I have a piece of hardware that I need to connect to on port tcp 23. That device sends one line messages randomly. In order for the device to not break the connection, I must send a 'HELLO' every 60 seconds. I have tried the telnet module and socket comms, but inevitably, I can't seem to 'break out' to send 'HELLO' while I am blocking waiting for random output. If you close the handle on timeout or leave the handle on subroutine you lose the handle and can't send anything. This problem is kicking my azz. Any ideas ? Thanks