: 2024-02-14

Posts: 156

Re: [solved] openbsd-netcat defaults to verbose

thank you.

in deed, it makes sense when using range, not when using a single port, imho.
i'm sure openbsd-netcat's developers will come to this.

edit: or they could add a "quiet" option, because we don't always want to know what port is listening, but only IF some is listening.

Last edited by sukolyn (2024-02-17 14:15:00)