xref: /netbsd-src/libexec/getty/getty.8 (revision aef5eb5f59cdfe8314f1b5f78ac04eb144e44010)
1.\"	$NetBSD: getty.8,v 1.19 2020/02/26 15:44:57 riastradh Exp $
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30.\"     from: @(#)getty.8	8.1 (Berkeley) 6/4/93
31.\"
32.Dd May 29, 2013
33.Dt GETTY 8
34.Os
35.Sh NAME
36.Nm getty
37.Nd set terminal modes for system access
38.Sh SYNOPSIS
39.Nm
40.Oo
41.Ar type
42.Op Ar tty
43.Oc
44.Sh DESCRIPTION
45The
46.Nm
47program
48is called by
49.Xr init 8
50to open and initialize the tty line, read a login name, and invoke
51.Xr login 1 .
52The devices on which to run
53.Nm
54are normally determined by
55.Xr ttys 5 .
56.Pp
57The
58.Nm
59program can also recognize a Point to Point Protocol
60.Pq Tn PPP
61negotiation, and, if the
62.Sy pp
63attribute in
64.Xr gettytab 5
65is set, invoke the program given by that string, e.g.,
66.Xr pppd 8 ,
67instead of
68.Xr login 1 .
69This makes it possible to use a single serial port for either a
70.Qq shell
71account with command line interface, or a
72.Tn PPP
73network link.
74.Pp
75The argument
76.Ar tty
77is the special device file in
78.Pa /dev
79to open for the terminal
80.Po
81for example,
82.Qq ttyh0
83.Pc .
84If there is no argument or the argument is
85.Ql Fl ,
86the tty line is assumed to be open as file descriptor 0.
87.Pp
88The
89.Ar type
90argument can be used to make
91.Nm
92treat the terminal line specially.
93This argument is used as an index into the
94.Xr gettytab 5
95database, to determine the characteristics of the line.
96If there is no argument, or there is no such table, the
97.Em default
98table is used.
99If there is no
100.Pa /etc/gettytab
101a set of system defaults is used.
102If indicated by the table located,
103.Nm
104will clear the terminal screen,
105print a banner heading,
106and prompt for a login name.
107Usually either the banner or the login prompt will include
108the system hostname.
109.Pp
110.Nm
111uses the
112.Xr ttyaction 3
113facility with an action of
114.Qq getty
115and user
116.Qq root
117to execute site-specific commands when it starts.
118.Pp
119Most of the default actions of
120.Nm
121can be circumvented, or modified, by a suitable
122.Xr gettytab 5
123table.
124.Pp
125The
126.Nm
127program can be set to timeout after some interval,
128which will cause dial up lines to hang up
129if the login name is not entered reasonably quickly.
130.Sh FILES
131.Bl -tag -width /usr/libexec/getty -compact
132.It Pa /etc/gettytab
133.It Pa /etc/ttys
134.It Pa /usr/libexec/getty
135.El
136.Sh DIAGNOSTICS
137.Bl -diag
138.It "ttyxx: No such device or address."
139.It "ttyxx: No such file or address."
140A terminal which is turned on in the
141.Xr ttys 5
142file cannot be opened, likely because the requisite
143lines are either not configured into the system, the associated device
144was not attached during boot-time system configuration,
145or the special file in
146.Pa /dev
147does not exist.
148.El
149.Sh SEE ALSO
150.Xr login 1 ,
151.Xr ioctl 2 ,
152.Xr ttyaction 3 ,
153.Xr tty 4 ,
154.Xr gettytab 5 ,
155.Xr ttys 5 ,
156.Xr init 8 ,
157.Xr pppd 8
158.Sh HISTORY
159A
160.Nm
161program appeared in
162.At v6 .
163