open(STDERR, ">&STDOUT");   # changes STDERR to STDOUT, lets the password thing actually work.... I think
    if ($METHOD eq 'telnet')
      {
        telnet_login($username, $password, $host, \$shell); # calls out to temerity_lib.pl for the generic telnet log
in process.  NOTE: $shell is passed by referance
        # perform the actions we need to accomplish
        $shell->print($PASSWD);  # start changing the password
        $shell->waitfor('/password:/i') or report_error("password","No password prompt found");; # make sure it worked

        $shell->print($password);         # send your login password
        my($pre,$match) = $shell->waitfor(Match => '/Incorrect password/',
                                           Match => '/New password:/');          # make sure it worked
        $match =~ /New/ or report_error("password","Not prompted for new password");;
        $shell->print($new_password);      # send new password
        ($pre,$match) = $telnet->waitfor(Match => '/Bad password/',
                                         Match => '/Re-enter new password:/');   # make sure it worked
        $match =~ /Re-enter/ or report_error("password","New password rejected");
        $shell->print($new_password);      # send new password again
        $shell->waitfor('/changed/i') or report_error("password","New password rejected");  # make sure it worked

        $shell->close;
      }

##</code><code>##

sub telnet_login  # opens a telnet session to "host"
  {
    use Net::Telnet;  # initialize the telnet module
    my ($username, $password, $host, $shell) = @_;
    # takes function arguments and stores them into appropriate variables
    $$shell = new Net::Telnet ('Timeout'=>'7',
                               'Errmode'=> sub { report_error("telnet","Username or Password failed"); },
                               'Prompt'=> '/.*([\$#\%>~]|\@\w~\$|\\\[\\e\[0m\\\] \[0m)\s?/' );
    # initalizes a telnet object sets a prompt to expect sets a timeout sets error-checking

    $$shell->open(Host=>$host);            # opens the object
    $$shell->login($username,$password);  # login to the telnet session
  }