NAME    [Toc]    [Back]

     getty - set terminal mode

SYNOPSIS    [Toc]    [Back]

     getty [type [tty]]

DESCRIPTION    [Toc]    [Back]

     The getty program is called by init(8) to open and  initialize the tty
     line, read a login name, and invoke login(1).

     The  argument tty is the special device file in /dev to open
for the terminal
 (for example, ``ttyh0'').  If there is no argument  or
the argument
     is  `-', the tty line is assumed to be open as file descriptor 0.

     The type argument can be used to make getty treat the terminal line specially.
   This  argument  is  used as an index into the gettytab(5) database,
     to determine the characteristics of the line.  If  there  is
no argument,
     or  there  is  no such table, the default table is used.  If
there is no
     /etc/gettytab a set of system defaults is used.  If indicated by the
     table located, getty will clear the terminal screen, print a
banner heading,
 and prompt for a login name.  Usually either the banner
or the login
     prompt will include the system hostname.

     Most of the default actions of getty can be circumvented, or
modified, by
     a suitable gettytab(5) table.

     The getty program can be set to timeout after some interval,
which will
     cause  dial up lines to hang up if the login name is not entered reasonably
 quickly.

RESOURCES    [Toc]    [Back]

     getty is started by init(8), with a process priority, umask,
and resource
     limits based on the ``default'' entry in /etc/login.conf.

FILES    [Toc]    [Back]

     /etc/gettytab

DIAGNOSTICS    [Toc]    [Back]

     ttyxx: No such device or address.
     ttyxx:  No such file or address.  A terminal which is turned
on in the
     ttys(5) file cannot be opened, likely because the  requisite
lines are either
  not  configured into the system, the associated device
was not attached
 during boot-time system configuration, or the special
file in /dev
     does not exist.

SEE ALSO    [Toc]    [Back]

     login(1),   ioctl(2),  tty(4),  gettytab(5),  login.conf(5),
ttys(5), init(8)

HISTORY    [Toc]    [Back]

     A getty program appeared in Version 6 AT&T UNIX.

OpenBSD      3.6                           June      4,      1993