xref: /freebsd/libexec/getty/getty.8 (revision e627b39baccd1ec9129690167cf5e6d860509655)
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32.\"     from: @(#)getty.8	8.1 (Berkeley) 6/4/93
33.\"	$Id: getty.8,v 1.1.1.2 1996/04/13 15:33:06 joerg Exp $
34.\" "
35.Dd June 4, 1993
36.Dt GETTY 8
37.Os BSD 4
38.Sh NAME
39.Nm getty
40.Nd set terminal mode
41.Sh SYNOPSIS
42.Nm getty
43.Oo
44.Ar type
45.Op Ar tty
46.Oc
47.Sh DESCRIPTION
48The
49.Nm getty
50program
51is called by
52.Xr init 8
53to open and initialize the tty line, read a login name, and invoke
54.Xr login 1 .
55.Pp
56The argument
57.Ar tty
58is the special device file in
59.Pa /dev
60to open for the terminal (for example, ``ttyh0'').
61If there is no argument or the argument is
62.Ql Fl ,
63the tty line is assumed to be open as file descriptor 0.
64.Pp
65The
66.Ar type
67argument can be used to make
68.Nm getty
69treat the terminal line specially.
70This argument is used as an index into the
71.Nm gettytab 5
72database, to determine the characteristics of the line.
73If there is no argument, or there is no such table, the
74.Em default
75table is used.
76If there is no
77.Pa /etc/gettytab
78a set of system defaults is used.
79If indicated by the table located,
80.Nm getty
81will clear the terminal screen,
82print a banner heading,
83and prompt for a login name.
84Usually either the banner or the login prompt will include
85the system hostname.
86.Pp
87Most of the default actions of
88.Nm getty
89can be circumvented, or modified, by a suitable
90.Nm gettytab
91table.
92.Pp
93The
94.Nm getty
95program
96can be set to timeout after some interval,
97which will cause dial up lines to hang up
98if the login name is not entered reasonably quickly.
99.Sh DIAGNOSTICS
100.Bl -diag
101.It "ttyxx: No such device or address."
102.It "ttyxx: No such file or address."
103A terminal which is turned
104on in the
105.Xr ttys
106file cannot be opened, likely because the requisite
107lines are either not configured into the system, the associated device
108was not attached during boot-time system configuration,
109or the special file in
110.Pa /dev
111does not exist.
112.El
113.Sh FILES
114.Bl -tag -width /etc/gettytab -compact
115.It Pa /etc/gettytab
116.El
117.Sh SEE ALSO
118.Xr gettytab 5 ,
119.Xr init 8 ,
120.Xr login 1 ,
121.Xr ioctl 2 ,
122.Xr tty 4 ,
123.Xr ttys 5
124.Sh HISTORY
125A
126.Nm getty
127program appeared in
128.At v6 .
129