xref: /openbsd/libexec/getty/getty.8 (revision 404b540a)
1.\"	$OpenBSD: getty.8,v 1.13 2007/05/31 19:19:39 jmc Exp $
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29.\"     from: @(#)getty.8	8.1 (Berkeley) 6/4/93
30.\"
31.Dd $Mdocdate: May 31 2007 $
32.Dt GETTY 8
33.Os
34.Sh NAME
35.Nm getty
36.Nd set terminal mode
37.Sh SYNOPSIS
38.Nm getty
39.Oo
40.Ar type
41.Op Ar tty
42.Oc
43.Sh DESCRIPTION
44The
45.Nm
46program
47is called by
48.Xr init 8
49to open and initialize the tty line, read a login name, and invoke
50.Xr login 1 .
51.Pp
52The argument
53.Ar tty
54is the special device file in
55.Pa /dev
56to open for the terminal (for example, ``ttyh0'').
57If there is no argument or the argument is
58.Sq Fl ,
59the tty line is assumed to be open as file descriptor 0.
60.Pp
61The
62.Ar type
63argument can be used to make
64.Nm
65treat the terminal line specially.
66This argument is used as an index into the
67.Xr gettytab 5
68database, to determine the characteristics of the line.
69If there is no argument, or there is no such table, the
70.Em default
71table is used.
72If there is no
73.Pa /etc/gettytab
74a set of system defaults is used.
75If indicated by the table located,
76.Nm
77will clear the terminal screen,
78print a banner heading,
79and prompt for a login name.
80Usually either the banner or the login prompt will include
81the system hostname.
82.Pp
83Most of the default actions of
84.Nm
85can be circumvented, or modified, by a suitable
86.Xr gettytab 5
87table.
88.Pp
89The
90.Nm
91program
92can be set to timeout after some interval,
93which will cause dial up lines to hang up
94if the login name is not entered reasonably quickly.
95.Sh RESOURCES
96.Nm
97is started by
98.Xr init 8 ,
99with a process priority, umask, and resource limits based on the
100.Dq default
101entry in
102.Pa /etc/login.conf .
103.Sh FILES
104.Bl -tag -width /etc/gettytab -compact
105.It Pa /etc/gettytab
106.El
107.Sh DIAGNOSTICS
108.Bl -diag
109.It "ttyxx: No such device or address."
110.It "ttyxx: No such file or address."
111A terminal which is turned
112on in the
113.Xr ttys 5
114file cannot be opened, likely because the requisite
115lines are either not configured into the system, the associated device
116was not attached during boot-time system configuration,
117or the special file in
118.Pa /dev
119does not exist.
120.El
121.Sh SEE ALSO
122.Xr login 1 ,
123.Xr ioctl 2 ,
124.Xr tty 4 ,
125.Xr gettytab 5 ,
126.Xr login.conf 5 ,
127.Xr ttys 5 ,
128.Xr init 8
129.Sh HISTORY
130A
131.Nm
132program appeared in
133.At v6 .
134