xref: /freebsd/libexec/getty/getty.8 (revision 2be1a816b9ff69588e55be0a84cbe2a31efc0f2f)
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32.\"     from: @(#)getty.8	8.1 (Berkeley) 6/4/93
33.\" $FreeBSD$
34.\" "
35.Dd June 4, 1993
36.Dt GETTY 8
37.Os
38.Sh NAME
39.Nm getty
40.Nd set terminal mode
41.Sh SYNOPSIS
42.Nm
43.Oo
44.Ar type
45.Op Ar tty
46.Oc
47.Sh DESCRIPTION
48The
49.Nm
50utility is called by
51.Xr init 8
52to open and initialize the tty line, read a login name, and invoke
53.Xr login 1 .
54.Pp
55The argument
56.Ar tty
57is the special device file in
58.Pa /dev
59to open for the terminal (for example, ``ttyh0'').
60If there is no argument or the argument is
61.Sq Fl ,
62the tty line is assumed to be open as file descriptor 0.
63.Pp
64The
65.Ar type
66argument can be used to make
67.Nm
68treat the terminal line specially.
69This argument is used as an index into the
70.Xr gettytab 5
71database, to determine the characteristics of the line.
72If there is no argument, or there is no such table, the
73.Em default
74table is used.
75If there is no
76.Pa /etc/gettytab
77a set of system defaults is used.
78If indicated by the table located,
79.Nm
80will clear the terminal screen,
81print a banner heading,
82and prompt for a login name.
83Usually either the banner or the login prompt will include
84the system hostname.
85.Pp
86Most of the default actions of
87.Nm
88can be circumvented, or modified, by a suitable
89.Pa gettytab
90table.
91.Pp
92The
93.Nm
94utility can be set to timeout after some interval,
95which will cause dial up lines to hang up
96if the login name is not entered reasonably quickly.
97.Sh FILES
98.Bl -tag -width /etc/gettytab -compact
99.It Pa /etc/gettytab
100.It Pa /etc/ttys
101.El
102.Sh DIAGNOSTICS
103.Bl -diag
104.It "ttyxx: No such device or address."
105.It "ttyxx: No such file or address."
106.Pp
107A terminal which is turned
108on in the
109.Pa ttys
110file cannot be opened, likely because the requisite
111lines are either not configured into the system, the associated device
112was not attached during boot-time system configuration,
113or the special file in
114.Pa /dev
115does not exist.
116.El
117.Sh SEE ALSO
118.Xr login 1 ,
119.Xr ioctl 2 ,
120.Xr tty 4 ,
121.Xr gettytab 5 ,
122.Xr ttys 5 ,
123.Xr init 8
124.Sh HISTORY
125A
126.Nm
127utility appeared in
128.At v6 .
129